Stinging insects such as wasps, bees, and ants are important pollinators and often eat pests in the garden.  They can also be pests, however, especially when they decide you are threatening them or their nest.  Getting stung isn’t just painful, it can be life threatening.

For most people, most of the time, getting stung hurts.  That pretty much sums their experience up.  There are two situations that get such people in trouble. 

Dangers From Bees

The first is typified by the much heralded Africanized honey bee.  Not only are these bees more likely to sting you, and do so farther from the nest than the more common European honey bee, their friends pile on.  People do not get stung by just one bee, but by dozens and even hundreds.  That big a dose of venom can put anyone in the hospital.

Dangers From Fire Ants

Fire ants are the same way.  You don’t get one sting, you get dozens.  Usually by the time you realize you have gotten in the fire ants, they are there in big numbers.  If you can’t get them off, you will get stung enough to make you sick.  I remember sitting in an ant hill as a small child and being bitten, and my parents had to remove my jeans and shake them out, then let the ants crawl off to protect me.

Developing An Allergy

The second situation is more insidious.  As you get stung several times over the course of years, your body can take one of two attitudes.  The first is to gradually become immune to the venom, or at least more resistant to it.  The other is to become more sensitive to it.  This is the really dangerous part.  You get stung and nothing happens, and this repeats for a while.  Suddenly, you get stung and have a life threatening reaction to something that was no big deal in the past.  In extreme cases, people have died like this.

Anaphlactic Shock Symptoms

What are the signs you are getting in trouble?  If you have a lot of swelling at the site of the sting, tingling of the lips and mouth, scratchy throat, throat swelling, lips and eyelids swell, or difficulty breathing, you need to get medical attention immediately.  Especially if you are alone, do not delay. 

Further, if your doctor determines it was a severe allergic reaction, ask about an epipen.  This is a preloaded syringe that you jab against your thigh to inject the medicine into your body to treat the allergic reaction.  Carry it in your pocket so you can reach it no matter what.  It you get some but not all of these symptoms, you need to ask your doctor if you are developing an allergy to the insect.  If so, follow the doctor’s instructions for carrying an epipen or other medication all the time.

Precautions To Avoid Stings

Insect stings are not inevitable.  Here are some tips to avoid getting stings.

• Be aware of your environment.  If you see lots of insects flying to and fro, there is probably a nest.  Avoid it by going around the area.
• Do not walk outside barefoot.  Wear closed toe shoes.
• Do not wear perfume, cologne, or scented soaps if you are going to work outside.
• Wear solid colored clothing.  Brightly colored clothing and patterned clothing can attract insects.
• Before entering a swimming pool, make sure there ar no insects trapped on the surface.  If you find them, remove the insects before entering the pool.

Gardening is a pretty safe activity.  Taking a few precautions can keep it that way.