How to Prevent and Treat Stings from Horseflies, Mosquitoes, Wasps and Bees: Expert Advice from a Forest Ranger

2023-06-12 12:30:22

The warm weather not only means sun, ice cream and a cold drink, but also stings from horseflies, mosquitoes and other flying animals. What can you do to prevent it? And what is the best thing to do if you are stung anyway? Forest ranger Frans Kapteijns eases the itch for answers.

Horseflies and mosquitoes
“You now get the most trouble from rain horseflies and mosquitoes,” says Kapteijns. You will definitely feel it, especially if you are attacked by a horsefly. “Especially the females bite. They inject some kind of stuff into the wound that prevents it from clotting, which causes the itchy feeling.”

Itching or not, Kapteijns’ advice sometimes sounds easier than done: “Whatever you do, don’t rub! Then you will only make it worse.”

“Once you have been bitten, you can do very little about it,” says Kapteijns matter-of-factly. According to the forester, if you are quick you could still suck the poison out. It could also be cooled with a wet cloth or ice to possibly relieve it.

Wasps and bees
In wasps, only the females can sting. They do this with their so-called needle stinger, which has no barbs and therefore does not remain in the skin.

A bee stings with a stinger that has barbs, so check if the stinger is still in your skin. Remove it as soon as possible to prevent a lot of poison from entering or under your skin. Don’t do that with your fingers, but ‘scrape’ the stinger out of the skin with, for example, the edge of a bank card, the blunt side of a knife or tweezers. Sucking out the venom is not recommended, you’ll just break up the skin around the sting more.

Often not your own fault, but you are left with a bump, itch or pain. According to Kapteijns, cream or ointment can already provide relief. If the sting still really hurts, you can cool it with a wet cloth or ice, which reduces the chance of a big bump. You can also take two more tablets of paracetamol.

This is how you prevent it
Now it is still the horseflies and mosquitoes, but later in the season the wasps will also provide the necessary stings. The best thing is of course if you can prevent the entire trammelant. Fortunately, there are also a number of things you can do to avoid getting stung:

• Kapteijns always goes out with an insect spray, but insect repellent scented candles can also help.
• Horseflies and mosquitoes like damp, sultry sun spots, such as along the water. The best thing is to try to avoid them.
• Keep sweet drinks and foods covered.

• Try to leave wasps or bees alone as much as possible. It can be tempting to want to deal a big whack, but this increases the chance of a sting.
• Don’t panic. If you are in a place with a lot of bugs, walk away calmly. The more trammelant, the more excited the critters become.

“Once you have been bitten, you can do very little about it,” Kapteijns concludes. “Of course you should always call the doctor in case of more severe complaints.”