The Top 9 Summer Insects to Avoid and How
What they do: Around 30,000 identified species are classified as wasps. Wasps are divided into two primary subgroups: the majority are referred to as solitary and do not sting, the other subgroup is called social wasps, including yellow jackets and hornets, which make up only about 1000 species. Social wasps perform positive tasks for humans, such as controlling pest insect populations.
Unlike the honeybee, wasps don’t lose their stingers after they sting a victim, so they’re able to sting their target multiple times. The venom in a stinger can cause pain and may contain toxic proteins, which can cause allergic reactions. About 1 percent to 3 percent of the population is highly allergic, which can result in anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction.
What to do: The best way to avoid wasps is to have a professional remove and destroy any nests in close proximity to your living space. In addition, stings can be prevented with protective clothing, insect repellent, and avoidance of infested areas. For an individual who is stung but isn’t allergic to the venom, first aid can be performed at home, including cleaning and applying antibiotic ointment. If someone is allergic, seek immediate medical attention and take an antihistamine like Benadryl.
Flickr/David Farquar
What it does: The spider is identifiable by a colored, hourglass-shaped spot on its stomach. The venom is reportedly 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake, yet most people that are bitten don’t suffer serious consequences, just minimal to sharp pain, and fatalities are rare. Among humans, bites can cause severe symptoms such as muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can cause difficulty breathing. The spider is nonaggressive and usually only bites in self-defense.
What to do: In the event of a bite, wash the area with soap and water and elevate the area of the body that was bitten to prevent the venom from spreading. For additional prevention, tie a bandage above the area. Then seek immediate emergency medical care because sometimes an anti-venom medication is required. Most bites occur between April and October.
Flickr/Keith Robinson
What it does: The most common and widespread of brown spiders, the brown recluse is found in southern and central states. The spiders have violin-shaped markings on the top of their head and thorax. You may not know if you’ve been bitten—at first. It can take up to 8 hours for the bite to appear as a red bullseye. The venom can cause tissue damage, which can lead to scarring and other serious complications.
What to do: To avoid bites, wear protective clothing when traveling through terrain that is home to these spiders. If bitten, it usually takes several hours before pain sets in and may become severe. Contact your doctor, or if traveling, seek help in an emergency room if the pain or swelling becomes severe.
Flickr/Mike Keeling
What they do: Millipedes and centipedes are more closely related to marine animals than insects, but they are found on land in moist habitats or areas with high humidity. Nocturnal creatures, they are not disease vectors. Millipedes are wormlike with 1,000 legs whose body segments each carry two pairs of legs. Centipedes have 100 legs and each body segment bears one pair of legs.
Millipedes are not poisonous creatures, but they can produce irritating fluids from their glands that may cause allergic reactions in some people. Centipedes have poisonous glands right behind their head. If a human is bitten, the poison usually only causes a moderate reaction similar to that of a bee sting. People who are allergic may suffer more serious reactions.
What to do: To avoid contact from these animals, avoid handling them and remove any objects that could provide a hiding place for them outside the home. To secure your house, make sure the doors and windows are tightly shut and seal any cracks or crevices. Pesticide can be applied outdoors to kill the animals. To treat a centipede bite, wash the area with soap and water, apply ice or wet towels, and take analgesics for the pain.
Flickr/Steve Fernie
What it does: The persistent hum, the itchy bites, the satisfaction when you swat one successfully – we all know mosquitoes. But mosquitoes are carriers of some of the world’s most deadly diseases. Mosquito-borne illnesses in the U.S. and across the world include Malaria, Chikungunya, Dog Heartworm, Dengue, Yellow Fever, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St Louis Encephalitis, LaCrosse Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis, and West Nile Virus.
What to do: To protect yourself against a mosquito bite, wear insect repellent and cover your arms and legs. After traveling, visit your doctor immediately if you develop a fever, joint pain, or headache.
Flickr/James Gathany/Sanofi Pasteur
What it does: Also known as killer bees, the bees reached the U.S. in 1990. Extremely dangerous, hundreds of the bees will attack one intruder at once. Although their venom has the same potency as a native honeybee, they are able to kill because of the number of stings they can inflict on a human. They are also particularly deadly because they attack people and animals within a quarter mile range of their hive. It doesn’t take much to provoke them, and when provoked, they remain agitated for around 24 hours.
What to do: In the event of an attack, a cover your head with your shirt and run away from the area. Do not stop running until you reach shelter. If stung, the victim should quickly remove the stinger(s) by scraping it, not pulling it. Apply cool compresses to relieve pain and ease swelling. If your breathing is impaired, if you have been stung more than 15 times, or if you are feeling ill, seek urgent medical attention.
Flickr/Evan Bench
These creatures are particularly aggressive – they are known to attack people, plants, and animals and damage homes, buildings, and other infrastructures. Colonies of ants are protective of their mounds and when disturbed, workers leave the ground and sting the intruder. The number of worker ants in one colony can reach up to 500,000 and are usually active from the spring until the fall. Every sting feels like fire and could be dangerous if you develop an allergic reaction or if the pustule becomes infected.
The best way to protect oneself from the sting of fire ants is by wearing high socks, rather than insect repellent. The higher the socks, the more time an individual has to brush the ants off oneself before being stung. Insect repellents do not discourage fire ants. In addition, spraying pesticides or using ant baits in small yard of families with young children could be helpful.
Flickr/Larah McElroy
What they do: A cousin of the spider, scorpions have eight legs, a pair of pincers, and a slender tail that arches over their backs. Over 1750 known species of scorpions exist, but only 25 to 30 of the species have venom that can be fatal to humans. The only scorpion species found in the U.S. that can inflict lethal stings are bark scorpions.
What to do: In the case of a mild bite, the only reactions might be a small tingling or burning sensation at the site of the sting. Severe stings can cause double division, difficulty breathing, drooling, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, muscle spasms, paralysis, among others. Most stings don’t require medical treatment, but for children under six-years-old, harmful effects are more likely from poisonous types. If stung, keep yourself and the area affected still after washing the sting with soap and water. Put ice on the sting for 10 minutes, take the ice off for 10 minutes, and then repeat the process.
Flickr/Chris Parker
What they do: Ticks are small arachnids that require blood meals for many aspects of their complex life cycle. Larvae measure about 1/32 of an inch, nymphs about 1/16-1/8 of an inch, and adults 3/16-1/4 of an inch. Ticks move using their legs and during the nymph or adult phases will attach to several different kinds of animals for blood, including humans.
Tick bites are usually painless, even when the tick falls off the skin. A couple hours later, the bite area may develop itching, burning, redness, and rarely pain. However, the majority of people don’t develop any symptoms. Individuals who are allergic to ticks might develop a rash or suffer from shortness of breath, swelling, numbness, or paralysis. As mentioned, they can carry serious diseases, like Lyme.
What to do: To avoid contact with ticks, you should avoid moist and humid areas in or near wooded or grassy areas where they are commonly found. You can also put products that contain permethrin, a synthetic chemical that kill ticks, on boots, clothing, and camping gear. On your skin, use a repellent with DEET. After coming indoors from being in an environment that ticks would likely inhabit, always check your clothing and body for ticks. If you happen to find a tick on yourself, remove the tick with tweezers and watch for signs of illness in the coming days since they are known to carry diseases. If you become ill, seek medical attention.
Flickr/John Tann