You’ve just had the shock of your life when you accidentally ran into your front door, thinking it was your mate/friend/brother. You see, what you thought was a person was actually a wasp fastened to the glass. You stood there for a moment in disbelief thinking, “how dare that wasp presumes to stand on my face” before realizing that you were just stung. Nicely played Mr. Wasp. If you’ve ever experienced being stung by a wasp, you know how painful it can be. A sting from a wasp can be accompanied by irritation and swelling in and around the area of the sting. But if you have an allergic reaction to the sting or multiple stings, then you may want to visit your doctor’s office. However, there are steps you can take to ease the pain and eliminate swelling in your body. Stinging insects, such as ants, wasps, and bees are not generally aggressive unless threatened or stepped on. In fact, most will usually stay away from you if you leave them alone. It is only when a wasp feels defensive that they sting. Here are some of the ways that you can relieve a Stinging Insect Sting: Wasp stings should be looked at by a physician if you are stung multiple times and/or develop a severe reaction. In this blog post, I will be going over how to treat wasp stings at home, which is the safest and best way to treat them. At the end of this article, there will be a video link to show you additional wasp sting-related content.

How To Relieve A Wasp Sting

Introduction

Let’s be real: getting stung by a wasp is something nobody wants to deal with. But if you do get stung, try not to panic. Wasp sting symptoms are generally pretty mild and typically aren’t cause for concern, but some people can have serious allergic reactions (especially if they’re allergic to their venom). Which is why it’s important to know how to treat a wasp sting in case it happens—and how to relieve the pain and swelling fast. And when it comes down to it, there are a few things you should do (or avoid doing) immediately after being stung.

Remove the stinger immediately. Wash the affected area with soap and water. Use a cold pack or ice to reduce swelling. Take an antihistamine to help ease itching and pain. Apply a topical cream to help ease itching. Consider taking ibuprofen to help reduce miusea and pain.

Once you’ve removed the stinger, wash the affected area with soap and water. This will reduce the risk of an allergic reaction or infection.

Use a cold pack or ice to reduce swelling. A cold pack is usually more effective at reducing swelling than applying heat to your skin (for example, from a heating pad).

Take an antihistamine to help ease itching, pain and swelling after being stung by a wasp or bee. You can buy common over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines like Allegra®, Zyrtec®, Claritin® 24-Hour and Benadryl® at most pharmacies without a prescription. If you have any questions about using these products safely during pregnancy, consult your doctor first before taking them

If you’re having trouble breathing or swallowing call 911 immediately. Otherwise, to relieve a wasp sting, first remove the stinger by gently scraping it off across the skin’s surface with a fingernail or credit card. After removing the stinger, wash the affected area with soap and water, then apply ice for 10 minutes at a time to reduce swelling. You can also use an antihistamine cream or oral antihistamine to help reduce itching and pain, but avoid using hydrocortisone cream unless you have a severe reaction like blistering or hives. Additionally, you may want to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help reduce pain and nausea since many wasp sting victims feel ill after they experience a sting. For more tips from our Medical co-author on how to avoid being stung in the future, keep reading!

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Conclusion

Although they can be terrifying, wasp stings are rarely life-threatening. Home remedies like ice packs and antihistamines can help tame the pain quickly, while allergic reactions require medical attention. Use these suggestions to keep your cool if you or a family member is unlucky enough to attract their attention—just remember that prevention is always preferable!