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Bee and wasp stings

Bee, wasp, and hornet stings

Bee, wasp, and hornet stings are very common in rural Spain. The Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago crosses forests and meadows and sometimes runs parallel to rivers and streams. In these places, small insects are abundant, and pilgrims should be aware of the possibility of being bitten.

A person without allergies or pathologies can tolerate up to 10 stings for every half kilo of body weight without problems. That is, an adult can withstand more than 1000 stings. However, a single sting can lead to death due to an anaphylactic reaction.

People with allergies cannot tolerate the venom injected by insects. A single sting can lead to cardiac malfunction and, subsequently, to the collapse of the circulatory system leading to death if not treated quickly.

A killer wasp

The Jacobean pilgrim can easily encounter an unwelcome intruder along its pilgrimage: the Vespa Velutina, commonly known as the Asian wasp or also known as the killer wasp.

It is an invasive species from northern India and China that arrived in the French city of Bordeaux on board a cargo ship. In 2003 it entered Spain, spreading through the Basque Country, Galicia, Leon and Cantabria, and its rate of occupation in our peninsula is 50 kilometres/year.

Galicia is the region with the highest presence of Asian wasps. This insect builds its nests in sunny places, next to walls, under floors or eaves of houses, in trees, plants, riverbanks and underground holes.

Asian wasps are often more deadly than local wasps because they are larger and inject a greater amount of venom. Their stings can usually be fatal in allergic or sick people, who are more likely to go into anaphylactic shock within a few hours.

How to identify the Asian wasp

It is easy to identify them by their colour and size. The colour is black with yellow and orange segments, and its size is larger than that of native wasps and bees. The queen of these wasps can be up to 3.5 cm long, and the workers 2.5 cm, one and two centimetres longer than the common wasp (Vespula Vulgaris).

Vespa Vetulina or killer wasp.

Vespa Vetulina or killer wasp.

Symptomatology

The reaction to the Asian wasp sting is almost immediate. It can cause pain, swelling, generalised body itching, even in the throat. The eyes and skin in the affected area appear extremely red. Pain is intense at the site of the sting and usually lasts one to two hours.

Swelling may increase due to the venom over the next 48 hours and usually remains for seven days. The redness disappears after three days. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing problems, anxiety, and rapid pulse may also occur.

Treatment

If you are allergic or have any of the symptoms mentioned: go to a health centre as quickly as possible and take an antihistamine such as Polaramine while you arrive at the emergency room. Sting allergy sufferers should always carry antihistamine tablets and a syringe already filled with adrenaline in their first-aid kit. That blocks anaphylactic or allergic reactions.

Bees, wasps, and hornets can leave their stingers in the skin when they sting. Therefore, gently scratch the skin surface with a sterile needle until the stinger comes out. Never pull or twist the stinger out, as this could introduce more venom.

An ice cube on the sting reduces the pain. Toothpaste is a home remedy that mitigates the pain and is available to the pilgrim. It is also useful to apply creams that combine an antihistamine, an analgesic, and a corticosteroid.

People who have had a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting can undergo a desensitisation process which may prevent further allergic responses in the future. Desensitisation is a process by which the body is exposed to small amounts of the substance that triggers an allergic response (allergen) until the allergic reaction disappears.

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