Insect Stings or Bites
Two Potential Problems
- An infection at the puncture site
- An allergic reaction to the injected venom.
Removing Stingers
A bee leaves its stinger and its attached venom sac in the wound. Scrape away the protruding venom sac with a sharp knife or the edge of a credit card before removing the rest of the stinger. (Squeezing the sac with tweezers will force more venom into the skin). Wasp stingers do not have an attached venom sac. After removing the stinger with tweezers, apply ice to the sting site as this slows the spread of venom and eases the pain.