Insect Allergies - Managing Your Allergies: Allergies

Female insects have sacs containing venom anatomically “strapped” to their stingers, which shoot out from their abdomens when the need arises. The smooth retractable sting of the Vespidae family (wasps and hornets), a subset of Hymenoptera, enables them to sting many times over, whereas the barbed sting of the Apidae family (bees) tends to detach from the insect’s body, meaning they are single-shooters.

With the exception of the Africanized honeybees (the notorious “killer bees”), Hymenoptera are relatively non-aggressive and sting only when threatened. Certainly, honeybees and bumblebees much prefer to go about their business of gathering pollen without bothering anyone. Africanized honeybees, however, have mean tempers. Although their venom is no more toxic or allergenic than the venom of the European honeybee, they are quite aggressive and will often sting ferociously without provocation. This has led to reported venom toxicity deaths. Killer bees are presently in Mexico, Central America, South Texas, Arizona, and California.

People wonder if the intensely itchy and sometimes painful red swelling they get from mosquito bites means they’re allergic to the little beasts. Maybe. It is thought that the chemicals in the saliva of the female mosquito somehow provoke an immune system response. Right now, there is no skin test and no immunotherapy extract for mosquitoes. Your best bet is to speedily remove yourself from the presence of hungry mosquitoes.

Treating insect allergies

Avoid close encounters with stinging insects. If you do have the misfortune to be stung, know it’s normal for stings to hurt for several hours. Put cold compresses on the painful and swollen area and take an analgesic. (Cold compresses work for mosquito bites, too.) If the pain continues and the swelling extends considerably beyond where you were stung, antihistamines can help or your doctor may prescribe oral corticosteroids.

If you’ve had a serious reaction that involved asthma or anaphylaxis, the major treatment is immunotherapy — allergy shots. The shots are 97% effective at preventing a severe reaction from future stings; in other words, there’s only a 3% risk for another systemic reaction, usually mild. Compare this with a risk of around 50% for a systemic reaction if you are stung again and haven’t had allergy shots. The advice on whether to get the shots if you have hives after a sting differs for children and adults. For children, the risk for a severe reaction is low, and so shots are probably not needed. For adults, however, the risk is higher and shots are recommended. Certainly, if you are in the high-risk anaphylactic category, see your doctor about getting allergy shots. Meanwhile, never be without your EpiPen.

Last updated:	August 21, 2006
Reviewed By:	Faculty of Harvard Medical School