Life Sciences Commons^™

Skin And Allergic Reactions To Stinging Ants, Bees, And Wasps (Insect: Hymenoptera), Hall Reed, Ph.D., Mary Christian Reed, M.D.

Research Symposium

Most encounters with venomous arthropods involve stings from ants, wasps, and bees (Hymenoptera), most of which do not require professional medical treatment. However, Hymenoptera stings represent about a quarter (22%) of the annual 1 million emergency department visits due to noncanine bite and sting injuries in the United States in 2001-2010 (Langley et al., 2014). Many such sting reactions involve non-specific skin reactions involving intense localized pain, redness, itching and formation of a wheal at sting site. Although most sting reactions are not diagnostic of the stinging species, the pustule formation of the sting of the imported fire ant (Solenopsis …