A bee sting strictly means a sting from a bee (honey bee, bumble bee, sweat bee etc). STING ( S equence T o and with' IN' G raphics is a free Web-based suite of programs for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between protein sequence Bees are flying Insects closely related to Wasps and Ants Bees are a Monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea This article refers collectively to all true honey bees for the "common" domesticated honey bee see European honey bee Honey bees A bumblebee (or bumble bee) is any member of the Bee Genus Bombus, in the family Apidae; there are over 250 known species primarily Sweat bee is the common name for any bees that are attracted to the salt in human perspiration In the vernacular it can mean a sting of a bee, wasp, hornet, yellowjacket or sawfly. Bees are flying Insects closely related to Wasps and Ants Bees are a Monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea A wasp is any Insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a Bee nor Ant. Hornets are the largest eusocial Wasps that reach up to 45 Millimetres (1 Yellowjacket or yellow-jacket is the Common name in North America for predatory Wasps of the genera Vespula and Symphyta redirects here For the Moth Genus, see Symphyta (genus. Some people may even call the bite of a horsefly a bee sting. Insects in the order Diptera, family Tabanidae, are commonly called Horse flies, and sometimes also "forest flies" or "deer flies" The stings of most of these species can be quite painful, and are therefore an object of dread for many humans.
It is important to differentiate a bee sting from an insect bite. Insect bites and stings occur when an Insect is agitated and seeks to defend itself through its natural defense mechanisms or when an insect seeks to feed off the bitten person It is also important to recognize that the venom or toxin of stinging insects is quite different. This article is about the class of Biotoxins For other uses see Venom (disambiguation and Venomous (disambiguation. A toxin ( Greek:, toxikon, lit (poison for use on arrows is a Poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms that is active at very low Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Therefore, the body's reaction to a bee sting may differ significantly from one species to another. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank.
The most aggressive stinging insects are wasps (including bald-faced hornets) but not in general hornets (the European hornet is gentle). A wasp is any Insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a Bee nor Ant. Dolichovespula maculata is a North American insect which despite commonly being called the bald-faced hornet (or white-faced hornet) is not Hornets are the largest eusocial Wasps that reach up to 45 Millimetres (1 The European hornet Vespa crabro, commonly known simply as the " Hornet " is the largest European eusocial Wasp. All of these insects aggressively defend their nests, although they have not developed a sting targeted at mammals like the honey bees. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands
In people who are allergic to bee stings, a sting may trigger a dangerous anaphylactic reaction that is potentially deadly. Anaphylaxis is an acute systemic (multi-system and severe Type I Hypersensitivity allergic reaction in humans and other Mammals All bee stings, including all species of bees release pheromones.
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Honey bee stings
A honey bee that is away from the hive foraging for nectar or pollen will rarely sting, except when stepped on or roughly handled. Nectar is a Sugar -rich liquid produced by plants It is produced either by the Flowers in which it attracts pollinating animals or by extrafloral Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of Honey bees will actively seek out and sting when they perceive the hive to be threatened, often being alerted to this by the release of attack pheromones (below). A beehive is in a general sense an enclosed structure in which some species of Honey bees (genus Apis) live and raise their young A pheromone (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" + ‘ορμόνη " Hormone " is a Chemical that triggers a natural
Although it is widely believed that a worker honey bee can sting only once, this is a partial misconception: although the stinger is in fact barbed so that it lodges in the victim's skin, tearing loose from the bee's abdomen and leading to its death in minutes, this only happens if the victim is a mammal (or bird). A Worker bee is any female Eusocial bee that lacks the full reproductive capacity of the colony's Queen bee; under most circumstances this is correlated to an increase This article refers collectively to all true honey bees for the "common" domesticated honey bee see European honey bee Honey bees A stinger (a Colloquialism for the term "sting" is a common term for a sharp organ or body part found in various Animals (typically Arthropods The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant In Vertebrates such as Mammals the abdomen (belly constitutes the part of the body between the Thorax (chest and Pelvis. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The bee's stinger evolved originally for inter-bee combat between members of different hives, and the barbs evolved later as an anti-mammal defense: a barbed stinger can still penetrate the chitinous plates of another bee's exoskeleton and retract safely. Chitin ( C 8 H 13 O 5 N)n (ˈkaɪtən is a long-chain Polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine An exoskeleton is an external Skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body in contrast to the internal Endoskeleton of for example a Human. Honey bees are the only hymenoptera with a barbed stinger. Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects comprising the sawflies, Wasps Bees and Ants The name refers to
The stinger's injection of apitoxin into the victim is accompanied by the release of alarm pheromones, a process which is accelerated if the bee is fatally injured. A pheromone (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" + ‘ορμόνη " Hormone " is a Chemical that triggers a natural Release of alarm pheromones near a hive or swarm may attract other bees to the location, where they will likewise exhibit defensive behaviors until there is no longer a threat, typically because the victim has either fled or been killed. The SWARM Remote Weapon System (Stabilised Weapon And Reconnaissance Mount is a fully armored Remote weapon system designed and built by the Thales Group in (Note: A true swarm is not hostile - it has deserted its hive and has no comb or young to defend). These pheromones do not dissipate nor wash off quickly, and if their target enters water, bees will resume their attack as soon as the target leaves the water.
The larger drone bees do not have stingers. Drones are male Honey bees Male honey bees develop when the Queen bee lays unfertilized eggs Drone genetics Haplodiploid sex-determination In worker bees, the stinger is a modified ovipositor. A Worker bee is any female Eusocial bee that lacks the full reproductive capacity of the colony's Queen bee; under most circumstances this is correlated to an increase The ovipositor is an organ used by some of the Animals for Oviposition, i The queen bee has a smooth stinger and can, if need be, sting skin-bearing creatures multiple times, but the queen does not leave the hive under normal conditions. The term queen bee is typically used to refer to an adult mated female that lives in a Honey bee colony or hive she is usually the mother of all the bees in the hive Her stinger is not for defense of the hive; she only uses it for dispatching rival queens, ideally before they can finish pupating. A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation Queen breeders who handle multiple queens and have the queen odor on their hands are sometimes stung by a queen.
The main component of bee venom responsible for pain in vertebrates is the toxin melittin; histamine and other biogenic amines may also contribute to pain and itching. Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes Melittin is the principal active component of Bee venom, and is a powerful stimulator of Phospholipase A2. Histamine is a Biogenic amine involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a Neurotransmitter [1] In one of the medical uses of honey bee products, apitherapy, bee venom has been used to treat arthritis and other painful conditions. This article refers collectively to all true honey bees for the "common" domesticated honey bee see European honey bee Honey bees Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body [2]
 Bee sting. The stinger is tearing off and remains in the skin |  2 minutes later |  6 minutes later |  27 minutes later |
The sting consists of three parts - a stylus and two barbed slides (or lancets), one on either side of the stylus. The bee does not push the sting in but it is drawn in by the barbed slides. the slides move alternately up and down the stylus so when the bard of one slide has caught and retracts it pulls the stylus and the other barbed slide into the wound. When the other barb has caught it also retracts up the stylus pulling the sting further in. This process is repeated until the sting is fully in and even continues after the sting and its mechanism is detached from the bees abdomen.
Treatment
Following a honey bee sting the first step in treatment is removal of the barbed stinger. This article refers collectively to all true honey bees for the "common" domesticated honey bee see European honey bee Honey bees The stinger should be removed as fast as possible without regard to method: studies have shown the amount of venom delivered does not differ if the stinger is pinched or scraped off and even a delay of a few seconds leads to more venom being injected. [3] Once the stinger is removed, pain and swelling should be reduced with a cold compress. [4]
Many traditional remedies have been suggested for bee stings including damp pastes of tobacco, salt, baking soda, meat tenderizer, toothpaste, clay, urine, aspirin or even application of copper coins. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the Chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3 Toothpaste is a Paste or Gel Dentifrice used to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of Teeth. Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA (əˌsɛtɨlsælɨˌsɪlɨk ˈæsɨd is a Salicylate drug, often used as an Analgesic to relieve Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 [5][6]
Bee venom is acidic and these interventions are often recommended to neutralize the venom; however, neutralizing a sting is unlikely to be effective as the venom is injected under the skin and deep into the tissues, where a topically applied alkali is unable to reach, so neutralization is unlikely to occur. [5] In any case, the amount of venom injected is typically very small (between 5 and 50 micrograms of fluid) and placing large amounts of alkali near the sting site is unlikely to produce a perfectly neutral pH to stop the pain. [5] Many people do claim benefit from these home remedies but it is doubtful they have any real physical effect on how much a sting hurts or continues hurting, the effect is probably related to rubbing the area or the mind perceiving benefit. [5] Furthermore, none of these interventions have been proven to be effective in scientific studies and a randomized trial of aspirin paste and topical ice packs showed that aspirin was not effective in reducing the duration of swelling or pain in bee and wasp stings, and significantly increased the duration of redness. [4] The study concluded that ice alone is better treatment for bee and wasp stings than aspirin. [4]
The sting may be painful for a few hours. Swelling and itching may persist for a week. The area should not be scratched as it will only increase the itching and swelling. If a reaction persists for over a week or covers an area greater than 3 or 4 inches, medical attention should be sought out. Doctors often recommend a tetanus immunization. Tetanus is a medical condition that is characterized by a prolonged contraction of Skeletal muscle fibres Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's Immune system becomes fortified against an agent (known as the For about 2 percent of people, anaphylactic shock from certain proteins in the venom can be life-threatening and requires emergency treatment by a physician. Anaphylaxis is an acute systemic (multi-system and severe Type I Hypersensitivity allergic reaction in humans and other Mammals [7] If the victim is allergic to bee stings, the victim must be treated to prevent shock. People known to be highly allergic may carry around epinephrine in the form of a self-injectable Epipen for the treatment of an anaphylactic shock. EpiPen is a registered trademark for the most commonly used Autoinjector of Epinephrine (a Anaphylaxis is an acute systemic (multi-system and severe Type I Hypersensitivity allergic reaction in humans and other Mammals
For patients who experience severe or life threatening reactions to insect stings, researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a series of allergy injections composed of increasing concentrations of naturally occurring venom which provide excellent and usually life-long protections against future insect stings. [8]
See also
- Bee venom therapy
- Apitoxin
- Stinger
- Hornet stings
- Characteristics of common wasps and bees
- Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Footnotes
- ^ Meier J, White J. A stinger (a Colloquialism for the term "sting" is a common term for a sharp organ or body part found in various Animals (typically Arthropods Hornets are the largest eusocial Wasps that reach up to 45 Millimetres (1 While easily confused at a distance or without close observation there are many different characteristics of Bees and Wasps which can be used to identify them The Schmidt Sting Pain Index or the Justin O Schmidt Pain Index is a Pain scale rating the relative pain caused by different Hymenopteran stings (1995). Clinical toxicology of animal venoms and poisons. CRC Press, Inc. ISBN 0-8493-4489-1.
- ^ Phillip Terc "Report about a Peculiar Connection Between the Bee stings and Rheumatism", 1888. Rheumatism or Rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the Heart, Bones Joints Kidney, Skin
- ^ Visscher P, Vetter R, Camazine S (1996). "Removing bee stings. ". Lancet 348 (9023): 301–2. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 8709689.
- ^ a b c Balit C, Isbister G, Buckley N (2003). "Randomized controlled trial of topical aspirin in the treatment of bee and wasp stings". J. Toxicol. Clin. Toxicol. 41 (6): 801–8. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 14677790.
- ^ a b c d Glaser, David. Are wasp and bee stings alkali or acid and does neutralising their pH them give sting relief?. www. insectstings. co. uk. Retrieved on 2007-05-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João
- ^ Beverly Sparks, "Stinging and Biting Pests of People" Extension Entomologist of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension Service.
- ^ Thor Lehnert, "Hymenopterous Insect Stings" Beekeeping in the United States - USDA - Agricultural HandBook Number 335.
- ^ Resiman, R (Aug 1994). "Insect Stings". New England Journal of Medicine 26: 523–7. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.
References
- Thinkquest, Poisonous plants and animals accessed June 2006
- The Biology of the Honey bee, Apis Mellifera accessed June 2006
- Darkfield image gallery: Honey bee stinger accessed June 2006
- Removing Bee Stings - Vischer Vetter Camazine accessed January 2007
External links
- Helpful medical information "About Bee and Wasp Stings" West Viriginia University
- Bee Venom May Take the Sting Out of Arthritis (WebMD, 4 November 2004)
- Prognosis for bees stings
- Bee boxes & bee tweezers for apitherapy
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