Insect Bites and Skin Allergies 

Skin allergies may be caused by many substances, including residues left in our clothing from the detergents we use in the washer, to perfumes, makeup, jewelry and soap. Nervous tension that has been building up over a period of weeks can also cause a case of urticaria, or hives.

The most common symptom associated with an allergic reaction of the skin is hives, or urticaria. This consists of those red, slightly raised areas of the skin that tend to be slightly itchy. These can be caused by a number of things, including certain foods we have eaten. Prescription drugs can occasionally cause this sort of reaction. When they do, it is time to call your doctor.

Hives are usually caused by the histamine in our skin reacting with an allergen in the environment. Normally, hives do not last more than forty-eight hours. Nearly all of us react to poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac when we are exposed to those plants. And most of us react to mosquito bites and flea bites with a small, reddened, swollen area on the surface of the skin that itches for a couple of weeks. Bee stings and wasp stings are much the same, except that the swollen area is generally larger than for a mosquito bite, and can be painful as well as itchy. These are not considered to be allergic reactions.

The insects most likely to cause allergic reactions are the hymenoptera. These include wasps, ants bees, mud flies, honeybees, yellow jackets and hornets. Anaphalaxys is the most serious reaction to a sting from one of these insects. It consists of a constellation of symptoms, and if it is going to be seen at all, will be seen within the first ten minutes of having been stung. These symptoms include; sudden anxiety, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, immediate drop in blood pressure, weakness and palpitations – the heart beating very rapidly. Loss of consciousness is the final symptom. The usual treatment is an immediate injection of epinephrine, or as it is most commonly known, adrenaline. If the person experiencing these symptoms does not have an epi-kit handy, get him to the hospital immediately.

For the rest of us, the first thing to do when treating a bee sting is to get the stinger out. The honeybee leaves part of her abdomen with the stinger, and because of this she will die very soon. Simply take something flat, like a credit card or a playing card and gently scrape the sac off your skin. The object is to avoid squeezing any more poison into your system from the sac. Then, a variety of things may be used to ease the itch and swelling, from a mixture of baking soda and water, to a remedy favored by some beekeepers: Mix a strong concentration of vinegar and sugar and apply this to the sting every few minutes until the swelling goes down. 

Certain spiders, like the black widows and tarantulas, carry a venom that is very similar to the venom of a poisonous snake. People who get bitten by these spiders may experience much pain, and even death of the tissue where the poison entered. This is not an allergic reaction, but a response to the toxins. Anyone experiencing intense pain and swelling, accompanied by dizziness, from a spider bite should see a doctor immediately.