Insect Stings

Treatment

Most insect bites will improve within a few hours or days and can be treated at home.

This page covers:

First aid for insect bites and stings

Removing a sting

Removing a tick

Dealing with caterpillar hairs

Relieving the symptoms of an insect biteor sting

When to get medical advice

When to get emergency help

First aid for insect bites and stings

To treat an insect bite or sting:

Remove the sting, tick or hairs if still in the skin (see below for advice about how to do this safely).
Wash theaffected areawith soap and water.
Apply acold compress (such as a flannel or cloth cooled with cold water) or an ice pack to any swelling for at least 10 minutes.
Raise or elevate the affected area if possible, as this can help reduce swelling.
Avoidscratching theareaor bursting any Blisters , to reduce the risk of infection if your child has been bitten or stung, itmay help to keeptheir fingernails short and clean.
Avoid traditional home remedies, such as vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, asthey're unlikely to help.

The pain, swelling and itchiness can sometimes last a few days. See below for advice about how to relieve the symptoms of an insect bite or sting in the meantime.

Removing a sting

If you've been stung and the stinghasbeenleft in your skin, you should remove it as soon as possible to prevent any more venom being released.

Scrape it out sideways with something with a hard edge, such as a bank card, or your fingernails if you don't have anything else to hand.

Don't pinchthe stingwith your fingers or tweezers because you may spread the venom.

Removing a tick

If you've been bitten by a tick and it's still attached to your skin, remove it as soon as possible to reduce your risk of picking up illnesses such as Lyme disease .

To remove a tick:

Use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool (available from pet shops or vets).
Grip the tickas close to the skin as possible to ensure the tick's mouth isn't left in the skin.
Pull steadily away from the skin without twisting or crushing the tick
Wash your skin with water and soap afterwards, and apply an antiseptic cream to the skin around the bite.

Don't use a lit cigarette end, a match head or substances such as alcohol or petroleum jelly to force the tick out.

Dealing with caterpillar hairs

If a caterpillar of the oak processionary moth gets on your skin:

Use tweezers or a pen to remove it.
Try not to disturb it (for example, by brushing it with your hands) as it will then release more hairs.
Rinse your skin with running water, allow it to air dry and then use sticky tape to strip off any leftover hairs.
Use calamine, ice packs or apharmacy remedy containing 3.5% ammonia to relieve the itch.
Remove all contaminated clothes and wash at as a high a temperature as the fabric allows.

Don't towel yourself dry after rinsing or use creams containing antihistamine.

Relieving the symptoms of an insect bite or sting

If you have troublesomesymptoms after an insect bite or sting, the following treatments may help:

For painor discomfort take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen (children under 16 years of age shouldn't be given aspirin).
For itching ask your pharmacist about over-the-counter treatments, including crotamiton cream or lotion, hydrocortisone cream or ointmentand antihistamine tablets.
For swelling try regularlyapplying a cold compress orice pack to the affected area, or ask your pharmacist about treatments such as antihistamine tablets.

See your GP if these treatments don't help. They may prescribe stronger medicines such as steroid tablets .

When to get medical advice

Contactyour GP or call NHS 111 for advice if:

you're worried about a bite or sting
your symptomsdon't start to improve within a few days or are getting worse
you've been stung or bitten in your mouth or throat, or near your eyes
a large area (around 10cm or more) around the bite becomes red and swollenyour GP may refer you to an allergy clinic for further tests or treatment (read about treating allergies )
you have symptoms of a wound infection, such as pus or increasing pain, swelling or redness you may need antibiotics
you have symptoms of a more widespread infection, such as a fever, swollen glands and other flu-like symptoms