Spring has sprung, here's some tips for when you're stung (or bit)
Dr. Raj Bhardwaj sets the record straight about dealing with mosquitoes, bees, spiders
They start buzzing around as soon as the weather warms up and are largely harmless, but some bug bites and stings are bad enough to send people to hospital.
Speaking with the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday, medical contributor Dr. Raj Bhardwaj shared advice on how to treat bites, and how to avoid getting them in the first place.
"There's a lot of reasons why people can end up in the emergency room," he said.
Relief
While bee or wasps stings can cause an anaphylactic reaction in people who are allergic, he says, mosquito bites can require medical attention if they are scratched and get infected.
"Mosquitoes inject a little protein toxin which is what makes the bite itchy," said Bhardwaj. "It's sensitive to heat, so if you heat it up enough it will kill the protein."
He says after-bite pens, anti-histamine creams and pills, or calamine lotion can be used to treat mosquito bites.
Don't get bit
Another tip:
"Don't get bit."
He recommends:
- Staying indoors around dawn and dusk, the times when mosquitoes are most active.
- Wearing light coloured clothing.
- Wearing hats, socks and long sleeves.
"Use repellents if you need to be outside especially for a fireworks festivals or long weekends or sports and camping." said Bhardwaj.
Effective bug sprays can be made with DEET, soybean oil, citronella oil and eucalyptus oil.
He's not a fan of using dryer sheets as repellent, despite the fact they're made with linalool, a proven repellent chemical.
"It might work, but very limited. I can't recommend it, don't know how long it lasts, don't know the toxicity... don't put dryer sheets all over yourselves please."
Other types of bites
There is some good news for this time of year.
"Wasps get very aggressive later in the season as the flowers go away and they're hunting for food, so that's more in September/October," said Bhardwaj.
He says in general bees are not very aggressive, but if you get a sting it's best to not pinch the stinger to try to get it out — use a credit card to scrape it off instead.
As for spiders, he says they "get a bad rap" from patients who blame them for numerous unrelated infections and other issues. .
If one manages to get you, however, he says wash the bite with soap and water and use Polysporin.
"Don't squeeze it or pick it," he said.
With files from the Calgary Eyeopener