Guide to Stinging Insects in Colorado

Michael Calvin PA-C

mike.calvin@comcast.net

If you are venom sensitive, have your epinephrine auto-injector ready!

Quick Facts...

• Most wasps develop by feeding on insects. Bees develop on a diet of nectar or pollen.


• Almost all insect stings result from yellowjackets and an insect newly established in the state, the European paper wasp.


• Yellowjackets, hornets and paper wasps make nests of paper. Honey bees and bumblebees make nests of wax. Solitary bees and wasps nest in holes in the ground, rotten wood or natural cavities. Some wasps even make mud nests.

Yellow jackets are black with yellow markings, and are found in various climates. Their nests, which are made of a paper-maché material, are usually located underground, but can sometimes be found in the walls of frame buildings, cracks in masonry or woodpiles.

Color: alternating black and yellow bands

Feeding & Habits: feeds on human food such as carbonated beverages, cider, juices, ripe fruits and vegetables, candy, ice cream, fish, ham, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. Social insects that swarm and can pose as much of a threat to health and safety as Africanized honey bees.

Honeybees have a rounded, “fuzzy” body with dark brown coloring and yellow markings. Upon stinging, the honeybee usually leaves its barbed stinger in its victim; the bee dies as a result. Honey bees are not aggressive insects, although they will readily defend the colony. Most stings occur when people step barefooted on bees visiting ground covers or when they accidentally are trapped in clothing. The foraging bees seen visiting flowers do not attack.

Color: brownish-black with wings (Caution-Africanized Honey Bees look exactly the same by the naked eye).

Feeding & Habits: feeds on pollen and nectar, dies when it stings as the stinger stays in the skin and continues to inject venom. The venom is no different than the Africanized Honey Bees, the difference is that the Africanized Honey Bees swarm and sting in large numbers.

Baldfaced Hornets are stout-bodied and marked with dark and white striping. Nests often attract attention because of their large size, but hornets rarely sting unless the colony is seriously disturbed.

Paper wasps' slender, elongated bodies are black, brown, or red with yellow markings. Their nests are also made of a paper-like material that forms a circular comb of cells which opens downward. The nests are often located under eaves, behind shutters, or in shrubs or woodpiles.

Color: brownish black very similar to a honey bee

Feeding & Habits: feeds on pollen and honey from honey bee nests, prefers to nest in sandy and clay soils individually. Non aggressive and usually does not sting.

Preventing stings: Stay out of the “territory” of the stinging insects' nests. These insects are most likely to sting if their homes are disturbed, so it is important to have hives and nests around your home destroyed. Since this activity can be dangerous, a trained exterminator should be hired.

If you come across any flying stinging insects, remain calm and quiet, and move slowly away from them. Many stinging insects are foraging for food, so don't look or smell like a flower—avoid brightly colored clothing and perfume when outdoors. Because the smell of food attracts insects, be careful when cooking, eating, or drinking sweet drinks like soda or juice outdoors. Keep food covered until eaten. Wear closed-toe shoes outdoors and avoid going barefoot. Also, avoid loose-fitting garments that can trap insects between material and skin.

Treating stings: If you are stung by a honeybee that has left its stinger (and attached venom sac) in your skin, remove the stinger within 30 seconds to avoid receiving more venom. A quick scrape of a fingernail removes the stinger and sac. Avoid squeezing the sac—this forces more venom through the stinger and into the skin. Hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets do not usually leave their stingers. Try to remain calm, and brush these insects from the skin promptly with deliberate movements to prevent additional stings. Then, quietly and immediately leave the area.

The earliest reported death from an allergic reaction to a stinging insect was that of King Menes of Egypt, who died in 2641 B.C., supposedly as the result of a wasp or hornet sting.

There has been a mistaken belief that children usually outgrow insect-sting allergy. For the small percentage of children who have more severe sting-induced systemic allergic reactions, there is a very good chance that they will have similar severe reactions if they are stung again. Venom immunotherapy has been shown to be an effective and safe treatment for preventing sting-induced anaphylaxis in persons with a history of systemic reactions to insect stings.

If you are venom sensitive, have your epinephrine auto-injector ready!

2009-06-10