Wasp Stings: Treatments & Home Remedies
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Before trying a remedy, check to see if the stinger remained in the skin. You can remove it by scraping it out (to prevent releasing more venom) before treating.
Items From The Kitchen That Soothe
- Ice: Place an ice cube or ice pack on wound and press for about 20 minutes, will help reduce pain. Ice can also be used to help reduce the swelling that will occur. Make sure to protect the skin by covering ice with a thin cotton towel or paper towel first.
- Baking Soda: Make a thick paste with water and apply to area.
- Salt: Make a thick paste with water and apply to area.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Soak a small cotton pad with apple cider vinegar and hold on wound until pain disappears (the acid content neutralizes the venom).
- Vinegar: Same treatment as apple cider vinegar, can also drizzle a few drops directly onto skin (the acid content neutralizes the venom).
- Lemon Juice: Same treatment as apple cider vinegar, can also drizzle a few drops directly onto skin (the acid content neutralizes the venom).
- Lemon: Cut a fresh slice of lemon and hold in place over skin until pain disappears (the acid content neutralizes the venom).
- Garlic: Crush a fresh clove of garlic and apply to area, cover with a bandaid.
- Onion: Slice an onion and press in place over the area until pain disappears.
- Cucumber: Place a freshly sliced piece of cucumber over the area and hold in place until pain disappears.
- Potato: Slice a potato in half and apply the cut end on the wound, hold in place until pain subsides.
- Olive Oil: Rub wound with olive oil for relief of pain and to heal wound.
Garlic & Salt Poultice
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
- Directions: Crush garlic then mix in the salt and apply directly to the area. Wrap with a bandage.
From The Garden
- Marigolds: Rub the flower head of a marigold over the area (must be a freshly picked marigold and not dried).
- Basil: Roughly crush a fresh leaf or two to release the herb’s natural oils and press directly on area, hold in place.
- Winter Savory: Crush the leaves roughly to release the herb’s oils then apply to wound.
- Aloe Vera: Split open a leaf and apply the aloe gel directly to the area (from How To Heal With Aloe Vera Plants).
- Plantain: Chop roughly and mix with a bit of warm water then apply to wound. You can also chew a leaf or two then apply to bite.
More
- Both topical and oral antihistamines (such as Benadryl or Claritin) can be effective in reducing swelling and itching.
- Calamine lotion can be applied to help sooth pain and relieve itching.
- A paste made with Epsom salts and water can provide relief from pain.
- Old Timers Remedy: Chew tobacco a bit to wet it then apply, wrap with a strip of cloth to hold in place.
- Old Timers Remedy: Mix dirt with water or saliva to make a mud then apply to wound, is quite soothing.
- Old Wives Tale: Press a penny to the wasp sting and hold in place for 10 to 15 minutes, pain will disappear.
Tip: Keep wound clean with soap and water to prevent a skin infection (wash regularly for several days). You can also sterilize the area with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
Symptoms
A normal reaction to a wasp sting is to experience pain, burning, itchiness, redness and swelling. Pain will last for a few hours then should disappear. If you notice your hands or fingers starting to swell, remove rings immediately. Protect the wound from bumps and avoid rubbing.
Although wasp stings are painful and some swelling will develop, this is a common reaction. However, some do have a serious allergy to wasp venom and in these cases, death can occur. If the following occurs, seek medical advice:
- If it stung inside your nose or mouth (the swelling will affect breathing).
- If you were stung several times by many wasps.
- If you have difficulty breathing or your breathing seems to have been affected.
- Your tongue begins to swell.
- You experience dizziness.
- You experience blurry vision.
- You feel nauseous.
- Your speech is slurred or you find it difficult to talk.
- Hives or a rash appears (especially in an area away from the bite).
- The area swells alarmingly large.
As with bee stings, if the reaction seems severe (especially if breathing is affected), don’t hesitate to call medical emergency services as the victim may be experiencing an allergic reaction that can trigger anaphylactic shock.
Did You Know: Do wasps bite or do they sting? They sting, but female yellow jackets are especially aggressive and will sometimes bite victims too.
Please Note: These treatments are from my collection of remedies, none of them are intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. This information is provided for general knowledge purposes only.
My grandmother got stung by a WASP THEM STUPID THINGS!!!Now we have done every thing we used the tobacco but DIDNT CHEW IT OR WHAT EVER YOU DO WITH IT?…..now shes useing these tips to help her,she also got out the stinger we took some twezers “SORRY IF I SPELT THAT WRONG”!!!She went to the porch and HOPEFILY FIXED IT SO THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!
I just got stung again, My hand is the size of a foot ball and I am having trouble typoing. I normally put anti stink medicine. Take Ibprophen, and benydryl and then call the doctor for a steroid pack or kit. Be aware all this makes you tired and you had will still hurt for about a week
Tried the lemon & Ice treatment 1 hr later I’m back to normal. Not sure what would have happened had I not done it. But, for now this seems to have worked great! Thanks for posting the remedy. Saved me a $70 Copay @ Kaiser!
I now can point to something that Karl Rove and I have in common.
My Friend Billy just got stung in the back of his neck by a wasp, We tried the onions slices and it cool off less than 10 minutes, Thanks for posting the remedy. It’s really do help out alots.
@ Ann!!!
I use to work at a golf course for 16 yrs. and used Meat tenderizer , not the seasoning kind just the white kind . Made a paste with it and put it on the spot that was stung, believe me it works, even are members there, which were Doctors, and Lawyers were very convinced.
Regards,
Shirley Clem
Used vinegar on mysting this morning. First tried tobacco but really didn’t feel relief. The ice and vinegar are helping. Thanks for your infi
My 2 yr old got stung by a wasp a few minutes ago and tried the lemon and ice he is still crying and not sure if its working.
OMG… i just got stung on my forhead after reading everything i can i tired lemon and ice then a hot towel and its doing just great for me i hardly feel the pain thanks people
I got stung on my nose about two days ago and my whole leftside of my face is really swollen what can I
Do to reduce the swelling fast?
just to let you all know growing up we always used mustard right out of the container in the frig and it takes the sting out almost immediately…hope this helps everyone…good luck
My husband got stung by a warsp in his hand, his hand started to swell and hurting so i tried your rrmedy with the butter knife and removed the stinger then applied vinger on th spot and the sweling and pain went, Thanks for yourhome remedys.
I got stung in the hand 2 days ago and it has been swelling ever since. The swelling seems to be contained only to that hand but it is still very itchy and red and quite swollen still. I have tried ice, benedryl, Advil, Onion, Apple cide vinegar and cortysol. Nothing seems to be working. Any other suggestions?
I got stung while I was mowing the lawn. I must have ran over a nest I am using apple cider vinegar, and it is really helping.
i got stung 4 times today all at the same time. once one the back of my right thigh and then three times on my lefy calve, im in so much pain and my thigh is hug and may calve burns so bad and its been almost 5 hours. i need some advice
Just tried the lemon slice on 6 wasp stings 7 days after being stung because swelling was not going down and to my amazement this really does work! The itching has all but stopped and the swelling and redness is much less now. I wonder if I have to repeat this process or is it a one time thing?
Thanks for the advice.
Got stung yesterday while camping. Didn’t have any baking soda. Woods were dry couldn’t make mud without pine needles in it. Didn’t have any vinager. Did have potato. Remembered my grandma using it on a sliver when I was little. Grated some and put it in guaze and tape on the bite. Now it is just itchy. Swelling stopped almost instantly. Potato looked all gross when I took it off. Now the bite site is just a bit itchy.
I just got stung again the first time was a couple of days ago, I tried baking soda and made a paste..it work pretty good. Today I made a paste from baking soda and vinegar…and I think it worked better. It even helped the swelling.
Me too on my bum= so sore but the vinagar and soda helped
Thanks for your help
My wife was stung by a wasp. I poured household ammonia over the sting site. Imediate relief, and not swelling. If the sting or spider bite, etc. is acid in nature, then a mild base liquid such as household ammonia will neutralize it. I paint pictures outside and always carry a snall bottle of household ammonia.
Been stung many times by both bee’s and wasp’s Years ago an old woman put bleach on my sting and pain was gone at once. Never fails. Rub bleach in for a minute then rinse.
Thanks a million. I was cleaning out weeds and was very painfully stung on my eyebrow and thumb. luckily I got mum in and closed the door so she wasnt. I immediately googled this page and put soda. it helped a lot esp on my brow