With Summer Comes Bug Bites and Bee Stings 

Experts Advise On Precautions

The sounds of summer bring thoughts of hamburgers sizzling on the grill, cold tea quenching thirsts, and laughter at the pool. But with these pleasures come the ever present challenges of dealing with the insects that are a seasonal scourge.

Mosquitoes, bees, yellow jackets, and fire ants are all out enjoying the summer, along with the rest of Americans.

For most people, bug bites and stings are more an annoyance than anything else, causing swelling or itchy rashes at the site of the bite or sting.

Don't Look or Smell Like a Flower

And simple precautions such as repellents, bug zappers, and long-sleeved tops and pants can cut the chances of serving as an unwitting snack, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

"Don't look like a flower, smell like a flower, or act like a flower," says Dr. Richard D. deShazo, director of the Division of Allergy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. "Bees are attracted to flowers and they'll be attracted to you if you dress in bright colors, wear strong perfumes, and walk barefoot in the clover that bees like."

Around the house, the ACAAI recommends keeping window and door screens in good repair, and making sure garbage cans stored outside have tight lids.

For picnics, keep food covered and avoid drinking from soda cans because stinging insects are attracted to the sweetness and may crawl inside.

"Don't swat at yellow jackets," Dr. deShazo adds. "It makes them angry and more likely to sting."

Most people will weather their stings and bites with few ill effects. But an estimated 2 million Americans are allergic to various insects, and are prone to potentially serious health problems.

Know When the Reaction Is More than Minor

The key, says Dr. deShazo, is to recognize the difference between a local reaction to a bite or sting, which is what happens to most people, and a systemic response, which means the whole body is reacting.

Symptoms of a systemic response can include generalized itching, hives all over the body, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, and a sudden drop in blood pressure. In severe cases, loss of consciousness or cardiac arrest can occur.

Get help immediately if any of these symptoms are present, Dr. deShazo says.

"In 75 percent of the cases, these symptoms occur within 20 minutes of the bite or sting," he says. "And once these reactions get rolling, they are difficult to control."

While the majority of allergic reactions are not severe, about 40 to 50 Americans die each year from untreated bites and stings, Dr. deShazo says.

It is important that people allergic to insects take advantage of the medical options available to prevent illness.

Allergy shots are 97 percent effective in protecting people from severe reactions to stings and bites. And everyone who is allergic should always carry an emergency kit containing epinephrine (adrenaline), which can be injected immediately to stop allergic reactions, Dr. deShazo says.

Always consult your physician for more information.

How To Care for a Sting

Specific treatment for stings will be determined by your physician. Large, local reactions usually do not lead to generalized reactions. However, they can be life threatening if the sting occurs in the mouth, nose, or throat area. This is due to swelling that can close off the airway.

Treatment for local skin reactions may include the following:

To help reduce the itching, consider the following:

Observe the individual closely for the next hour for any signs of allergic reaction that would warrant emergency medical treatment.  Call 911 or your local emergency medical service (EMS) and seek emergency care immediately if the individual is stung in the mouth, nose, or throat area, or for any signs of a systemic or generalized reaction.

August 2003

With Summer Comes Bug Bites and Bee Stings

Don't Look or Smell Like a Flower

Know When the Reaction Is More than Minor

How To Care for a Sting

People Look for Partners with Familiar Qualities

Online Resources

If you want to know the kind of partner you're looking for, try looking in the mirror.

Researchers at Cornell University have concluded people look for mates who have traits, physical and otherwise, that are similar to their own.

These findings, which appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, differ markedly from the so-called "parental investment" theory of mate selection, which posits that people pick partners who possess qualities important to successful child-rearing.

Not all experts agree with the study.

"Just because they [the study participants] tell you they are attracted to people who have those attributes doesn't mean they would actually choose those people," says Dr. Kate Wachs, a Chicago psychologist and author of Relationships for Dummies. "Self perception is very different."

The researchers asked 978 college-age heterosexual men and women to fill out a two-part questionnaire. The participants were all located in the Ithaca, N.Y., area and many were students at Cornell.

The first part of the questionnaire required the respondents to rate the importance of 10 different qualities in a potential life partner. The qualities were grouped into four "evolutionarily relevant" categories: wealth and status, family commitment, physical appearance, and sexual fidelity.

In the second part of the questionnaire, the respondents rated their own perceptions of themselves for each of these same attributes.

A clear pattern emerged from the responses: People who indicated that a particular attribute was important in a partner tended to rate themselves highly in that same category.

Experts say the common wisdom that "opposites attract" does not always hold true.

"A simple, summary statement like opposites attract or similars attract is always going to be fundamentally flawed and wrong part of the time," asserts Dr. Michael Cunningham, a psychologist in the department of communications at the University of Louisville.

"It's always impossible to summarize the process of mating in a single principle."

For example, the opposites attract rule has many exceptions, Dr. Cunningham notes.

On the other hand, outgoing people tend to like other outgoing people, quiet people tend to be attracted to quiet people, and smart people tend to gravitate towards other brainy types, Dr. Cunningham says.

Always consult your physician for more information.

Online Resources

(Our Organization is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

American Psychological Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

US Department of Heath and Human Services