There are about 6,000 species of known Vespoidea in the world, and there are about 200 known species of mainland wasps, commonly known as wasps, wasps, grass bees, etc., all of which belong to wasps. Among them, there are as many as 25 species that cause casualties and injuries, most of which belong to the Vespidae and Polistidae in the family Vespidae.
The severity of wasp stings can be compared with bee stings. Some parts of the mainland will call the wasp "seven cow bees" or "seven dead cows", which means that seven such bees have stung a cow alive, which shows the harm of wasp stings.
Generally speaking, an ordinary bee can only sting once, because the bee tail needle has barbs and remains in the human skin, after the bee stings, the poison needle, poison sac, internal organs and the bee body are separated, soon to die, after the person is stung by the bee, because the toxin content is relatively small, so generally only local itching, tingling and other symptoms;
However, wasp stingers are often swarmed to attack, and a wasp can sting repeatedly many times, because the wasp tail needle has no barbs, it is easy to pull out, and it can be stinged many times in a row. Vespa tail needle can release venom, cause human poisoning, local wounds can appear pain, redness, swelling, papules and erythema, or black nail-like necrotic lesions, the whole body can cause multi-organ damage, severe cases cause systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), can be accompanied by circulatory, nervous system, urinary system and other systemic multi-system damage, untimely treatment can cause death of poisoned people.
What are the types of wasps?
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Among the wasps distributed on the mainland, common species include basal wasps, ink-breasted wasps, quasi-wasps, golden-ringed wasps, black shield wasps, land wasps, and Asian-African wasps.
The following is a brief introduction to common wasps
Black Shield Vespa
Its mid-thoracic dorsal plate is black
And slightly raised like a black shield
Black Shield Vespa
Black shield wasps often nest in caves in the south, tree holes, the way to pick soil is different from the golden ring and other bees, holding a flight hole outside a section and then throwing away food, so it has something back and forth, some nest in low places more dense shrubs to nest on trees or rock beehives up to 10 kg or more yellow shape.
Distribution: Hebei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places
Black-tailed wasps
Black-tailed wasps
The length of the female bee is about 24~36mm. It is also known as black-tailed tiger bee, double golden-ringed tiger bee. It is also a large highly venomous wasp.
It is more common in fields and forests. It prefers to eat all kinds of plant nectar and pine caterpillar larvae and pupae. The hosts are mostly cabbage worms, cotton bollworms, tobacco insects and so on.
Distribution: Shaanxi (Xianyang), Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Hebei, Hubei, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian, Guizhou, Taiwan; Nepal, India, Japan, France.
Golden ring wasp
Golden ring wasp
The female bee is about 30~40mm long, which is the largest wasp in the world, also known as the Chinese giant tiger bee. The head is completely orange-yellow. The tail needle of the Golden Ring Wasp can sting continuously in multiple directions, and it is highly toxic, and the toxins are mixed toxins. The commonly known "human head bee" is a collective name for a variety of aggressive and often fatal large wasps, including the golden-ringed wasp and the black-tailed wasp below.
In addition to protecting the nest, the Golden Ring Wasp is also somewhat aggressive outside its nest sphere of influence; Golden ring wasps like to eat sweet sap, its range of activities such as willow, oak and elm and other sap trees exist, and because of this characteristic of sweetness, golden ring wasps often move in orchards, and golden ring wasps have strong food protection, will hover around the target to warn, but usually do not attack.
Distribution: Shaanxi (Xianyang, Ankang), Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hubei; Japan, France.
A small guide to avoiding bee stings:
When going on outings, climbing or entering bee areas such as mountain forests, wilderness, etc., pay attention to-
- Do not spray perfume and wear bright clothes;
- Do not spill sugary drinks;
- Food waste such as fruit peels and drinks is sealed in bags and thrown into the garbage can;
- Avoid touching tree trunks and branches to disturb the hive;
- Try to wear long clothes and long sleeves;
- If you are stung by a bee, seek medical help immediately, do not take it lightly and hold it up, especially after being stung by a wasp;
- Make good use of mobile phone maps, remember the route when coming, and if you need rescue, it is convenient to quickly guide rescuers to place.
What emergency treatment can be done in case of a wasp stung:
1. For those whose stings are still left on the skin, they can be removed or glued and removed and cupping to take poison needles, and cannot be squeezed;
2. Rinse with local water or normal saline, or choose weakly acidic liquids such as vinegar;
*Note: Unlike the alkaline toxicity of wasps, the toxicity of bees is acidic after stinging, and alkaline solutions such as soapy water and soda can be used to clean during treatment.
3. Snake tablets are taken orally or crushed into a paste to apply to the wound.
At the same time, it is recommended to seek medical attention in time, assess the condition as soon as possible and deal with it accordingly to avoid allergic reactions such as dizziness, difficulty breathing, twitching of limbs or other serious conditions. Early treatment of wasp stings is key to preventing the development of severe disease.
Especially if you are stung by highly toxic bumblebees such as golden-ringed wasps and black-tailed wasps, do not deal with them indiscriminately and seek medical attention as soon as possible.