Stings (bees, wasps, yellowjackets)
Home Remedies to Ease Pain of Fire Ant Stings
An insect sting can hurt like the dickens, whether the culprit is a bee, a yellow jacket or another type of wasp. Then there are fire ants. They are named for the burning sensation they cause when the…
Show 1349: Solutions to Summer Skin Problems
No question about it, sunshine and heat can be stressful for your skin. This episode is all about solutions to summer skin problems. Sunscreens offer the promise of protection from sunburn, but are th…
How to Ease the Pain of a Sting
How do you ease the pain of an insect sting? We have heard from many readers about their favorite remedies to take the edge off after too close an encounter with a stinger. Some people make a paste of…
Do You Have a Favorite Remedy for Bee Sting?
If you've been observing "No-Mow May" or if you just like hanging out where there are abundant wildflowers, you may have experience with bee stings. Bees generally don't sting unless they feel threate…
Wasp Sting Was Nearly Fatal
Most people are not allergic to wasp or yellow jacket stings. Sure, they hurt like heck, but they do not result in life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. People who are allergic to such a sting are …
Will Onion Juice Make a Wasp Sting Stop Hurting?
When a stinging insect inflicts its damage, what do you do to ease the pain? We've come across numerous home remedies, but one of the favorites that comes up time and again is onion. One reader made a…
Vinegar Eases the Pain of Jellyfish Stings
People who swim in the ocean may encounter jellyfish. These floating sea creatures (which are not fish) have long tentacles equipped with tiny barbs supplied with venom. The most poisonous is the box …
How Aysa, an AI App, Helped a Mother with her Ch…
Nicole Pharr is used to keeping a close eye on her daughter Madison’s skin. Madison is prone to eczema and has had highly sensitive skin since she was a baby. Still, Nicole was concerned after her d…
What Is in Your First Aid Kit?
This summer we have been urging people to assemble a first aid kit that is ready to go at the drop of a hat. Some of the things we put in our first aid kit are a little unorthodox, but they're not too…
Lemon Juice Soothed the Pain of a Hornet Sting
What do you do when you get stung by a bee, wasp, hornet or yellow jacket? There has been significant medical research devoted to the life-threatening problem of allergic reactions to such stings. Peo…
Witch Hazel Soothed Wasp Sting on Baby’s D…
Going outdoors in the summertime for a cookout, game or hike is fun. One downside-it does increase the possibility of encountering a stinging insect such as a bee, yellow jacket or wasp. Over the year…
Wasp Sting Inspires the Invention of a New Home …
Q. I was stung by a wasp last night. I had been drinking wine so I could not take Benadryl. I did cut open a Benadryl capsule and put the contents in a glass, poured a small amount of apple cider vine…
Fire Ant Home Remedy: Witch Hazel
Q. First of all, we read your articles in our newspaper and enjoy the many home remedies and tips that you have offered your readers. I would like to add one about Fire Ants (FA=evil creatures). I'm s…
Sting Shots Could Save a Life
Q. You responded recently to a woman who almost died after a yellow jacket sting. Your advice to get an EpiPen was good, but it should have gone further. After I lived more than 25 years with severe i…
Cool Tips For Warm Weather Woes
Summer is just around the corner, and the bugs have already begun buzzing. Painful bee stings and itchy mosquito bites can be less bothersome with a couple of simple home remedies utilizing ingredient…
Bee-Ware Yellow Jacket Allergy
Q. I was a nanny last summer, and one day we were in the kids' back yard. Their dog knocked a yellow jacket down, but it was still alive. Unaware of this, I walked on the deck where the yellow jacket …
EpiPen Is Lifesaver for Allergic Reaction
Q. Someone wrote to you about a bad reaction to wasps. The same thing happened to me after I was stung by yellow jackets. Please warn this person (or anyone who is allergic to stings) to consult a phy…
Desert Rangers Treat Sting with Tenderizer
Q. I was in the high desert of Oregon several years ago, looking for arrowheads. I saw an arrowhead lying beneath some sagebrush and picked it up. I felt a sharp prick on the back of my hand. Later th…
Meat Tenderizer Against Stings
Q. Let's talk about the crawling wasps and hornets of the American Southwest--fire ants and scorpions. These critters give a wallop of a bite or sting without the warning of a buzz. Years ago, when I …
Sliced Onion for Wasp Stings
People use all sorts of remedies for bee or wasp stings. Some swear by tobacco juice, but that is getting hard to come by as the habit of chewing tobacco is fading (along with cigarette smoking). Othe…
Meat Tenderizer and Vinegar for Stings
The meat tenderizer trick was our very first home remedy in the original edition of The People's Pharmacy®.* We stumbled across it in the Journal of the American Medical Association.** Dr. Harry L…
Stinging Insects Hold Reader Hostage
Q. I have a deadly allergy to bee, hornet and wasp stings. I am 52 years old and have no medical insurance so I cannot get the shots needed to desensitize myself from this allergy. I am a virtual pris…