Why is a hornet dangerous for a person?

Often, the mere thought of hornet bite may cause panic. But what is the danger of a hornet to a person if he is so much afraid? Only the amount of poison injected and myths spread about hornets. Risk for human life with a single bite hornet can only be for those who are allergic to insect bites. Multiple bites can be ignored, since in this case even small house ants are dangerous.

Myths and Reality

There are a lot of frightening myths about very “dangerous” hornets:

• attack for no reason;
• the bite is very painful;
• the hornet has 9 stings;
• poison from seven bites is enough to kill a horse;
• three bites are enough to kill a person;
• poison is much stronger than bee venom and affects the whole body.

There are enough scary facts to try hard to avoid the hornet and destroy his nest. But these points will have to be considered separately and in detail.

Assaults

Being a social insect building nests, the largest wasp, as the hornet is often called, considers protecting its home and offspring a natural response to the threat. A person often does not notice the hornet honeycombs hidden in a secluded place and believes that aggression was causeless. As soon as you step back from the nest a couple of steps, the attack will stop immediately. Even a reaction to an annoying smell will only be near the nesting site. In any other place, the hornet wasp will simply fly away. Conclusion: the hornets had a reason for bites. Whenever possible, representatives of this kind prefer to flee rather than attack. Wasp and hornet - different insects, although there are similarities between them.

On a note!

If the hornet is attached, it will also sting.

Sore bite

The myth is based on the size of the insect: the larger, the more painfully the hornet stings. The statement is partially true. The soreness of a European hornet bite on the Schmidt scale is on par with the bite of a honey bee. Wasps Polistinae and Pepsis sting more painfully. But a bite asian hornet will be hurt due to the size of the insect. The hornet sting corresponds to the size of the insect and penetrates deeper than the bee’s tool. This circumstance adds a thrill.

Number of stings

Find out how many stings the hornet has stinged on its own. It is enough to slam one and carefully consider. There is a myth that these species of wasps can sting many times, because they have 9 stings. Where they hide these stings, is asked.

On a note!

In fact, like everyone else os, the hornet has one sting. But it is smooth and does not get stuck in the skin of a person. So, this is a reusable weapon.

Toxicity

Much depends on the size of the insect. The larger the wasp, the more poison it can “allocate” to one bite. The myth of killing a horse or a person is only partly true. But it’s not so important how many times stings bee, wasp, hornet, bumblebee . It is important where they sting.

Important!

General rule: the closer the bite was made to the brain, the more dangerous the situation.

Horses are more sensitive to insect venoms than humans, but it is impossible to kill them with seven doses in the femoral or spinal muscle. But if you are "lucky" to get poison in the jugular vein or in the oral cavity, the death of the animal is almost guaranteed. You can try to save a person.

First aid

Hornet venom causes an allergic reaction, one of the symptoms of which is soft tissue swelling. If the bite was made in the oral cavity, then swelling of the tongue or larynx is inevitable. Such edema will block the airways and lead to suffocation. For a person in this case, you must immediately call an ambulance. If you have an antihistamine in ampoules and a syringe on hand, you can inject an antidote. You can’t hesitate, even if “there’s nothing yet.” The chances of life depend on how quickly a person gets to the hospital with laryngeal edema.

In this situation, you have to go all-in with the animal. Provided that the bite occurred far from civilization. There is nothing to lose here, but you can still fix things if you make the animal run as fast as possible. Purpose: to disperse hornet venom throughout the body. Contrary to myths, no poison of insects or reptiles affects the whole body. It is local in action and dangerous for small creatures in which the "local action" extends to the whole body. Pets are usually much larger. Distributed in small doses throughout the body of the animal, the poison can not do harm. Spreads poison blood, which must be made to flow as quickly as possible.

On a note!

A truly hornet is dangerous to its victims: smaller insects.

When bitten in a large vessel

This type of contact can be a serious danger to people. Hornet venom contains substances that destroy cell walls. The same substances are contained in snake venom. This is an evolutionary device that allows poisonous creatures to hunt and improves the absorption of food eaten. In the case of hornets, facilitating the manufacture of a suspension for larvae.

From first aid to a person in such a situation, only the fastest possible delivery to the hospital is possible, since the penetration of toxins into the brain will be instant. And whether there will be a dissolution of the walls of the blood vessel in the brain and subsequent stroke, no one can say. It all depends on the dose and individual characteristics of the body of the affected person.

Muscle lesion

You still need to be able to get into a large blood vessel. In the case of insects, a person is usually bitten on a leg or arm. In this case, the poison enters the muscle. If you are allergic to animal poison, the scheme is standard: call an ambulance as soon as possible and send to the hospital. The same applies to children with low body weight and insufficient muscle mass.

In the absence of allergy, the case is usually limited to a local allergic reaction:

• the bite site swells and turns red;
• at first the person feels pain, later severe itching;
• local tissue temperature is elevated.

If several bites are received, the general body temperature rises, vomiting may occur. Sweat appears, dizziness. Symptoms of intoxication are observed.

Important!

Do not check first hand how many hornet bites a person can withstand and stay alive. It is better that such knowledge remains theoretical.

With severe intoxication, a person should also be sent to the hospital as soon as possible. Before the doctor arrives, you can try to bring down the temperature by wiping the person with a wet cloth. You can not give aspirin, since this drug dilutes the blood, and the walls of the vessels are already damaged by hornet venom. Through damaged walls, blood can leak into the tissue.

With local irritation, the bite site is washed with cold water and ice is applied. This will reduce pain and itching. After you need to see a doctor and follow his recommendations.