Bites and stings first aid: ticks, wasps and bees, dogs, snakes

Warm weather brings hikes, gardening and picnics, and with them ticks, wasps and sometimes run-ins with dogs or snakes. Most bites and stings are just unpleasant. A few can be serious: a severe allergic reaction, a tick-borne disease or rabies risk. Here’s what to do in each case.

Ticks

Ticks can transmit Lyme disease and, depending on the region, other infections such as tick-borne encephalitis or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

How to remove a tick

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool.
2. Grip the tick as close to the skin as possible, by the head, not the body.
3. Pull straight up with steady, even pressure, without twisting or jerking.
4. Clean the bite and your hands.
5. Note the date and location of the bite.

Don’t: put oil, butter, alcohol, nail polish or heat on the tick before removing it; don’t crush it with your fingers.

Watch the area for 30 days

See a doctor if you notice:

• an expanding red rash, often with a clearer center (erythema migrans), usually 3–30 days later;
• fever, chills, headache, muscle or joint aches.

Prevention

• Long, light-colored clothing, pants tucked into socks.
• Repellent on skin and clothing.
• After a hike, check your whole body, and your kids and pets.

Wasps and bees

Normal reaction

Pain, redness and local swelling that ease within hours or days.

1. For a bee sting, scrape the stinger out with a fingernail or card, without squeezing the venom sac.
2. Wash with soap and water.
3. Apply something cold (ice in a towel) for 10–20 minutes.
4. Raise the limb if swollen.
5. An antihistamine or soothing cream, as your pharmacist advises.

Anaphylaxis: emergency

Call the emergency number immediately if, within minutes of a sting, there’s:

• difficulty breathing or wheezing;
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat;
• hives all over the body;
• dizziness, fainting, rapid pulse, nausea or vomiting.

If the person has an epinephrine auto-injector, help them use it right away, into the outer thigh. Keep them lying down with legs raised (or sitting up if breathing is hard). If they stop breathing, start CPR.

Also call for stings in the mouth or throat and for many stings at once.

Dog, cat and wild animal bites

1. Wash the wound immediately for 15 minutes with plenty of soap and water. It’s the most important step against infection and rabies.
2. Disinfect and cover with a clean dressing.
3. Stop bleeding with pressure if needed.
4. See a doctor the same day. You may need antibiotics, a tetanus shot and rabies post-exposure treatment.
5. Note the animal, where it happened and whether it has an owner and vaccinations. If it’s someone’s pet, ask for its vaccination record.

Snakes

Venomous snakes vary by region (rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths in the US; adders in the UK and Europe). Bites are rare and seldom fatal with treatment, but always need a hospital.

1. Move away from the snake. Don’t try to catch it.
2. Call the emergency number.
3. Keep the person calm and still. Movement spreads venom faster.
4. Keep the limb still, at about heart level.
5. Remove rings, watches and tight shoes before swelling starts.

Don’t: cut the wound, suck out venom, apply a tourniquet or ice, or give alcohol.

What to keep in your summer kit

• Fine-tipped tweezers or a tick tool
• Antiseptic and dressings
• Antihistamine, as your pharmacist advises
• Repellent
• Epinephrine auto-injector, for anyone prescribed one

See the full list in our first aid kit checklist.