![]() Up to 59 percent of patients with venom allergies test positive for both honeybee and wasp venom. 3 Additionally, certain properties of fire ant venom have some cross-reactivity with allergens from yellow jackets, honeybees, and wasps. The allergens of various honeybee species are similar, and bumblebee venom is comparable to that of honeybees. 7Īre there other allergens I could be sensitized to?* While rare, severe reactions including anaphylaxis can also be caused by biting insects such as the Australian tick and kissing bug. In East Asia, a particular winged ant (i.e., Pachycondyla chinensis) poses a significant risk of anaphylaxis. The jack jumper ant and green-head ant are the predominant stinging varieties in Australia, where the former causes severe allergic reactions in 2 to 3 percent of sensitized individuals. 3įire ants (aka imported fire ants) are native to South America, but they’re also found in Australia, North America, New Zealand, and several Caribbean, Asian, and European countries. For example, gallicus dominula, vulgaris germanica rufa, and media saxonica are all known as wasps in Europe, but in the United States, these species are referred to as paper wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets, respectively. Note that the same species of insects may have different names depending on their locales. Stinging insects are most active between late spring and early fall. 3,4,5 Yellow jackets typically nest in the ground and in walls, but wasps and hornets tend to nest on buildings and in bushes and trees. ![]() 2 While the ubiquitous honeybee usually leaves its stinger in its victim, where the stinger’s sac continuously pumps venom into the skin until it’s empty or removed, hornets, wasps, yellow jackets, and fire ants can sting repeatedly. 1 Bumblebees are increasingly used for pollination in greenhouses, but allergy to their venom is still rare. The most common insects that cause allergic reactions are bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and fire ants. 2 In fact, up to an estimated 7 percent of the general population has experienced immediate systemic reactions to insect stings, and insect-venom allergy is among the most frequent triggers of severe anaphylaxis in adults. However, more systemic reactions are possible and can be classified as mild, e.g., urticaria (hives), angioedema (swelling under the skin) moderate, e.g., gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, dyspnea (difficult or labored breathing) or severe, e.g., losing consciousness, respiratory or cardiac arrest, anaphylactic shock. Typical sting reactions aren’t dangerous and include pain, inflammation, redness, and itching. 2 That said, it’s common for patients to be uncertain as to which type of insect inflicted the sting, which makes specific IgE blood testing particularly important. 1 Between 56.6 percent and 94.5 percent of the general population report being stung by a Hymenoptera insect (i.e., one that injects venom as a defense mechanism) at least once in their lifetimes. While many types of insects and insect-like bugs can cause allergic reactions, the most common varieties are bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and fire ants.
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