From a zoological point of view, hornets are the genus of the largest social wasps. The largest reach a length of 5.5 cm! These stinging insects are common in the countries of Southeast Asia. The so-called common hornet lives in the European part of Russia. In addition, this species is distributed throughout Ukraine. The length of the body of the uterus reaches 3.8 cm, and the weight is 200 mg!
What is a hornet sting?
If ordinary bees collect nectar, then hornets are avid insect hunters. If in ordinary bees the sting is sharpened so that it can be used against ordinary vertebrates and humans, then in the hornet it is sharpened for hunting other insects.
The sting of a hornet and an ordinary bee are noticeably different from each other. When a bee stings, it leaves its stinger and dies. All the poison in the vial penetrates the wound of the victim. With hornets, things are different. Their sting is designed strictly to destroy theirprey if it starts to resist strongly. That is why the hornets simply cannot afford such careless handling of their own poison, because they need it for hunting!
The bite of a hornet. How to avoid?
Despite popular belief, hornets are one of the most peaceful insects! They, like snakes, will never attack a person for no reason. In most cases, they will prefer to evade the impending conflict. A hornet bite is fairly easy to prevent. It is enough to follow some rules.
- If you go to the forest and other unfamiliar places, then be extremely careful and careful.
- Remember that there are always guard hornets at their nest. If danger is imminent, they emit a special sound that serves as a warning to the rest of their large family. Warned hornets are in no hurry to hide from you, on the contrary, they immediately flock and begin to attack you together. The larger the family, the more aggressive it will behave! So don't mess with the hornet's nest! Do not disturb him with a stick, do not take pictures next to him. Try to leave this place as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the hornets pursue the enemy at shorter distances than the bees.
- In no case should you block the hornet's flight path. He may misunderstand you.
- Don't try to ward it off by waving your arms. Don't make sudden movements either.
- Don't kill a hornet near its nest. Before his death hewill issue special distress signals, which will lead his entire family into an aggressive state towards you.
- Remember that some materials that freely come into contact with a certain insect pheromone due to their chemical properties can provoke an attack by hornets. In this case, the risk of getting a hornet bite increases many times over.
The consequences of their bites
When a hornet stings, a person feels quite painful sensations. The fact is that up to 2 mg of poison is injected into the wound at a time! The sting usually does not remain in the wound, so the insect is able to strike several times!
Any consequences of this largely depend on their number and place on the human body, as well as on the individual reaction of his body to a hornet sting.
First aid for a bite
- If the sting with its poison sac still remains in the wound, it must be removed.
- It is necessary to eliminate the pain, preventing the development of an allergic reaction. For this, for example, drugs "Suprastin" or "Tavegil" are suitable. Just don't take both antihistamines at the same time.
- It is necessary to treat the bite site with a cotton swab (tampon) dipped in hydrogen peroxide (3%). This will slow down the absorption of the poison and also disinfect the wound.
- Then you need to rinse the wound with a stream of cold water.
