Are scorpion stings always fatal. Do baby scorpions have deadlier venom. What are the most effective treatments for scorpion stings. Discover the truth about scorpion stings and learn how to handle encounters with these fascinating creatures.

The Truth About Scorpion Venom: Potency and Effects

Scorpions have long been a source of fascination and fear for humans, particularly in desert and semi-arid regions where these arachnids are commonly found. While their appearance may be intimidating, it’s crucial to separate fact from fiction when it comes to scorpion stings and their effects on the human body.

Contrary to popular belief, not all scorpion stings are life-threatening. In fact, out of the 40 to 50 different species of scorpions found in Arizona, only one – the Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpuratus) – is capable of producing severe toxic symptoms that affect the nervous system. Even in these cases, most people stung by a bark scorpion can be safely managed and observed at home.

The Potency of Scorpion Venom

Are all scorpions venomous? Yes, all scorpions possess venom, but the potency varies greatly among species. For most scorpion species, a sting will result in localized pain and discomfort that typically resolves within an hour or two. This is why it’s essential to identify the species responsible for the sting whenever possible.

The age of a scorpion does not determine the potency of its venom. This debunks the common myth that baby scorpions are deadlier than adults. Venom from all scorpions, regardless of size or age, is still venom. The misconception about baby scorpions being more dangerous likely stems from the fact that bark scorpions, which are generally smaller in size, are the most venomous species in North America.

Recognizing and Treating Scorpion Stings

When it comes to identifying a scorpion sting, many people are surprised to learn that these stings often do not leave a visible mark. Unlike bee stings, which typically result in a noticeable welt, scorpion stings can be difficult to locate on the body. This is particularly true for the small bark scorpion, whose sting site may be nearly impossible to find, even for medical professionals in urgent care or emergency departments.

Typical Symptoms of a Scorpion Sting

What are the most common symptoms of a scorpion sting? Patients often describe a burning pain at the presumed sting site. The venom attacks nerve endings, causing them to fire improperly, which can lead to numbness and tingling around the affected area. It’s important to note that scorpion venom doesn’t travel through the bloodstream, so it doesn’t directly affect vital organs such as the brain, heart, or lungs.

• Burning pain at the sting site
• Numbness and tingling sensation
• Possible muscle twitching or spasms
• In severe cases, difficulty breathing or swallowing

How long do scorpion sting symptoms typically last? For most patients, the majority of symptoms will clear within the first six hours. After this initial period, it’s unusual to see any new or worsening symptoms. However, it can take up to 48 to 72 hours for symptoms to significantly resolve. In rare instances, some patients report persistent symptoms for weeks or even months afterward.

Effective Treatment Methods for Scorpion Stings

When it comes to treating scorpion stings, it’s important to dispel some common misconceptions and focus on proven, effective methods.

Debunking Ice Pack Treatment

Is applying an ice pack the best way to alleviate scorpion sting symptoms? Contrary to popular belief, using an ice pack may not be the most effective treatment. While it might seem logical to use ice to reduce numbness and pain, symptoms can actually return with greater intensity once the ice pack is removed. Instead, experts recommend using a cool compress applied to the sting site.

To create an effective cool compress:

1. Fill a bowl with water and add some ice cubes
2. Soak a few washcloths in the ice water
3. Apply one of the damp, cool washcloths to the sting site
4. Rotate with fresh washcloths as needed

This method provides relief without causing rebound symptoms or potential frostbite to the skin.

The Role of Antihistamines

Do antihistamines help in treating scorpion stings? Contrary to what many people believe, antihistamines like Benadryl are of limited benefit in reducing the neurotoxic effects of a scorpion sting. Scorpion venom rarely produces a severe allergic reaction, so unless you’re experiencing anaphylaxis, antihistamines are not typically recommended as a primary treatment.

Antivenom: A Powerful Tool for Severe Cases

For severe cases of bark scorpion stings, particularly in children, antivenom can be a highly effective treatment option. However, it’s important to note that most adults who seek treatment for scorpion stings don’t meet the indication threshold for antivenom administration.

When is antivenom typically used for scorpion stings? Antivenom is generally reserved for severe symptoms in the pediatric population. It has proven to be very effective in reversing these symptoms, often allowing children to be discharged home after administration.

For adult patients who don’t require antivenom, treatment typically involves strong pain relievers and sedatives to help manage symptoms during their most intense period, which is usually the first six hours after the sting.

Fascinating Facts About Scorpions

While scorpions may be feared for their stings, these creatures possess some truly remarkable characteristics that make them fascinating subjects of study for scientists and nature enthusiasts alike.

The Glow-in-the-Dark Phenomenon

One of the most intriguing facts about scorpions is their ability to glow under ultraviolet (UV) light. This phenomenon is due to a hyaline layer in their exoskeleton that reflects certain wavelengths of the UV light spectrum. While the exact purpose of this fluorescence is not fully understood, scientists believe it may serve to help scorpions “see” their surroundings or possibly attract insect prey.

Interestingly, this fluorescent property is so ingrained in scorpion biology that even fossils of ancient scorpions still glow under UV light. This unique characteristic not only adds to the mystique of these creatures but also provides researchers with a valuable tool for studying scorpion populations and behavior in the wild.

Living with Scorpions: Prevention and Safety Measures

For those living in areas where scorpions are common, taking preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of encounters and potential stings.

Scorpion-Proofing Your Home

How can you make your home less appealing to scorpions? Here are some effective strategies:

• Seal cracks and crevices around doors, windows, and foundations
• Remove piles of wood, rocks, or debris from around your home
• Keep your yard well-maintained and free of overgrown vegetation
• Use weather stripping on doors and windows
• Install screens on vents and other openings

Personal Safety Precautions

What personal precautions can you take to avoid scorpion stings?

• Shake out shoes, clothing, and bedding before use
• Wear closed-toe shoes when walking outside, especially at night
• Use a UV flashlight to inspect your surroundings when outdoors after dark
• Be cautious when moving rocks, wood piles, or other objects where scorpions may hide
• Consider using gloves when gardening or working outdoors

The Ecological Role of Scorpions

Despite their fearsome reputation, scorpions play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance in their native habitats. These arachnids are important predators that help control insect populations, including pests that can damage crops and spread diseases.

Scorpions as Pest Controllers

How do scorpions benefit the ecosystem? Scorpions are efficient hunters that prey on a variety of insects, spiders, and even small vertebrates. By keeping these populations in check, scorpions help maintain a healthy balance in their ecosystems. This natural pest control can be particularly beneficial in agricultural areas, where scorpions may help reduce the need for chemical pesticides.

Adaptations for Survival

What makes scorpions so well-adapted to their environments? Scorpions have evolved a number of impressive adaptations that allow them to thrive in harsh conditions:

• Water-efficient metabolism: Scorpions can survive on very little water
• Low metabolic rate: Allows them to go long periods without food
• Exoskeleton: Provides protection and helps prevent water loss
• Sensory hairs: Allow scorpions to detect vibrations and air movements
• Venom: Serves both as a defense mechanism and a tool for hunting

These adaptations have enabled scorpions to colonize a wide range of habitats, from deserts to tropical forests, making them one of the most successful groups of arachnids on the planet.

Scorpion Research and Future Implications

The study of scorpions and their venom continues to be an active area of scientific research, with potential implications for medicine, agriculture, and our understanding of evolution.

Medical Applications of Scorpion Venom

Can scorpion venom be used for medical purposes? While scorpion stings are generally viewed as harmful, researchers are exploring potential medical applications of scorpion venom components:

• Pain management: Some venom peptides show promise as potent painkillers
• Cancer treatment: Certain venom components may have anti-tumor properties
• Antimicrobial agents: Some scorpion venom peptides exhibit antibacterial activity
• Autoimmune disorders: Venom components may help modulate immune responses

These potential applications highlight the importance of preserving scorpion species and their habitats, as they may hold the key to future medical breakthroughs.

Evolutionary Insights

What can scorpions teach us about evolution? As one of the oldest terrestrial arthropods, with fossils dating back over 430 million years, scorpions provide valuable insights into evolutionary processes and adaptations. Studying scorpion biology and behavior helps scientists understand how organisms have adapted to different environments over long periods of time.

Furthermore, the diversity of scorpion species and their venom components offers a unique opportunity to study the evolution of complex biological systems. This research not only enhances our understanding of scorpions but also contributes to broader fields such as evolutionary biology, ecology, and biochemistry.

In conclusion, while scorpions may inspire fear in many people, a deeper understanding of these fascinating creatures reveals their importance in both natural ecosystems and scientific research. By dispelling myths and focusing on facts, we can develop a more balanced perspective on scorpions and their role in the world around us. Whether you live in an area where scorpions are common or simply have a curiosity about these ancient arachnids, learning about their biology, behavior, and potential benefits can lead to a greater appreciation for these remarkable creatures.

Scorpion Stings: Myths and Facts

They’re creepy and they’re crawly, and one may be hiding in your shoe! If you live in the desert or a semi-dry climate, you’ve probably encountered a scorpion or two in your yard or house—and possibly even stepped on one. Ouch!

While scorpions actually are pretty amazing and beneficial creatures, many of us fear them because they can sting. Much of this fear stems from the myths that are out there about them. It may be hard to separate fact from fiction.

Bryan Kuhn, PharmD, a pharmacist and poison education specialist at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, dispels five myths and confirms five facts about scorpion stings.

5 myths about scorpion stings

Myth #1: A scorpion sting is fatal.

Between 40 to 50 different species of scorpions live across Arizona. Only the Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpuratus) can produce severe toxic symptoms to your nervous system – though most people stung by one can be safely managed and observed at home.

Myth #2: Baby scorpions are deadlier.

The age of the scorpion doesn’t dictate if the venom is more dangerous than the venom of an adult scorpion. Venom from all scorpions, regardless of size, is still venom.

A bark scorpion, in general, is smaller in size than other species of scorpions so perhaps this is where this myth comes from. That said, baby bark scorpions aren’t potentially more venomous or dangerous than their older siblings or parents.

Myth #3: Scorpion stings will always leave a mark.

Unlike a bee sting, scorpion stings often do not leave a mark. Given the small size of the bark scorpion, it’s often difficult to find the puncture wound. It’s not surprising that even when a patient comes into the urgent care or emergency department that the staff are also unable to determine the location of the puncture wound.

Myth #4: Applying an ice pack is the best way to alleviate symptoms.

While an ice pack may seem like it will be useful in reducing the numbness and pain caused by a scorpion sting, symptoms can come back with greater intensity when the ice pack is removed.

Instead, use a cool compress applied to the sting site. To do this, get a bowl of water with some ice cubes and soak a few washcloths to use as damp, cool compresses. Place one of the washcloths on the sting site and rotate out with a fresh one as needed. This way you’ll provide the same level of relief without causing any rebound symptoms or potential frostbite to the skin.

Myth #5: Antihistamines are useful after a scorpion sting.

Scorpion venom rarely produces a severe allergic reaction. Unless you have a severe allergic reaction, Benadryl and other antihistamines are of limited benefit in reducing the neurotoxic effects from a scorpion sting.

5 facts about scorpion stings

Fact #1: Scorpions are venomous.

All scorpions are indeed venomous, though their venom varies greatly in potency. This means that if you’re stung by a scorpion other than the bark scorpion, the symptoms will likely only include localized pain and discomfort that should resolve within an hour or two.

Fact #2: Scorpions glow in the dark.

Scorpions contain a hyaline layer in their exoskeleton that reflects certain wavelengths of the ultraviolet (UV) light spectrum. Though not completely understood why, it’s believed this allows the scorpions to either “see” their surroundings or perhaps attract their insect prey. Even fossils of ancient scorpions are still fluorescent under UV lights. Pretty cool!

Fact #3: Severe bark scorpion stings can be treated with antivenom.

There is an approved antivenom for severe bark scorpion-related symptoms, although most adults who seek treatment for scorpion stings don’t meet the indication threshold. Most adults can be treated with strong pain relievers and sedatives to help tolerate symptoms when they’re at their most intense—roughly the first six hours.

The antivenom is generally reserved for severe symptoms in the pediatric population. It is very effective in reversing these symptoms, and children can generally be discharged to home after antivenom administration.

Fact #4: Symptoms from a scorpion sting usually last about three days.

For most patients, the majority of symptoms will be clear within the first six hours. After six hours, it’s unusual to see any new or worse symptoms. It can take up to 48 to 72 hours for those symptoms to significantly resolve, though in very rare instances, some patients report persistent symptoms for weeks to months afterward.

Fact #5: Typical symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling.

Patients often describe a burning pain at the presumed sting site. The venom attacks the nerve endings causing them to fire improperly, which can cause numbness and tingling around the site. The venom doesn’t travel in the bloodstream though, so it doesn’t affect your brain, heart or lungs. As the symptoms worsen, patients will describe muscle twitching or spasms, sometimes involving the tongue, and altered taste sensation or even a lump in their throat when swallowing.

Kids can have it the worst though. They can have severe muscle spasms and cramps and increased salivation to the extent that it becomes a choking hazard in the very young. Fortunately, in all these scenarios, there are different treatment strategies offered in an urgent care or emergency department that can address all these more serious cases of a scorpion sting.

In general, it’s good to remember that scorpions aren’t out to get you. They are really harmless unless provoked, so it’s important to follow these precautions:

• Shake clothes and shoes before putting them on
• Wear shoes, particularly when scorpions are active at night
• Put on gloves when you are working in the yard
• Keep grass closely mowed and prune back bushes and overhanging tree branches

Here are other helpful tips to fight off scorpions and other critters.

In the rare chance a scorpion stings you and you begin to experience severe symptoms and/or an allergic reaction, please visit your nearest urgent care or emergency department or call the Poison Control at 800-222-1222 (available 24 hours a day).

To find a Banner Health location near you, visit bannerhealth.com.

For additional information on scorpions, snakes and other creepy critters, check out these related articles:

• Bad Bug Bite? When You Should See a Doctor
• 6 Tips to Get Your Family Ready to Camp
• Scorpions to Snakes: Here’s What Not to Do if Stung or Bitten

Emergency
Safety
Wellness
Parenting
Wound Care
Poison Prevention

How Dangerous are Scorpion Stingers?

Scorpion anatomy is also intriguing. Their pinching claws and curved tails make them unique among pests commonly found in the house and yard.

Here are some quick facts and tips about scorpions that may help lessen the sting of your next encounter.

The scorpion stinger

The stinger, also known as the telson, lies at the tip of the scorpion’s tail. It features a bulb. This is where the scorpion’s venom is both produced and stored. Some say the scorpion stinger resembles a hypodermic needle, and it functions in much the same way when dispensing venom.

Typically when a scorpion hunts and attacks prey, it first attempts to crush its victim by grabbing with its pincers. If needed, the scorpion will also sting its prey, injecting venom that attacks the nerve cells and leads to paralysis and death. Scorpions have small mouths. Following the kill, the scorpion coats its victim with digestive juices that break down the body and make it easier to consume.

It’s not common for a scorpion to sting a human as they are defensive in nature. Whenever you come across a scorpion, understand that it may sense a threat and sting to keep you from crushing or otherwise harming it. Most scorpion stings are no more painful than a bee sting. Like a bee, sometimes a scorpion will lose its stinger in the process. Scorpion anatomy gives these arachnids the ability to release their stingers and parts of their tails in order to quickly flee a perceived threat. While the scorpion heals within days, the tail and its stinger do not usually grow back.

Related > What to do If You Get Stung by a Scorpion

Scorpion venom

The scorpion’s venom is composed of a protein chain called chlorotoxin. Each type of scorpion has its own venom, and all scorpion venoms have different toxicities.

Related > The Difference Between Poisonous and Venomous

For example, the sting of a Deathstalker scorpion, found in North Africa and the Middle East, can be deadly. In the United States, the bark scorpions of Arizona and California are the only species that pose a significant threat to humans.

Scorpion venom is also being studied for its potential benefit to humans, both for developing better insecticides and for creating new drugs to treat diseases.

Treating a scorpion sting

Most scorpion stings will simply cause pain, swelling, tingling and numbness at the site of the sting. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you have a scorpion encounter that results in a sting:

• Clean the wound with mild soap and water
• Apply a cool compress to the affected area for 10 minutes. Remove it for 10 minutes and then reapply it.
• Don’t consume food or liquids if you’re having difficulty swallowing
• Then you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen, to help ease the pain from the sting.

The Mayo Clinic also says that toxins in scorpion venom can have a stronger effect on children. If you, or you children, begin to experience more severe symptoms after being stung by a scorpion, you should seek professional medical assistance immediately.

Helping avoid scorpion stings

Here are some practical tips for helping avoid an unpleasant encounter with this stinging pest:

• Wear shoes, particularly at night. Scorpions are nocturnal creatures
• Wear gloves when you work in the yard, especially if you will be lifting rocks and logs or collecting firewood
• When camping in areas where scorpions are active, check your tent carefully and don’t sleep on the ground outdoors
• If you live in an area where scorpions are active, shake out your shoes before putting them on, even while in your house. Be sure to check any shoes left outside, in the basement or in your garage as well
• Seal cracks and crevices in your home, and use a blacklight to check crawl spaces for scorpions.

If these exotic pests become a problem in or around your home, contact the professionals at Terminix®. Our pest control professionals can help rid your home of all these scorpions.

Who has the worst sting in the world?

August 15, 2016

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Image credit: MYN/Gil Wizen/naturepl.com

Many creatures use the stinger to hurt enemies and inject poison, but they look like innocent babies compared to the monsters columnist BBC Earth talks about Ella Davis.

The sting is one of the most cruel inventions of nature.

To begin with, it hurts, stabbing into flesh like a sharp lance. But the stinger is also a chemical weapon that injects a dose of toxins directly into the bloodstream.

Whose sting is more terrible than all other stings; which animal should be avoided at all costs?

• The most poisonous creature on the planet Earth
• Folk remedy for snakebite – another myth?
• How a bee attack saved a dying woman’s life

This question is more complicated than it might seem at first glance. You can think about who stings the hardest, or about whose poison is the most toxic or the most deadly – and this is not the same thing.

Let’s start with the pain. It is easy to check who stings the most painfully: you just have to allow yourself to be stung.

Photo copyright, Martin Dohm/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata)

In his famous experiment, entomologist Justin Schmidt allowed a multitude of insects to sting him in the name of science and developed his own pain index with heartbreaking descriptions of the sensations from the sting of each of them.

The unfortunate inhabitants of Central and South America will probably agree with Schmidt that the sting of the bullet ant hurts the most. The very name of this insect is associated with the pain of a gunshot wound.

And the most generous portion of poison – 2.5 milligrams – is injected into its prey by the road wasp of the genus Pepsis. However, Schmidt claims that the sting is “essentially non-toxic, just painful.”

Ants of the species Pogonomyrmex Maricopa, on the other hand, possess perhaps the most powerful venom of all stinging insects. Each ant has very little poison, but they live in colonies of 10 thousand insects, ready to repel any threat together, which can be very dangerous.

This is important to understand: stinging insects not only cause pain, but can also be a threat to life and health. In particular, scorpions are known for their dangerous stingers.

Photo copyright, Daniel HEUCLIN/naturepl. com

Photo caption,

Yellow scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus)

Scorpions have one of the most terrifying-looking stings: the last segment of the tail, the telson, ends in a needle and a pair of venom glands .

However, scorpion specialist Lorenzo Prendini of the American Museum of Natural History claims that of the 2,000 known species of scorpions, only about 20 have “medical significance”, that is, they pose a threat to human life.

All but one of these dangerous scorpions belong to the butid family, whose representatives live in different parts of the world: from Mexico to Brazil and from southern Africa to India. However, the most terrible of them are concentrated in a kind of “hot spot”.

“There are many very poisonous species in North America and the Middle East,” says Prendini. .crassicauda)”.

The yellow scorpion is also known as the “death hunter” and androctonus means “killer”. And this is not an exaggeration.

Photo copyright, MYN/Gil Wizen/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

Androctonus bicolor

Southern autoctonus is a fearless creature that does not burrow, but hides in cracks, including in the walls of village houses.

This scorpion can grow up to 10 centimeters in length, and its venom contains powerful toxins that affect the nervous system.

“The consequences of poisoning with scorpion venom depend on the amount of poison that has entered the body and the degree of its toxicity – the strength of the effect at the cellular level,” says Prendini.

“Thus, a larger scorpion whose venom contains less potent toxins, but which is capable of injecting more venom into its prey – such as A. australis or Parabuthus granulatus – may pose a more serious threat to life than a small scorpion with a more potent poison, but in smaller doses, such as Leiurus quinquestriatus.

Most healthy adults can survive being stung by a scorpion, but only if they receive proper medical attention, including an antidote.

“Most deaths from scorpion poisoning occur in young children, the elderly or the sick,” says Prendini.

“The majority of scorpion attacks occur in rural areas populated by the poor and located close to the habitat of scorpions.”

Partly because death by scorpion sting most often occurs in remote places, the available data on such cases cannot be considered completely reliable. The same applies to the most dangerous stinging inhabitants of the oceans.

Photo author, Visuals Unlimited/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

Bulldog ant (Myrmecia piliventris) stings its prey

Jellyfish and their relatives use stinging cells called nematocysts to hunt prey and protect themselves.

These specialized cellular structures act like tiny harpoons. Some of them, piercing into the flesh, carry a poisonous charge, aimed primarily at slowing down the movements of fast-swimming prey, such as fish.

Of the 2000 species of jellyfish known to science, only 10-15 species pose a threat to human life.

But their close relatives, box jellyfish, which, despite such a similar name, belong to a different group, can be really dangerous.

The largest of them is the sea wasp, or the Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), which can weigh up to a kilogram. Its numerous three-meter tentacles are studded with hundreds of poisonous needles that affect muscle and nerve tissue.

Photo copyright, Aflo/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

North Sea compass jellyfish (Chrysaora melanaster)

“C. fleckeri is responsible for most deaths from jellyfish stings in Australia, while other Chironex species are responsible for the killings elsewhere,” explains jellyfish connoisseur Lisa-Anne Gershwin of an Australian federal science agency called the National Association for Scientific and Applied Research.

In particular, if you measure the danger of a sting by the speed of death, the Australian box jellyfish will lead this hit parade.

“C. fleckeri is considered the most poisonous animal in the world,” says Gershwin. “[Its victims] die in just two minutes. And not in some cases, but very often.”

“Death occurs as a result of blocking the heart muscle in a contracted state,” she adds. “After that, survival is unlikely – you cannot further compress what is already compressed. So the whole safety precautions come down to avoiding a bite and immediately holding the victim cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”

Another name that comes up in conversations about deadly box jellyfish is the Irukandji jellyfish.

Photo copyright, Jurgen Freund/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi) coast of the country, where the bite of this creature was first recorded in the 1950s.

But experts now recognize about 25 species of jellyfish in the order Carybdeidae – all of which have a terrifying ability to sting their victims and are found all over the world.

The smallest of them has a bell size of only one centimeter, but at each corner they have tentacles that can reach a hundred times the length of their entire body.

The poison released by the stinging cells located on both the tentacles and the bell disrupts the natural processes necessary for life.

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Unlike other jellyfish stings, symptoms are not immediately noticeable. “Irukandji syndrome” begins to appear after 20-30 minutes: the victim has back pain, nausea, muscle spasms and a feeling of inevitable disaster, and a heart attack is also possible due to a sharp increase in blood pressure.

“The most common Irukandji stings are Carukia barnesi – these jellyfish are just swarming,” Gershwin clarifies. poison.”

Compared to the Australian box jellyfish, the Irukandji’s venom is “much more potent for the same volume,” but Gershwin says the chance of death from an Irukandji sting is lower if treated promptly.

However, it should be noted that Irukandji bites do not leave any marks, so it is possible that the number of reports of these encounters with invisible killers is less than the number of cases themselves.

At the same time, since 1883, 68 people have died in the waters of Australia from the bite of an Australian box jellyfish.

Photo copyright, NAture Production/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

Japanese giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica)

However, not so many people die from jellyfish stings today, thanks to awareness of the seasonal occurrence of dangerous jellyfish and improved treatment .

Therefore, in search of stinging animals responsible for the massacres, we will have to return to land.

The Asian giant hornet, the world’s largest stinging insect, has been nicknamed the “hell hornet”.

In Japan, 30-50 people die every year from the bite of a giant hornet, which causes severe swelling.

In the Chinese city of Ankang in 2013, as a result of a seasonal increase in the number of hornets, 41 people died in three months.

At least at first glance, it seems that these insects overtake other species in terms of the number of victims. However, an important caveat must be made: the number of deaths as a result of the attack of scorpions and box jellyfish is not well documented, that is, a direct comparison is incorrect.

However, it is possible that the deadliest sting comes from those whom we probably could not do without.

Schmidt claims that the species that poses the greatest danger – or at least deserves the most respect – is well known to all of us – honey bees.

Photo copyright, Simon Colmer/naturepl. com

Photo caption,

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) live in colonies

All these bees belong to the genus Apis. European honey bees (A. mellifera) are well known to many in Europe and North America, while giant bees (A. dorsata) are more common in Asia.

“The honey bees A. mellifera and A. dorsata have large amounts of potent venom, attack by the thousands and are quite aggressive,” writes Schmidt.

For most people, a single bee sting causes just local pain and swelling. However, the stinging bee releases an alarming pheromone, which is a signal to attack for its relatives.

However, for the onset of a fatal outcome, there must be a lot of bites. According to Schmidt, in most cases, “with less than 500 bites, the risk of serious intoxication is low.”

Of course, it’s very unpleasant to be stung by a few hundred bees, but most of us won’t die from it.

At the same time, there are several factors that make honey bee stings the most deadly.

Photo credit, Tim Martin/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

African killer bee (Apis mellifera)

First of all, because of human love for honey, honey bees have spread all over the world. Among other things, this means that a person often comes into contact with them, thereby increasing the likelihood of an attack.

Secondly, some honey bees are particularly aggressive.

Domesticated bees are bred to be obedient to their owners, but wild honey bees in Africa are much more likely to attack predators en masse.

In the 20th century, they were introduced to South America and during this time they spread north, where they are called “killer bees”.

Over several decades, killer bees sent hundreds of people to the next world. However, they only attack if they believe that someone is threatening their hive.

Photo copyright, Visuals Unlimited, Inc/naturepl.com

Photo caption,

European honey bee (Apis mellifera)

If left alone, they will almost certainly leave you alone.

Finally, a single bite can be fatal if you develop an allergic reaction.

Anaphylaxis occurs when a person’s immune system overreacts to an allergen, causing rapid development of edema, resulting in tissue damage and difficulty breathing.

The most severe reaction, which is called anaphylactic shock, can cause asphyxia, especially in the presence of a disease such as asthma.

A similar reaction can occur with an ant, hornet or jellyfish sting, but cases of bee stings with anaphylactic shock are recorded more often.

Fortunately, anaphylaxis is not very common. For example, less than three people a year die from bee stings in the UK, while in the US the number is about 55.

Read the original English version of this article at BBC Earth .

Who has the worst sting in the world?

BBCRussian.com

15 August 2016, 19:03

Many living creatures use a sting to hurt enemies and inject poison, but they will seem innocent babies compared to the monsters that BBC Earth columnist Ella talks about Davis.

© BBCRussian.com

The sting is one of nature’s cruelest inventions.

Video of the day

To begin with, it hurts, piercing into the flesh like a sharp lance. But the stinger is also a chemical weapon that injects a dose of toxins directly into the bloodstream.

Whose sting is more terrible than all other stings; which animal should be avoided at all costs?

The most poisonous creature on the planet Earth

Folk remedy for snakebite – another myth?

How a bee attack saved a dying woman’s life

This question is more complicated than it might seem at first glance. You can think about who stings the hardest, or about whose poison is the most toxic or the most deadly – and this is not the same thing.

Let’s start with pain. It is easy to check who stings the most painfully: you just have to allow yourself to be stung.

As part of his famous experiment, entomologist Justin Schmidt allowed a multitude of insects to sting him in the name of science and developed his own pain index, with harrowing descriptions of how each one stinged.

The unfortunate inhabitants of Central and South America would probably agree with Schmidt that the sting of the bullet ant hurts the most. The very name of this insect is associated with the pain of a gunshot wound.

The ant has very little poison, but they live in colonies of 10 thousand insects

And the most generous portion of poison – 2.5 milligrams – is injected into its prey by the road wasp of the genus Pepsis. However, Schmidt claims that the sting is “essentially non-toxic, just painful.”

Ants of the species Pogonomyrmex Maricopa, on the other hand, have perhaps the most powerful venom of all stinging insects. Each ant has very little poison, but they live in colonies of 10 thousand insects, ready to repel any threat together, which can be very dangerous.

This is important to understand: stinging insects not only cause pain, but can also be a threat to life and health. In particular, scorpions are known for their dangerous stingers.

Scorpions have one of the most frightening-looking stings: the last segment of the tail, the telson, ends in a needle and a pair of poisonous glands.

However, scorpion specialist Lorenzo Prendini of the American Museum of Natural History claims that of the 2,000 known species of scorpions, only about 20 have “medical significance”, that is, they pose a threat to human life.

The yellow scorpion is known as the “death hunter” and androctonus means “man-killer”

All but one of these dangerous scorpions belong to the butid family, whose representatives live in different parts of the world, from Mexico to Brazil and from southern Africa to India . However, the most terrible of them are concentrated in a kind of “hot spot”.

“There are many very poisonous species in North America and the Middle East,” says Prendini. .crassicauda)”.

The yellow scorpion is also known as the “death hunter” and androctonus means “killer”. And this is not an exaggeration.

Southern Autoctonus – a fearless creature that does not dig holes, but hides in cracks, including in the walls of village houses.

This scorpion can grow up to 10 centimeters in length, and its venom contains powerful toxins that affect the nervous system.

“The consequences of poisoning with scorpion venom depend on the amount of poison that has entered the body and the degree of its toxicity – the strength of the effect at the cellular level,” Prendini specifies.

“Thus, a larger scorpion whose venom contains less potent toxins, but which is able to inject more venom into its prey – such as A. australis or Parabuthus granulatus – may pose a more serious threat to life than a small scorpion with a more potent poison, but in smaller doses, such as Leiurus quinquestriatus.

Of the 2000 species of jellyfish known to science, only 10-15 species pose a threat to human life

Most healthy adults are able to survive after being stung by a scorpion, but only if qualified medical care is provided, including receiving an antidote.

“Most deaths from scorpion poisoning occur in young children, the elderly or the sick,” says Prendini.

“The bulk of scorpion attacks occur in rural areas populated by the poor and located close to the habitat of scorpions. ”

Partly because death by scorpion sting most often occurs in remote places, the available data on such cases cannot be considered completely reliable. The same applies to the most dangerous stinging inhabitants of the oceans.

Jellyfish and their relatives use stinging cells called nematocysts for hunting prey and self-defense.

These specialized cellular structures act like tiny harpoons. Some of them, piercing into the flesh, carry a poisonous charge, aimed primarily at slowing down the movements of fast-swimming prey, such as fish.

Of the 2000 species of jellyfish known to science, only 10-15 species pose a threat to human life.

C. fleckeri is responsible for the majority of deaths from jellyfish stings in Australia

But their close relatives of box jellyfish, which, despite such a similar name, belong to a different group, can be really dangerous.

The largest of them is the sea wasp, or the Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), which can weigh up to a kilogram. Its numerous three-meter tentacles are studded with hundreds of poisonous needles that affect muscle and nerve tissue.

“C. fleckeri is responsible for the majority of deaths from jellyfish stings in Australia, while other Chironex species are responsible for the killings elsewhere,” explains jellyfish expert Lisa-Anne Gershwin of the Australian federal scientific agency called the National Association for Scientific and Applied Research. .

In particular, if you measure the danger of a sting by the speed of death, the Australian box jellyfish will lead this hit parade.

They have a tentacle on each corner that can be a hundred times the length of their entire body

“C. fleckeri is considered the most poisonous animal in the world,” says Gershwin.

“Death occurs as a result of blocking the heart muscle in a contracted state,” she adds. “After that, survival is unlikely – you cannot further compress what is already compressed. So the whole safety precautions come down to avoiding a bite and immediately holding the victim cardiopulmonary resuscitation. ”

Another name that comes up in conversations about deadly box jellyfish is the Irukandji jellyfish.

Until recently, it was believed that there was only one species of jellyfish, the Irukandji, named after the Indigenous Australians living along the northeast coast of the country, where the bite of this creature was first recorded in the 1950s.

But experts now recognize about 25 species of jellyfish in the order Carybdeidae – all of which have a terrifying ability to sting their victims and are found all over the world.

The smallest of them has a bell size of only one centimeter, but at each corner they have tentacles that can reach a hundred times the length of their entire body.

The poison released by the stinging cells located on both the tentacles and the bell disrupts the natural processes necessary for life.

Irukandji bites leave no marks, so there may be fewer reports of these fatal encounters than the number of cases themselves

Unlike other jellyfish stings, the symptoms in this case are not immediately noticeable. “Irukandji syndrome” begins to appear after 20-30 minutes: the victim has back pain, nausea, muscle spasms and a feeling of inevitable disaster, and a heart attack is also possible due to a sharp increase in blood pressure.

“The most common Irukandji stings are Carukia barnesi – these jellyfish are just swarming,” Gershwin clarifies. poison.”

Compared to the Australian box jellyfish, the Irukandji’s venom is “much more potent for the same volume,” but Gershwin says the chance of death from an Irukandji sting is lower if treated promptly.

However, it should be noted that Irukandji bites do not leave any marks, so it is possible that the number of reports of these encounters with invisible killers is less than the number of cases themselves.

At the same time, since 1883, 68 people have died in the waters of Australia from the bite of an Australian box jellyfish.

However, today not many people die from a jellyfish sting – thanks to the information about the seasonal appearance of dangerous jellyfish and the improvement of the quality of treatment.

Therefore, in search of the stinging animals responsible for the massacres, we will have to return to land.

The Asian giant hornet is the world’s largest stinging insect and is nicknamed the “hell hornet”.

In Japan, 30-50 people die every year from the bite of a giant hornet, which causes severe swelling.

Honey bees… have a large amount of powerful poison, attack by the thousands and are very aggressive

In the Chinese city of Ankang in 2013, as a result of a seasonal increase in the number of hornets, 41 people died in three months.

At least at first glance, it seems that these insects overtake other species in terms of the number of victims. However, an important caveat must be made: the number of deaths as a result of the attack of scorpions and box jellyfish is not well documented, that is, a direct comparison is incorrect.

However, it is possible that the most deadly sting belongs to those without whom we, perhaps, could not do without.

Schmidt claims that the species that poses the greatest danger – or at least deserves the most respect – is well known to all of us – honey bees.

All these bees belong to the genus Apis. European honey bees (A. mellifera) are well known to many in Europe and North America, while giant bees (A. dorsata) are more common in Asia.

“The honey bees A. mellifera and A. dorsata have large amounts of potent venom, attack by the thousands and are quite aggressive,” writes Schmidt.

With fewer than 500 stings, the risk of serious intoxication is low.

For most people, a single bee sting simply causes local pain and swelling. However, the stinging bee releases an alarming pheromone, which is a signal to attack for its relatives.

However, for the onset of a fatal outcome, there must be a lot of bites. According to Schmidt, in most cases, “with less than 500 bites, the risk of serious intoxication is low.”

Of course, it’s very unpleasant to be stung by a few hundred bees, but most of us won’t die from it.

At the same time, there are several factors that make honey bee stings the most deadly.

First, because of the love of man for honey, honey bees have spread throughout the world. Among other things, this means that a person often comes into contact with them, thereby increasing the likelihood of an attack.

Secondly, some honey bees are particularly aggressive.

Over several decades, killer bees have sent hundreds of people to the next world

Domesticated bees are brought up in obedience to their owners, but in Africa, wild honey bees are much more likely to attack predators en masse.

In the 20th century, they were introduced to South America and during this time they spread north, where they are called “killer bees”.

Over several decades, killer bees sent hundreds of people to the next world. However, they only attack if they believe that someone is threatening their hive.

If you leave them alone, they will almost certainly leave you alone.