When insects attack!

[Candaules]

A few days ago I was cycling through the countryside in Southwest France, enjoying the sunshine, warmth, view, etc., when an insect flew into my mouth. I didn’t get a good look at it, but by its size it must have been a wasp or hornet. I spat it out, but as it left it stung my lower lip. I always carry calming lotion, in case of horse-fly bites, so I applied some, and carried on cycling, trying hard to enjoy the sunshine, warmth, view, etc., and ignore the throbbing in my mouth.
Oddly, there was no pain, just swelling and numbness, accompanied by a vague memory that hornet stings can be serious. I tried to drink, but my lip was so fat the water just ran down my chest. I realised that the lotion was not working, and headed for home. When I looked in a mirror I saw that my lower lip was swollen to the size of a sausage, and my lower jaw was so puffy I looked like Marlon Brando in the Godfather. I have never looked anything like Brando before, so it is a pity I could not look like one of his younger roles. Visits to the doctor and pharmacist were complicated by my mumbling Brando-ish speech, but at least they didn’t realise I was English, and it’s the first time that’s happened.
After some anti-histamines and a few days on a liquid diet (but no alcohol), I no longer look like Il Padrone, and can eat and talk normally.
In future, I will try to cycle with my mouth closed

 

[numbnuts]

Last year I got stung on my tongue by a wasp, luckily it was on the tip but is swelled up the at least 25 mm, by the time I got home it was very sore and was not so swollen and was like that until the following day

 

[zacklaws]

I was stung two Sundays on the trot by bee's, first in my stomach through my jersey and the second time on my shoulder by one that got into my open jersey, which I could not find and eventually it stung me.

After the first time, I started to carry a tube of "Anthisan" bite and sting cream in my jersey, and was most impressed how it killed the pain instantly on the second occasion. Also I try to keep my jersey zipped up to stop them getting in.

 

[Jane Smart]

Gosh poor you, glad to hear that the swelling has gone down. I was stung a few weeks ago on the face, no swelling but the burning sensation was unbelievable

A wasp flew into my car yesterday, I was petrified, stopped at the side of the road, got out and it was ages before I felt it safe to get back in and drive again, I have a phobia of wasps

 

[wyno70]

Ouch sounds painful.

I got stung last year in the soft bit at the back of your neck (base of the skull). It was very painful and I had a headache for a couple of days.

I was going downhill at the time and must have been doing almost 30mph so couldn't work out how the little bugger even got there. All I could come up with was that it maybe got in my helmet and came out the back on my neck.

Didn't half hurt though!

 

[Globalti]

There is a plague of very nasty hornets in the south of France, which have wiped out domestic honey bees.

Try carrying an old syringe with you; last time my son got stung by a wasp I put the nozzle over the puncture hole where a little white blister was forming and withdrew the plunger. The suction pulled out the venom and in seconds he was feeling no pain and the white blister and surrounding redness had gone. Good result. I first saw that done in South Africa where hikers carry bee sting suction syringes.

 

[Weegie]

Try carrying an old syringe with you; last time my son got stung by a wasp I put the nozzle over the puncture hole where a little white blister was forming and withdrew the plunger. The suction pulled out the venom and in seconds he was feeling no pain and the white blister and surrounding redness had gone. Good result. I first saw that done in South Africa where hikers carry bee sting suction syringes.

That's a brilliant tip. Google turns up similar solutions like this...

http://shop.packyourbags.com/acatalog/Venimex_Venom_Extractor.html

I've no personal experience of this product or shop, but it looks like a neat way to extract bee venom single-handed from one's own backside

 

[Jonathan M]

Bites in & around the mouth can result in more severe symptoms than expected. Could be worth carrying some decent anti-histamine tablets (Chlorpheniramine) in case you experience a similar reaction in the future.

Any difficulty in breathing after a future sting is 999 or 112 (depending where you are!). Remember you may not have any mobile coverage where you are but my understanding is that for a 999 call there is an agreement that your phone will switch to any available network.
It probably was one of the hornets as mentioned above as they are populating south west france rapidly, as far north as Bordeaux/Gironde area.

 

[byegad]

Nasty but could have been a lot worse if you had swallowed it!

I was stung on the inner top lip by a wasp after it bounced off my teeth while cycling, I saw it coming and tried to close my mouth but didn't quite get the job done. I was on an organised ride so I pulled in to the next first aid station where the guy gave me a cool pack to apply (You need to wet it first to stop it sticking to your lip.) after twenty minutes the swelling had gone down and I continued on my way with no further problems other than a bit of a small lump at the point of the sting.

 

[ianrauk]

On a Bromley Ride in the summer a bee flew into the top of my Helmet (fnaar), I could feel it buzzing around. Tried to shake it out but that made the blighter angry so it decided to start drilling into the top of my bonce. Bleedin hurt. Luckily I was wearing a CycleChat buff (plug), which stopped the bees sting from being left in my nut. Some one had some athletes foot cream which worked very well at reducing the pain.

 

[Jane Smart]

Talking of being stung, one thing I also NEVER do is drink straight from a can, that has been opened in case a wasp has flown into it

 

[Sam Kennedy]

oh, FYI this is how big a hornet is:

 

[Keith Oates]

A lady friend of mine was stung out here recently on the forearm whilst riding her motorbike, the redness and swelling was more than a week before it disappeared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ColinJ]

oh, FYI this is how big a hornet is:
(terrifying picture of hornet)

Having spent years ridding myself of a morbid fear of wasps that I picked up after throwing a brick into a wasp nest at the age of 5 ( ), I now need you to do something for me...

Tell me that the hand belongs to a very small child!

Tell me that hornets are never, ever found in the UK!

 

[Sam Kennedy]

Tell me that the hand belongs to a very small child!

Tell me that hornets are never, ever found in the UK!

Yeah, the second one is correct! If a hornet did find its way to the UK, it would most likely die from our crappy climate.