An antidote to bites and stings

With reports of “two-inch long hornets set to invade Britain” this Summer [1], the UK launch of Stingose, an antidote to bites and stings will be a welcome relief to parents. As an estimated 64% of under 16s have been stung by a bee, wasp, hornet, jellyfish, nettle or other “stinger” at some time[2].

Care Stingose Spray, from Thornton & Ross works directly on the cause as it is clinically shown to neutralise the venom converting it into harmless substances. Most other products currently available in the UK only help relieve the symptoms. In a clinical trial in Australia, Stingose was found to be 99.4% effective. Bites and stings treated in the trial included:

  • Jellyfish
  • Bee
  • Wasp
  • Hornet
  • Mosquito
  • Sand fly
  • Ant bites
  • Plant stings such as nettles [3].

 Which is why Stingose became the number one bite and sting treatment in Australia, where the bugs are much bigger and meaner!

Says Leanne Doughty, Care Product Manager: “Care Stingose Spray has no age limit, therefore parents should not leave home without it this summer. It should be in every first aid kit, beach bag, pocket and handbag as well as in the glove compartment of every car.”

Care Stingose Spray costs £3-99 for 25ml and is available from your local pharmacy, all Wilkinson’s, Co-op Pharmacies and selected Tesco stores.

Always read the label. Always use normal first aid measures. Patients with a known or suspected allergy to insect bites and stings should seek medical advice. 

The Care brand also has a number of other products within the range for Summer time ailments, visit www.care-medicines.com.

WHEN YOU CLICK ON LINKS TO VARIOUS MERCHANTS ON THIS SITE AND MAKE A PURCHASE, THIS CAN RESULT IN THIS SITE EARNING A COMMISSION. AFFILIATE PROGRAMS AND AFFILIATIONS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE EBAY PARTNER NETWORK AND AMAZON

References:

1. Daily Star, 22nd February 2007 p 21

2. Mintel, December 2006, First Aid UK

3. Stingose a new and effective treatment for bites and stings, Henderson D and

Easton R, The Medical Journal of Australia. 1982. Volume 1

 

BITE AND STING FACT FILE
> 36% of children under 16 have been stung by nettles and 50% have been stung by a bee or wasp. [1]
> A massive 56% of parents use a dock leaf for the relief of nettle stings. [1]
> In the South West and Scotland around 90% of children have been stung by a wasp or a bee compared to just 39% in the West Midlands. [1] (The Percentage will change for each region targeted)
> “More people are travelling abroad for their holidays and often prefer to take their own first aid supplies, including treatments for stings and bites.” [2]

Wasp & Bees
> Wasps and bumble bees can sting repeatedly as they are able to pull out their stinger without injuring themselves, therefore their sting is not left in your skin. [3]
However, honey bees have barbs on their stingers which remain hooked in the skin. The stinger, which is connected to the digestive system of the bee, is torn out of the bee’s abdomen as the bee attempts to fly away. As a result, the bee soon dies. [3] The stinger from a honey bee needs to be scraped out  (with its attached venom sac) with  a sharp edged object such as a credit card as soon as possible. The stinger should never be squeezed out between two fingers or a pair of tweezers as this forces more venom into the skin, causing greater irritation.
>Honey bees are social insects as they live and work together as a team. They form a colony which consists of:

  • A Queen (the reproductive female)
  • The workers (infertile females)
  • Drones (males bees)

The worker bees have a barbed stinger and therefore die within a few hours of stinging. The queen bee has a smooth curved stinger which she uses to kill other queens only. She is able to withdraw the stinger after use and therefore does not die after using it. Drones do not possess a sting. [4]

>Bees have five eyes. [5]

Mosquitoes
> “Only female mosquitoes bite people and feed on their blood which provides proteins for the females to lay their eggs. Male mosquitoes only feed on plant nectar.” [6]
>When female mosquitoes bite, they use their saliva to thin the blood so they can drink it. The saliva is what makes the bite itch! [7]
>The word ‘mosquito’ is Spanish for ‘little fly’ and its use dates back to 1583 in North America. There are over 2,700 different species of mosquito in the world. [6]

Nettles
>Nettles support over 40 species of insects including some of our most colourful butterflies. [8]

Jellyfish
>Jellyfish don’t have a brain, heart, bones or eyes and their bodies are over 95% water. [9]
>Jellyfish have been around for more than 650 million years which means that they outdate both dinosaurs and  sharks. [9]
>There are many different species of jellyfish. The Box jellyfish (sea wasp) kills more people than any other marine creature. [9]
>The world’s largest known jellyfish can reach a diameter of 2.5 m/ 8ft and their tentacles can grow to be half the length of a football field. [9]

 

References

[1] GFK NOP March 2007

[2] Mintel, First Aid UK 2006 

[3] Wasp & Bee Control. Jeffrey Hahn, Phil Pellitteri, Donald Lewis. Revised 2006.  www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG3732.html

[4] Leaflet based on a leaflet by Mr. Michael Gleeson, Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association, with assistance from Dr Martin Speight, National Parks and Wildlife Service. www.enfo.ie/leaflets/bs32.html

[5] University of Notre Dame Health Services Leaflet

[6] How Mosquitoes work (Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D). www.howstuffworks.com/mosquito.htm

[7] www.library.thinkquest.org

[8] www.gardenorganic.org.uk

[9] www.aquaticcommunity.com/jellyfish/facts.php

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