Summer means more time outdoors — and more encounters with insects. For most children, a bee sting or mosquito bite is a brief, painful annoyance. But a single sting can trigger anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction that requires immediate treatment. Insect venom is one of the more common triggers of anaphylaxis, though most children who are stung will only ever have a normal local reaction.

Every parent should know how to treat common bites and stings, recognise the early signs of an allergic reaction, and act decisively when the reaction is serious. This guide covers all of it.

Bee and Wasp Stings

Immediate First Aid

1. Remove the stinger immediately — honeybees leave their stinger behind with a venom sac attached. Scrape it out sideways with a flat edge (credit card, butter knife, or your fingernail). Do not use tweezers or pinch it — squeezing the venom sac pushes more venom into the skin.
2. Clean the area — wash gently with soap and water.
3. Apply cold — hold an ice pack wrapped in a cloth against the sting for 10-15 minutes to reduce swelling and pain.
4. Manage pain and itch — apply hydrocortisone cream or a baking soda paste (mix baking soda with a little water). Give an age-appropriate dose of ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain, and an antihistamine for itching.

Source: Canadian Red Cross first aid guidance (bites and stings); Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Normal Local Reaction vs Concerning Reaction

Recognising anaphylaxis: act on signs affecting two or more body systems (e.g. skin plus breathing, or breathing plus circulation), per Canadian Red Cross / ILCOR 2025 first aid guidance.

When to Use an Epinephrine Auto-Injector (EpiPen)

How to Use an EpiPen

1. Remove the blue safety cap.
2. Hold the auto-injector in your fist with the orange tip pointing down.
3. Press the orange tip firmly against the outer mid-thigh (through clothing is fine) until it clicks. The outer thigh is the correct site — a large muscle that absorbs the medication quickly.
4. Hold firmly in place for the time stated by your device, then remove.
5. Call 911 immediately — even if symptoms improve, a second wave of anaphylaxis can occur. Keep your child lying down or seated.
6. Note the time of injection. If symptoms do not improve about 5 minutes after the first dose and emergency services have not arrived, administer a second dose if one is available.

Source: ILCOR 2025 CoSTR (second dose if symptoms are not relieved by the first) and Canadian Red Cross / Heart & Stroke first aid guidance; intramuscular epinephrine into the outer thigh is the primary treatment, and a repeat dose is given if symptoms persist about 5 minutes after the first.

Mosquito Bites

Mosquito bites are rarely dangerous in Canada, but they are extremely itchy and children tend to scratch them into open sores that can become infected. To treat a mosquito bite, wash the area with soap and water, apply a cold pack or anti-itch cream (hydrocortisone or calamine lotion), and discourage scratching. Trim your child’s fingernails short during mosquito season to reduce skin damage from scratching.

To prevent mosquito bites, apply an appropriate insect repellent, dress children in light-coloured long sleeves and pants during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, and eliminate standing water around your home where mosquitoes breed — flowerpot saucers, clogged gutters, birdbaths, and old tires are common culprits.

Source: Health Canada — insect repellents and safe use of DEET (age-based concentration and application limits).

Tick Bites and Lyme Disease

Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) in parts of Ontario and other regions can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The risk of Lyme disease generally increases the longer the tick is attached, which is why prompt removal and daily tick checks are so important. According to the Government of Canada, a blacklegged tick usually needs to be attached and feeding for at least 24 hours before it can transmit the bacteria — but ticks should always be removed as soon as they are found, regardless of how long they may have been attached.

Source: Government of Canada / Public Health Agency of Canada — Lyme disease (risk and prevention).

How to Remove a Tick Safely

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist, jerk, or squeeze the body.
3. If the mouthparts break off and remain in the skin, try to remove them with tweezers. If you cannot, leave them and let the skin heal.
4. Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
5. Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag with the date noted. Some public health units offer tick identification, and tools like eTick can help identify submitted ticks.

Source: Government of Canada — how to safely remove a tick.

Spider Bites

Most spider bites in Canada are harmless and cause only mild local pain and redness. Canada does not have a significant population of dangerous spiders in most provinces, though the rare black widow may be found in some southern regions. Treat a spider bite like a mild insect bite: clean, cold pack, and monitor. Seek medical attention if the bite area develops a deep ulcer, the child develops a fever, or if you suspect the spider was a black widow (shiny black body with a red hourglass marking on the underside).

Prevention Strategies

• Dress strategically — light-coloured clothing (makes ticks easier to spot), long sleeves, pants tucked into socks in wooded areas
• Apply repellent correctly — use an insect repellent registered in Canada at the concentration Health Canada recommends for your child’s age; DEET goes on skin, permethrin on clothing and gear. Never apply DEET to infants under six months.
• Avoid sweet scents — scented lotions, shampoos, and bright floral clothing attract stinging insects
• Stay calm around bees — teach children to move slowly and calmly away from bees and wasps rather than swatting
• Cover food and drinks outdoors — wasps are attracted to sugary drinks and food, especially in late summer
• Do a full-body tick check — after every outdoor day, check behind ears, along the hairline, under arms, around the waistband, behind the knees, and between toes