Bee Stings, Bug Bites, and Allergic Reactions: A Parent’s First Aid Guide
Stings, bites, and buzzing — a parent’s guide to treating insect encounters and knowing when a reaction is serious enough for emergency care.
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 for the estimated 3% of Canadians with insect venom allergies, a single sting can trigger anaphylaxis — a life-threatening allergic reaction that requires immediate treatment.
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
- 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.
- Clean the area — wash gently with soap and water.
- Apply cold — hold an ice pack wrapped in a cloth against the sting for 10-15 minutes to reduce swelling and pain.
- 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 antihistamine for itching.
Normal Local Reaction vs Concerning Reaction
| Normal Local Reaction | Large Local Reaction | Anaphylaxis (EMERGENCY) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain, redness, and swelling at the sting site | Swelling extends beyond 10 cm from the sting | Swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat |
| Itching around the sting | Swelling increases over 24-48 hours | Difficulty breathing, wheezing, or a tight feeling in the chest |
| A small raised welt | Area may feel warm and hard | Hives, rash, or flushing across the body (not just at the sting) |
| Resolves within hours | Resolves within 5-10 days | Dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, or loss of consciousness |
| Home treatment is fine | Monitor closely; see a doctor if worsening | Use EpiPen immediately. Call 911. |
When to Use an Epinephrine Auto-Injector (EpiPen)
How to Use an EpiPen
- Remove the blue safety cap.
- Hold the auto-injector in your fist with the orange tip pointing down.
- Press the orange tip firmly against the outer mid-thigh (through clothing is fine).
- Hold for 10 seconds, then remove.
- Call 911 immediately — even if symptoms improve, a second wave of anaphylaxis can occur.
- Note the time of injection. If symptoms return or do not improve within 5-15 minutes and emergency services have not arrived, administer a second dose if available.
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 DEET-based repellent (10% concentration for children 6 months to 12 years), 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.
Tick Bites and Lyme Disease
Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) in Ontario can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The risk of Lyme disease increases the longer the tick is attached — most experts agree that a tick must be attached for at least 24-36 hours to transmit the bacteria. This is why daily tick checks are so important.
How to Remove a Tick Safely
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist, jerk, or squeeze the body.
- 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.
- Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag with the date noted. Some public health units in Ontario offer free tick identification and testing.
Spider Bites
Most spider bites in Ontario 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 southern Ontario. 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 — DEET 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
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my child is allergic to bee stings?
You typically will not know until the first allergic reaction occurs. A normal local reaction (pain, redness, and swelling at the sting site) is not an allergy. Signs of a true allergy include hives or rash far from the sting site, swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing, dizziness, or nausea. If your child has had a large local reaction (swelling extending more than 10 cm from the sting) or any systemic symptoms, consult an allergist for testing. Children with confirmed venom allergies should carry an epinephrine auto-injector at all times.
Can I use essential oils as insect repellent for children?
Natural repellents like citronella, eucalyptus, and lemongrass oil provide some short-term protection against mosquitoes but are significantly less effective and shorter-lasting than DEET-based repellents. Health Canada does not recommend oil of lemon eucalyptus for children under three years of age. For reliable protection in areas with ticks or heavy mosquito activity, DEET-based products at the appropriate concentration remain the recommended choice.
Should I pop the blister from an insect bite?
No. Popping a blister removes the natural protective barrier over the wound and significantly increases the risk of infection. Keep the blister clean and covered with a loose bandage. If it breaks on its own, clean the area with soap and water, apply antibiotic ointment, and cover with a clean bandage. See a doctor if the area becomes increasingly red, warm, swollen, or begins to ooze pus.
How long after a tick bite can Lyme disease symptoms appear?
Lyme disease symptoms typically appear within 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, with the average being about 7 to 14 days. The characteristic bull’s-eye rash (a circular rash that expands outward from the bite) appears in approximately 70-80% of infected people. However, some people never develop a rash, so watch for other early symptoms including fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle or joint aches.
When should I call 911 for an insect bite or sting?
Call 911 immediately if your child develops difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, widespread hives or flushing (not just at the sting site), dizziness or loss of consciousness, rapid or weak pulse, nausea and vomiting combined with breathing difficulty, or if they have a known severe allergy and have been stung. Administer an epinephrine auto-injector if available while waiting for paramedics.