A single hornet can sting you multiple times unlike bees so even encountering just one of them is quite dangerous. If you have been stung by a hornet, act quickly to mitigate and minimize the effects of hornet venom and spare yourself from any additional impending pain and swelling.
Those of you who haven't encountered a hornet may wonder if hornets bite. They have strong mandibles which can bite but you should be more wary of their stings since they are much more aggressive and have no qualms about using them. Here are the things that you can do in case of a hornet sting:
Hornet stingers aren’t barbed like honeybee stingers, so the good news is they won’t get lodged in your skin. Unfortunately, the bad news is you can’t remove most of the un-injected venom like with a bee’s stringer.
The best thing you can do in this case is to apply an ice pack immediately to the stung area to lessen the spread of venom so you can neutralize it later. Ice pack constricts the blood vessels which also has the added benefit of reducing swelling and the body’s inflammatory response. However, do make sure to wrap it in a cloth to prevent cold burns and apply it for 10-15 minutes.
The hornet venom is alkaline in nature so don’t even bother with applying baking soda as it is also alkaline and is only capable of neutralizing the acidic bee venom. Instead, the best thing you can do is apply some acidic home remedies such as lemon juice.
When applying, due to the presence of citric acid in the lemon, it will definitely hurt since the acidity destroys any unprotected cells that it comes into contact with. But neutralizing the venom to prevent any further damage is well worth it.
If you don't have lemon then perhaps you have apple cider vinegar which can also be used to neutralize any alkaline venom present in your sting wound thanks to it containing acetic acid. Similar to lemon, it helps reduce the full extent of pain and inflammation caused by the venom.
However, make sure to use only 5% concentrated vinegar, not 6%, it may seem like a 1% difference, but the 6% is 20 times stronger. Using the more dilute solution is less painful and just as effective.
While raw honey can’t be used to neutralize the venom, it is a natural astringent and has anti-inflammatory as well as antibacterial properties which can be used to prevent infection and reduce pain and swelling.
Plus, the honey will also release oxygen into the wounds and flush out the dead tissues which greatly expedites the healing process. Thus, it makes sense to apply honey to also heal wounds that have resulted from neutralizing the hornet venom.
Another traditional treatment that is equally as popular as honey in pop culture would be aloe vera. Often dubbed as a miraculous medicinal herb, this desert succulent has similar anti-inflammatory, astringent, and anti-bacterial properties as honey which can help you deal with a hornet bite or sting.
On top, aloe vera is one of the medicinal plants that reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling caused by the venom it also has a cooling effect which can provide relief while preventing any infections of the venom-afflicted parts.
Essential oils produced from lavenders are also an ideal home remedy for hornet sting since they have a soothing, anti-inflammatory, and an analgesic property meaning they can calm irritated skin while promoting healing.
Apply lavender oil by first diluting them, add a few drops of lavender oil to a carrier oil such as a coconut or olive oil then gently apply the mixture either by massaging with hands or by soaking and dabbing a cotton ball.
Tea Tree Oil is another essential oil product that can be used to alleviate the problems associated with hornet sting. It is derived from the leaves of the tea tree plant. While it can reduce swelling and pain, it is also much more potent than other essential oils which require tea tree oil to be diluted strongly in a carrier oil before being used.
Dilute tree oil by mixing 1-2 drops in a spoonful of carrier oil. Always do a small patch test before using since tree oil is much stronger than lavender oil and can cause skin sensitivity and irritation. However, if it is safe for you then they’ll prevent infection through their antimicrobial properties.
If you don’t have either the common household items or the oils used to traditionally treat hornet stings, another fuss-free, quick, and effective remedy has to be the papaya fruit. Papaya contains papain which is an enzyme that can break down proteins in hornet venom.
While not the same as neutralizing the venom, this is the next best thing available to you if you don't have access to any of the previously mentioned methods. To use papaya, apply a fresh slice or mashed papaya paste directly to the sting area and leave it for 10-15 minutes or until the pain and swelling are gone.
Similar to the papayas, onions can also break down the proteins contained in hornet venom due to their sulfur-containing compounds. On top of breaking down the venom proteins, they also have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
Cut and apply a fresh onion bulb to the sting site, the juices from the onion can reduce pain and swelling of hornet venom in as little as 15 minutes for some people with less severe stings. Ultimately, they make this entire ordeal more comfortable and bearable even if they weren’t applied quickly to prevent the swelling.
Another culinary item that can be used is the cucumber has natural cooling properties and is an astringent that has been used for a long time to remedy puffy eyes. But did you know that its astringent nature can also be used to deal with swelling and itching associated with an insect sting?
Basically, it prevents and removes the buildup of fluid from the stung area which will have the immediate effect of reducing the swelling. Apply freshly cut cucumbers for 10-15 minutes and then replace them until the swelling goes down.
Calendula has been known for its healing properties and has been used by American settlers and Native Americans as a traditional home remedy medicine for many ailments including insect bites.
There are more than a few ways of using calendula. You can either apply calendula cream directly to the affected area, if you have access to calendula oil then you can use that to gently massage the sting site or otherwise you could also make a calendula tea compress by applying damp calendula tea bags directly to the skin.
Not dissimilar to other medicinal herbs, plantain leaves are also known for their healing properties although they function slightly differently from the previous herbs. They contain tannins and flavonoids, which reduce inflammation. Make sure to get fresh leaves and clean them thoroughly.
Then, crush and spread the crushed pulpy plantain mass directly to the sting site. To prevent exposure to the microbes, make sure to fix and isolate them using a cloth bandage. Allow the leaves to remain for 20-30 minutes before rinsing it off.
Basil Leaves contain eugenol which helps numb the area and reduce any potential inflammations. Granted that the two applied effects are unorthodox but highly effective in providing relief from the pain and swelling of various insect bites including hornets.
Gather a few fresh basil leaves and crush them completely to release their juices then gently apply the crushed basil leaves directly to the sting site using a cloth of a bandage. Make sure to rinse it off after 15 minutes.
Potatoes are full of starch and other enzymes which is a great help when dealing with all insect bites. The starch will react with the hornet venom and turn it into something that’s no longer venom while the remaining enzymes act to draw out the venom.
Starch is highly reactive and is often used as a chemical reaction indicator when experimenting with colorless compounds. The enzymes also have an anti-inflammatory property which helps alleviate discomfort. Wash the potatoes before cutting and keep them on the wound for 3-4 days.
This miraculous tea popularized by the French has been used by the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks as a poultice and applied to wounds to speed wound healing. In fact, it even appears in the writing of Hippocrates as a compilation of medicinal herbs.
While chamomile won’t neutralize the venom, its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties greatly expedite the healing process. Cool down a brewed tea bag and gently place it on the sting site for 10-15 minutes.
What Happens If You Get Stung By A Hornet?
Being stung by a hornet is a very painful and alarming experience. Depending on your body's sensitivity to the venom, the symptoms can either appear as quickly as 15 minutes or after 2 hours.
Therefore it's best to get rid of hornets if there are too many of them roaming around near your home. Regardless, here are some things that are most likely to occur after being stung by a hornet.
Unlike with other insect stings where the pain only begins after the venom spreads, in the case of hornets there is an unmistakeable and immediate pain. The hornet is much larger which means the length and diameter of a hornet's stinger is also much bigger.
So despite the hornet's venom being 50 times less potent than the bee venom, hornet stings are considered the most painful and are described as a strong fiery burning or a door being shut on your body.
2. Redness and Swelling
Once the venom has been injected, the most common symptom first experienced by everyone is often redness and swelling at the site of a hornet sting. The redness is caused due to the expansion of blood vessels by the venom.
The venom also causes fluid leakage into the surrounding area which starts as a slightly raised skin tissue that escalates into a full-blown swelling. The swelling is part of your body's natural defense mechanism as a result of white blood cells and will subside eventually.
3. Itching and Tenderness
After the redness and swelling have begun, your bite wounds can also start itching due to the venom-containing histamines. The released histamines can trigger itching as well as inflammation in the human body.
After the itching, the histamine causes inflammation of the area which then causes tenderness. Tenderness is generally referred to as experiencing increased sensitivity and discomfort when being pressed on a certain area. Both of them are temporary and should gradually subsidize as the body recovers.
4. Localized Reaction
Since the hornet sting has 50 times weaker venom than a bee sting, it should only cause a localized reaction directly near the sting site. In most people, the weaker venom only causes slight discomfort and is easily recovered from within a few hours if they have been only stung once.
If the effects you are experiencing have gone beyond the localized region such as the swelling spreading, you should immediately seek medical services as it is a sign of an allergic reaction which is not typical to hornet stings.
