Bites come from non-venomous insects, and stings come from venomous insects.
When the weather warms up, everyone heads outside after a long winter of indoor isolation. With the good times that summer brings comes the increased incidence of painful insect stings and bites. There is a difference between bites and stings, although neither one is pleasant.
Sting vs. Bite
Insects that sting are venomous. They inject toxic venom via stingers, and it hurts. Insects that are non-venomous bite. Some introduce anti-coagulant saliva into the victim so they can feed on its blood.
Venomous Versus Non-Venomous
Venomous insects include fire ants, hornets, yellow jackets, all bees and wasps. Non-venomous insects include ticks, bedbugs, chiggers, lice, fleas, scabies and mosquitoes.
Outcome
Both bites and stings can result in allergic reactions, pain, swelling and redness. If an individual is particularly sensitive and allergic to the sting, this can cause his airways to swell, producing a life-threatening situation. Anaphylactic shock can happen when stung by a venomous insect. Stinging insects that frequently cause allergic reactions are in a group called hymenoptera, which mean they have membranous wings. These include yellow jackets, wasps, bees and hornets.
Diseases
Diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, malaria, encephalitis and Lyme disease are spread by non-venomous bites, notes Emsaonline.com.
Why They Sting and Bite
The characteristics of bites and stings are sometimes similar. Symptoms from a venomous sting include pain, redness and swelling, sometimes an allergic reaction, and sometimes itching. Venomous insects sting you because they want you to stay away from them.
A non-venomous bite results in itching, some redness and swelling. Allergic reactions are not common, nor should you necessarily experience pain from a bite. Non-venomous insects often bite simply to feed on your blood.
Honeybees and Other Insects
If you are stung by a honeybee, the venom sack that is attached to the stinger and the stinger are left in your skin. Venom continues to be pumped through the stinger until the stinger is removed or the venom sack is empty. Honeybees die after they sting, but yellow jackets, wasps and hornets don't, so they can sting you repeatedly.
Tags: bites stings, yellow jackets, allergic reactions, come from, from venomous