dangerous insects

Dangerous Insects

Key Points

• Modes of Action• Venomous Hymenoptera• Wasp vs. Bee vs. Ant• Allergic vs. toxic response• Anaphylaxis

• Other Families of dangerous insects

• Psychological Aspects

Dangerous Insects

• Bites• Stings• Allergies• Dermatitis

(a general term that describes an inflammation of the skin.)

• Myiasis (The parasitic infestation of the body of a live mammal by fly larvae (maggots) that grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue)

• Psychological Disorders

Modes of Action:

Mortality:40 to 100 deathsannually in the U.S.

Dangerous Insects

ArachnidsSome Arachnid venom can be toxic enough to

kill with a single bite

With insect venom, death is “usually” caused by an over reaction of the immune system.

Dangerous Insects:

Poisonous Spiders• The Black widow• The Yellow (or Gold) sac spider • The Hobo spider (aggressive house spider)• The Brown recluse spider

Black Widow

Of all spiders, the Black Widow is the most feared. The female's venom is especially poisonous to people. Despite its reputation, this spider often attempts to escape rather than bite, unless it is

guarding an egg mass or if it is cornered and pressed. The male black widow will not bite you. After mating, the female sometimes eats the male (remember, she only has to mate once in her

life), earning the name "widow." During the period shortly following mating and laying of eggs, the female black widow can be a little cranky and hungry.

The bite of the female black widow spider may not always be felt at first and besides slight local swelling, there is usually little evidence of a lesion. Two tiny red spots can sometimes be observed in the center of the swollen area. Most of the time, pain at the site of the bite occurs immediately and becomes most intense after about three hours. An overall aching of the body, especially the legs, are common reactions. Headache, elevated blood pressure, nausea and profuse perspiration may occur in severe cases. The condition is self-limiting and in most cases symptoms disappear in two or three days. Calcium gluconate is used intravenously to relieve and relax muscle spasms produced by black widow venom.

Black Widow cont:

Hobo Spider

It lives throughout the Pacific Northwest. As its range has extended in recent decades, reports of spider bites leading to significant injuries in both humans and animals have increased. As with recluse spider bites, these bites can cause moderate to severe skin lesions that may take months to heal, often resulting in significant scarring.

Most common symptom is a severe headache, sometimes occurring within 10 hours (sometimes 30 minutes) that does not respond to aspirin. The headaches have been compared to migraines and may persist for a week, sometimes accompanied by nausea, weakness, fatigue, temporary loss of memory, and vision impairment. No deaths due to Hobo spider bite .

Hobo Spider Cont.

Brown Recluse

Brown recluse spiders are found primarily in the Midwest. Many cases of bites are reported from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. They are suspected of being in other states as well. The edge of its range just reaches the tip of western Virginia, but it occurs rarely in this state. The spider commonly lives in basements, attics and garages of houses and often hides behind boards and boxes. Bites often occur when the spiders hide in towels or old clothes left in those areas. The Brown Recluse has adapted quite well to indoor habitats. They are commonly found in the storage areas of residences, including areas such as attics, closets, bedrooms and other dark recesses. This spider frequently inhabits clothing, toys, books, boxes, furniture as well as transport trucks, tool sheds, tree houses and little used or abandoned dog houses.

The brown recluse spider is nocturnal and prefers food such as firebrats, crickets, cockroaches and other soft bodied creatures. Earning their name well, the brown recluse spider ceases its wanderings at first light. People are most commonly bitten in bed, while changing clothes, or cleaning storage areas. Not only will this spider hide in cracks and crevices of the home, they will often climb into clothing or shoes that someone has laid out to wear the following day.

Brown Recluse Cont.

Camel Spider – a Solipugid {not a real spider}

Bees, Wasps, and Ants Venom

• Ant VenomAnt Venom– family Formicidaefamily Formicidae

• offense-defense-communicationoffense-defense-communication• Wasp VenomWasp Venom

– multiple familiesmultiple families• prey capture - defenseprey capture - defense

• Bee VenomBee Venom– multiple familiesmultiple families

• defense onlydefense only


Honey Bee Stinger

Hornet Stinger

NO Barbs

The Red Imported Fire Ant – Solenopsis invictaSolenopsis invicta

• Toxic vs. Allergic ResponseToxic– results from multiple stings– sometimes difficult to distinguish from an allergic

response– Symptoms

• gastrointestinal dysfunction• fainting• muscle spasms• convulsions• et alia


• Allergic ReactionAllergic Reaction– an altered sensitivity due to a

previous exposure to the venom– 0.08% of the general population – Are You of this small minority??

• Find Out!!!!• Get treatment!!!!


• NormalNormal{note: everyone is allergic}– it hurts!!– Pain lasts a variable period– Accompanied by the appearance of

a wheal– Soreness & itching which usually

persists for 24 to 48 hours.


• Large Local ReactionLarge Local Reaction– Swelling at the sting site & beyond

over a 4 to 12 hour periodpersists for more than 48 hours.

– Soreness & itching can be severe but not overly serious from a medical standpoint.


• Systemic ReactionSystemic Reaction– Deserves serious medical concernDeserves serious medical concern– Potentially life threateningPotentially life threatening– Body responds to the sting in Body responds to the sting in

areas far removed from areas far removed from envenomation site.envenomation site.

– AnaphylaxisAnaphylaxis can result can result


ANAPHALAXIS• CutaneousCutaneous

– rashes-swelling-hives on various parts of rashes-swelling-hives on various parts of the bodythe body

• VascularVascular– dizziness, fainting & unconsciousnessdizziness, fainting & unconsciousness

• RespiratoryRespiratory– difficulty breathing, constrictions in throatdifficulty breathing, constrictions in throat

• MiscMisc..– chills, fever, anxiety, incontinencechills, fever, anxiety, incontinence

ANAPHALAXIS• Medical Emergency

– 58% of deaths occur within one hour of sting– 75% of deaths occur within six hours of sting

• Treatment– EPINEPHRINE (adrenaline)– Causes vasoconstriction, which counteracts

the vasodilatation properties of venom

• Currently two systems– ANA-KIT– EPIPEN– both are sub-epidermal injections of

pre-measured doses of adrenaline• Requires a prescription to obtain• Some laws allows persons other

than physicians to administer.

EPINEPHRINE (adrenaline)

ERUCISMLatin ‘eruca’ = caterpillar

Stings by toxic setae of caterpillars

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillarPuss moth caterpillar

ERUCISM

Io MothIo Moth

SaddlebackSaddlebackcaterpillarcaterpillar

A Saturninemoth commonto the east sideof Oregon

ERUCISM

LEPIDOPTERISM is….• An allergic response triggered An allergic response triggered

by the wing scales of any by the wing scales of any number of moths &/or number of moths &/or butterflies.butterflies.

• Expressed by respiratory Expressed by respiratory distress. distress.

Formidable biters

There some formidable biters in several families• Assassin Bugs

– family Reduviidae– Predaceous on

other insects – utilize extra-oral

digestions• enzymes injected into the food/prey item, a fine line between

venom & digestive enzymes

Rhodnius prolixus (also known as the kissing bug) dining

Shooters• Bombardier BeetlesBombardier Beetles

– family Carabidae– When disturbed release a hot-toxic

spray of quinones & H2O2 at temperatures of 100° C.

Cantharidin:A poisonous chemical secreted by the

blister beetle

Psychological Aspects• EntomophobiaEntomophobia

– a morbid, irrational fear of, or aversion to insects.

– Most deeply manifested by the condition of delusional delusional parasitosisparasitosis

Delusional Parasitosis• Perceived to be “infested” with insects

– in or under the skin– around or just inside body openings– in sputum– internally, particularly the stomach or intestines– in the vicinity of the sufferer, particularly in the home

Use of home remedies; Self exposure to Use of home remedies; Self exposure to often dangerous levels of insecticides. often dangerous levels of insecticides.

• SYMPTOMSSYMPTOMS– a long time sufferer– seen by numerous physicians,

exterminators, parasitologists, hygienists & entomologists

– fiercely rejects negative findings– exhibits the “matchbox sign”

• delivers or mails containers with “bugs”• samples consist of anything but “bugs”

– self-mutilation can occur

Delusional Parasitosis

dangerous insects

Education