Australian insects: stingers guide

Biters

Biters use their mouths to suck blood. They can infect you with diseases.

Stingers

Stingers inject you with venom, which can trigger an allergic reaction.

Dial triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance if you suspect that either you or someone else is having a severe allergic reaction.

Common Stingers

Bees

Honey bees - close up photo of a honey bee on a white background. Honey bees measure 13 to 16 millimetres.

Key facts:

• Keep your distance – honey bees defend their nest aggressively.
• A honey bee’s sting will stick in the skin and tear away from the bee.

How to recognise a honey bee nest:

• Hive – photo of a white and grey timber man-made beehive, outdoors surrounded by flowers.
• Nest – photo of a swarm of honey bees on a tree trunk outside.

Tip:

• If stung, scrape the sting out with your fingernail as soon as possible.
• Don’t try to squeeze out the sting.

Wasps

• European wasp - close up photo of a European wasp on a white background. European wasps measure at 15 millimetres.
• Yellow paper wasp - close up photo of a Yellow paper wasp on a white background. Yellow paper wasps measure at 15 to 19 millimetres.

Key facts:

• Wasps may attack a person if they are provoked, or their nest is disturbed.
• Wasps can sting many times and, unlike bees, do not leave the sting behind.

How to prevent wasp stings:

• Cover food and drinks
• Tightly close rubbish bins
• Don’t provoke them

How to recognise a wasp nest:

• European wasp nest
  • Size of a basketball or bigger
  • Appears to be a hole in the ground
  • Report to local council for removal
• Paper wasp nest
  • Size of a golf ball
  • Usually above ground
  • Consider hiring an expert for removal as they can attack when sprayed

Ants

• Bull ants 10-25mm
• Green-head ant 6mm
• Jack jumper 10-15mm

Where they are found:

• Bull ants – right across the mainland of Australia and in Tasmania. They are most common in the county's south-east.
• Green-head ant – throughout most states and territories in Australia. They are most common along the east and south-east coasts.
• Jack jumper – mostly in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales (Snowy Mountains, Blue Mountains and coastal regions), and down the eastern side of Australia.

Key facts:

• Stinging ants can cause a severe allergic reaction.
• Bull ants can deliver painful stings and are aggressive.
• There are about 90 species of bull ant in Australia.
• The ant most freqently associated with allergic reactions is the Jack Jumper ant.
• Green-head ants have a distinctive odour, and their stings can be painful.

How to recognise a bull ant nest:

• Bull ants will attack if you get too close to their nest
• They may enter houses that are close to their nest
• They nest outdoors in bushy areas under logs and rocks

Symptoms and treatments

Type of reaction

Local reaction – illustration showing hand and forearm. There is a small red mark on the forearm, illustrating a painful red insect bite.

Key fact: Most people will have a local reaction after being stung or bitten.

Severe allergic reaction – illustration showing a person with light brown hair wearing a red tee shirt. They are in pain, feverish and sweating.

Key fact: People at risk are advised to have a personal action plan to manage a severe allergic reaction.

Symptoms

Local reaction:

• Burning pain
• Skin swelling
• Redness
• Itching

Have you been bitten or stung? healthdirect’s Symptom Checker can help you decide what to do next healthdirect.gov.au/symptom-checker

Severe allergic reaction:

• Flushing
• Collapsing
• Coughing or wheezing
• Difficulty breathing, talking or swallowing
• Stomach cramps
• Swelling of the mouth, throat or tongue
• Itching around the eyes, ears, lips, throat or mouth
• A rash that may appear anywhere on the body

Treatments

Local reaction:

• Clean stung area
• Apply ice pack
• Take a painkiller
• Antihistamine tablets

Severe allergic reaction:

• Call triple zero (000)
• Personal action plan
• Administer adrenaline via an autoinjector