Australian insects: bites and stings 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

Mosquito before feeding

Mosquito after feeding – abdomen enlarged with blood

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 – image of a man made hive.
• Nest – image of a swarm of bees on a tree trunk

Tip:

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

Wasps

European wasp 15 mm

Yellow paper wasp 15-19mm

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
  • Hire an expert for removal

Ants

Bull ants 10-25mm

Green-head ant 6mm

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.
• Green-head ants have a distinctive odour, and their stings can be painful.

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.

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 pain and redness to the area.

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

Severe allergic reaction – illustration showing pain and redness to the area, body aches, fever 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
• Difficulty breathing, talking or swallowing.
• Coughing or wheezing
• Itching around the eyes, ears, lips, throat or mouth
• A rash that may appear anywhere on the body.
• Swelling of the mouth, throat or tongue
• Stomach cramps

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 or EpiPen