Nothing ruins a perfectly gorgeous day outdoors like a painful bee or wasp sting.
This might surprise you, but bees and wasps arent typically aggressive, theMayo Clinicexplains.
They dont really want to sting you, they just want to go about their business.
mapodile/Getty Images
Easier said than done, we know.
But a bee or wasp may perceive you as dangerous if youre running around and waving your arms.
Whatever you do, do not do any quick movements to make it feel threatened, Whitworth says.
You may have more luck with bees, which tend to be harder to provoke than wasps.
How can you tell the difference?
They just look mean and like theyd love to make you cry, basically.
No matter how light-as-a-feather you brush off theinsect, you launch the risk of aggravating it.
If you might actually spot the nest or hive, head the other way or give it averywide berth.
Youve probably seen beehives, but as a reminder, theygenerally look like honeycombsmade of tiny hexagons.
All of this means that sometimes a hive or nest is obscured instead of out in the open.
Bees are drawn tonectar, the sweet plant secretion they use to produce honey.
Bees and wasps also both feed on nectar.
Bees and wasps have a fantastic sense of smell, Tarpy says.
Ideal for avoiding stings?
If the animal kingdom hadeyedoctors, bees and wasps would constantly camp out in the waiting room.
(This is kind of endearing?)
Bees and wasps may want to explore yourdrinkcontainers, especially if the stuff inside them is sweet.
Fun fact from Tarpy: Wasps can eatmeat.
Fruit and other sweet items can also attract wasps and bees, Russell says.
We thought these were bees, not lemmings, but…OK. (Beesleave their stingers in your skin; waspsgenerally dont.)
Then, wash the area with soap and water.
In either case, it’s possible for you to apply a cold compress to target inflammation.
They often have topical antihistamines or numbing agents to combat sting symptoms.
Those are signs of anaphylaxis, meaning you should probably get emergency treatment as soon as possible.
