What Does a Wasp Sting/bite Look Like?

Updated on August 08, 2011
C.R. asks from Olathe, KS
11 answers

My daughter was playing outside and came in with two huge bites/stings on her arm. She said there was a wasp flying around, but does not know if it stung her or not. I have never personally been stung, so I do not know what it would look like. What does it look like in comparison to a mosquito bite? Anything I should watch for to be able to tell what it was that got her?

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J.X.

answers from Los Angeles on

My wasp sting looked like a small cut if I remember. I stepped on one without knowing and it got me between the toes. It felt like a knife between my toes and throbbed with pain almost as painful as the initial sting for at least a minute. She may have said it was a wasp, but if she had really been stung by one, she'd know it. FYI, my mosquito bites are three times bigger than my husbands. Some people are more sensative to bites and get more swelling. But the pain of a wasp sting is unmistakable.

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R.K.

answers from Boston on

If a bee, hornet, wasp, horse fly, etc stung her she would know!

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

She might have been bitten by something, but unless she has an abnormally high tolerance for pain, it was not a wasp or bee. You can't mistake that for anything else. It's like acid and hurts like a mother.

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Weird. I would think if a wasp/bee stung her, she would KNOW it. I was stung by 5 on my hand as a child (I was picking wild grapes and bumped a nest under a leaf) and trust me... there is no mistaking getting stung.

She probably just got mosquito bites. Young children usually have oversized reactions to them. Keep an eye on her for any breathing issues, of course, but probably some ice water on it (not directly on the skin) or baking soda, or just some benadryl cream will make it practically disappear by tonight.

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B.S.

answers from Springfield on

Believe me - if a wasp stung her she would know it!!! Probably be screaming her little head off.

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

A bee or wasp sting would give an immediate, intense, and stinging HOT sensation. A child will react as strongly as if someone touched a burning poker to her skin. For most kids, this means instant shrieking. If your daughter is under the age of 7 or 8 and she wasn't screaming or crying, it's not too likely to be a wasp sting.

Some kids get welts or hives very quickly from plant substances entering a small skin wound, some get huge bumps from mosquito bites or other insects. A spider bite can swell up quite large, and some are not terribly painful when they happen.

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A.S.

answers from Springfield on

My daughter sat down on a bench seat at a stadium once and there was a wasp under the front edge and it stung the back of her knee...blood curdling scream. Extremely painful and no mistaking that she had been stung. When I was a child my mosquito bites would swell up horrendously. Anyone that didn't know me would think I got attacked by bees or something.

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S.E.

answers from La Crosse on

Wasp stings generally are not as round or puffy (more flattened and mis-shappen). They also sometimes will have the stinger still in them (little black sliver like object). Also, if you agitate the area or are very stressed over it...they will many times get bigger and more red and welted. Also, they can itch like a mosquito bite, too.

It would be very unlikely for it to be a wasp, though...because she would definately remember it. .

H.G.

answers from Dallas on

I've been stung before and the whole back end of the little bugger was stuck in my finger! And hurt, man! I wanted to roll around on the floor and im not allergic! It hurts bad and got swollen and my hand got numb. If its a sting I would think she would of been freaked out. But if not, if it itches some benadryl cream can help.

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P.P.

answers from Topeka on

She would know if a wasp stung her - it hurts like h.... for a looong time. Misquito bites can make really big welts - sometimes my grandson get one or two that really swell up - othre times they're just small itchy bumps. But if she's not in pain, its not a wasp sting.

G.T.

answers from Redding on

I got stung by a wasp once. It looks like a mosquito bite but can get a bit bigger and a little feverish at the site. I believe there was a little cut like part where the actual sting was too. It hurts worse than a bee sting, at least mine did.... the pain lasted about an hour, where a bee sting usually last about a half hour.... in my experience.
Knocking on wood, havent been stung in quite some time.

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