This document summarizes information about dangerous insects. It discusses venomous hymenoptera like bees, wasps and ants. Their venom can cause allergic reactions ranging from local swelling to anaphylaxis. Poisonous spiders like the black widow, hobo spider and brown recluse are also covered. Their bites can cause pain, swelling, nausea and muscle spasms. Other dangerous insects include caterpillars whose hairs or scales cause skin irritations. The document also notes psychological conditions like entomophobia and delusional parasitosis where people believe they are infested with insects.

1. Dangerous Insects

2. Key Points
• Modes of Action
• Venomous Hymenoptera
• Wasp vs. Bee vs. Ant
• Allergic vs. toxic response
• Anaphylaxis
• Other Families of dangerous
insects
• Psychological Aspects

3. 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:

4. Mortality:
40 to 100 deaths
annually in the U.S.
Dangerous Insects

5. Arachnids
Some 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:

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

7. 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.

8. 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:

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Camel Spider – a Solipugid {not a real spider}

14. Bees, Wasps, and Ants
Venom

15. • 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
Bees, Wasps, and Ants
Venom

16. Honey Bee
Stinger

17. Hornet
Stinger
NO Barbs

18. The Red Imported Fire Ant – Solenopsis invictaSolenopsis invicta

20. • Toxic vs. Allergic Response
Toxic
– results from multiple stings
– sometimes difficult to distinguish from an
allergic response
– Symptoms
• gastrointestinal dysfunction
• fainting
• muscle spasms
• convulsions
Bees, Wasps, and Ants Venom

21. • 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!!!!
Bees, Wasps, and Ants Venom

22. • 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.
Bees, Wasps, and Ants Venom

23. • 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.
Bees, Wasps, and Ants Venom

25. • Systemic ReactionSystemic Reaction
– Deserves serious medical concernDeserves serious medical concern
– Potentially life threateningPotentially life threatening
– Body responds to the sting in areasBody responds to the sting in areas
far removed from envenomation site.far removed from envenomation site.
– AnaphylaxisAnaphylaxis can resultcan result
Bees, Wasps, and Ants Venom

26. ANAPHALAXIS
• CutaneousCutaneous
– rashes-swelling-hives on variousrashes-swelling-hives on various
parts of the bodyparts of the body
• VascularVascular
– dizziness, fainting &dizziness, fainting &
unconsciousnessunconsciousness
• RespiratoryRespiratory
– difficulty breathing, constrictions indifficulty breathing, constrictions in
throatthroat
• MiscMisc..

27. 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

28. • 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)

29. ERUCISM
Latin ‘eruca’ = caterpillar
Stings by toxic setae of caterpillars
Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillarPuss moth caterpillar

30. ERUCISM
Io MothIo Moth

31. SaddlebackSaddleback
caterpillarcaterpillar
A Saturnine
moth common
to the east side
of Oregon
ERUCISM

32. LEPIDOPTERISM is….
• An allergic response triggered byAn allergic response triggered by
the wing scales of any number ofthe wing scales of any number of
moths &/or butterflies.moths &/or butterflies.
• Expressed by respiratoryExpressed by respiratory
distress.distress.

33. 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

34. Rhodnius prolixus
(also known as the
kissing bug) dining

35. Shooters
• Bombardier BeetlesBombardier Beetles
– family Carabidae
– When disturbed release a hot-toxic spray
of quinones & H2O2 at temperatures of
100° C.

36. Cantharidin:
A poisonous chemical secreted by the blister
beetle

37. Psychological Aspects
• EntomophobiaEntomophobia
– a morbid, irrational fear of, or aversion to
insects.
– Most deeply manifested
by the condition of
delusional parasitosisdelusional parasitosis

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

39. • 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

40. ?