Posts Tagged ‘stung’

What is Anaphylactic shock?

Anaphylaxis is a severe, whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical that has become an allergen. After being exposed to a substance such as bee sting venom, the person’s immune system becomes sensitized to it. It is estimated that more than 400 people die each year in the U.S. from bee stings.  This reaction can lead to difficulty breathing and shock ultimately leading to death.

•  A single bee sting, for example, may not cause an allergic reaction the first time.
•  Another bee sting may produce a sudden, severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock.

Experts say that between 1% to 15% of the US population is at risk of having an anaphylactic reaction if exposed to at least one allergen – they add that these figures vary according to various definitions of a reaction. Approximately 1% of those with anaphylaxis may consequently die.

Only a very limited portion of the population (one or two out of 1000) is allergic or hypersensitive to bee or wasp stings. The average person can safely tolerate 10 stings per pound of body weight. This means that although 500 stings could kill a child, the average adult could withstand more than 1100 stings.

If you are unsure – call 911 immediately or Poison Control 1-888-222-1222 for more information.

Some fun at ProBest Pest Management!

The staff and management at ProBest Pest Management tries real hard to honor and say thanks to all the staff as often as possible. Since we are not the largest company out there, we have to be somewhat imaginative I mean what would the point be to have an employee of the month when there are really only 10 of us.

Amount 8 months ago we did an EXTREME AFRICANIZED BEE JOB, they were some of the nastiest of the bees we ever have to deal with. Well one of the crew was stung 13 times and another 3 times. Well just a few days ago it happened again – 11 stings and that is with a bee suit on. I was going to show the picture of his face but he had to take the next day off cause it swelled up, WOW – got to watch out for stinging pests and that is why you should always call a Pest Management Professional… Even if we get stung – we get rid of the bees.

So to honor the dedication and professionalism we decided to start a little trophy system.

Just to gloat a little, after working for over 25 years in the pest control field – I have only been stung twice to my recollection.

Kudo’s to Phoenix Magazine

They recently ran a story on “Sticker Shock” December 2012 by Tom Marcinko in Phoenix Magazine on the new Scorpion anti-venom. We ran a blog “Face the Facts” back in August 2011 on the new technology including the new anti-venom. So how about a few “Did you know that?”

1. Scorpions typically eat insects, but their diet can be extremely variable—another key to their survival in where they live.If you can get rid of their harborage (where they hide, or where their food hides) it will help control them.
2. The venom, a neuro-toxin, it is held in a gland at the tip of the tail and is injected through its stinger to kill prey by affecting the central nervous system. Sometimes they can sting us by accident, always wear gloves and never put your hands where you can’t see.
3. Rain or the lack of rain, cold or the lack of cold can make the scorpions here in Arizona move and cause a few problems. I suggest homesealing your home.
4. The time to know about scorpions is before you are stung, read the stories above and take care!

I suggest you wear your shoes!

It’s dark outside and you need to run to the garage, so you ask yourself “Should I put on my shoes?” – The answer is an unequivocal – YES. Bark Scorpions pack a sting that could send you to the hospital and this whopper – Desert Hairy Scorpion will sting you but generally is not as bad as the Bark Scorpion.

Harvester Ants…

Harvester Ants -  OK I’ve never been stung by this ant but they say this is the ant to avoid. People compare the sting of the Red Imported Fire Ant and still rank the Harvester as the nastiest little stinger of the pair. This ant is quite noticeable due to the large area of vegetation that is cleared away. They gather seeds and will eat other insects. There was a nest of this ant up north that whenever I visited I would bring sunflower seeds and one year the nest was gone. Probably moved on or got destroyed.