Lessons; environment 

Insects and allergy

This page contains following subjects:

• Insects and allergy
• A byte of a insect
• What to do

Note, we have collected information for you, partly from own experience. We are not responsible for eventually mistakes in this information or incompleteness. when you are bitten by a insect take contact with your doctor.

Insects and allergy

There are different kind of insects who can give a painful bite. When you are allergic to it even can cause a dangerous allergic reaction. Flower designers and gardeners often are in touch with plants and nature, thus a bite of a insect easy can happen. Bees and wasps can give a problem, but also other insects can byte. In the northern countries of Europe, such as The Netherlands insects are not a big problem except the tick. In tropical countries there are many more and more dangerous insects.
Many bees and wasps live beneath the earth or on places were they can find food. You also find them on flowers and ripe fruit.
A few tips:
- Wear cloth in neutral colour. Black, strong coloured cloth or with a flower pattern are attractive to insects. Better you uses white, green and light colours.
-  Perfume and transpiration attract insects.
- Cover the body while working in the garden and do not walk on bear feet outside because of underneath living bees and wasps or other insects.
- Do not hit a insect because they just want to byte you than.
- Be care full while working with or harvesting flowers or fruit in the garden or nature. 
- Wasps and bees often make their nest in or under branches or old roots or branches, be careful when you take those.
- Do not try to kill a nest with bees or wasps, it can deliver you thousands of bites

A byte of a insect

There are different kind of insect which are dangerous to the flower arranger or gardener during the work. Bytes of a wasp, bee, warble fly, hornet or tick are most important in The Netherlands. 
In warmer and tropical area some spiders, scorpion, mosquito's and snakes can be very dangerous. Prepare your self before you start collecting materials from nature or to work in it. 
Tropical insects can byte but also they can infect you with dangerous parasites. Mosquito's can bring malaria, but also other serious disease. There are many type of biting insects and often they have a visit at night. Blood suckers (leech) also can cause a problem.
Wear good close and cover your body. Wear good shoes or boots and spraying with an insecticide such as Deet. Have a thorough check on your body every day.   

You can protect your self for a great deal with a repellent such as Deet, but it is not working to bees and wasps.
Red ants can be found in moss (Sphagnum) what often is used in flower art. Ants have an unpleasant byte.
Ticks can be very dangerous. It are blood sucking spider like insects. They hook their snout in your skin. You must remove them with a special tool and on a special manner. Ticks are in many places in nature and sometimes also in gardens. Ticks can cause serious disease such as Lyme, Tularemie or the disease of Ricettsiosen.

Lyme: The stadia are: 1 a big red colour change on your skin. It has a light center and sometimes you have a headache or fever, 2 weeks later or even after a year you can become brain- or hart damage, 3 after a few month or later you can become arthritis or some times neurological problems. It even can kill you.
Turalemy: After infection on the byte place you can see a ulcer (you also can become an infection in another way). You can have swollen glands. You can become different type of infection to the longs, intestine or eyes.
Rickettsiose: Ticks, but also mite, flea or lous bring this disease. Symptoms are muculair pains and fever and some times also less consciousness. there are different type of infection.

What to do?

Suck of the bite immediately and put a wet bandage on the place (keep it cool) Usually this is a good treatments.
The sting of a wasp or bee remove easily with a pincer.
If you have a tick you need a special tool to remove the insect.
When your become large itching swelling, red eyes or a walking nose or vomit (have up)  or lack of breath you have a insect allergy. A quick visit to a doctor is to advice. Very dangerous are fast lowering of blood pressure or a swelling of the wind pipe (trachea). This can cause lack of breath. 
If you know for what insects you are allergic take precautions and have a talk with your doctor. Anti allergy medicines or even a needle with adrenaline can be necessary for you.

Tip: Reed more information about insects and the dangers, look on Internet or reed information of your doctor or Pharmacy. 

Tip. Reed also our page about allergy.

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Last update of this page 23.05.2004