The number of insects buzzing around our gardens and homes is largely dependent on the weather - and unfortunately a damp, mild spring followed by hot weather later in the summer like the last few days encourages bugs which bite to breed.

In the coming weeks wasps in particular will begin to make their presence felt, becoming increasingly bad tempered as the summer draws to a close.

For about one in 200 people wasp and bee stings can cause an allergic reaction which in some cases can prove fatal, forcing potential victims to carry around adrenaline and powerful antihistamines to counteract the venom.

But for most people less drastic treatments are readily available to treat stings or bites which simply prove an irritation.

Bites differ from stings in their chemical composition and in the type of reaction they provoke. Insects most likely to bite in this country are mosquitoes and midges.

Their bites often go unnoticed at the time and the effects may not even be felt for up to 24 hours afterwards, but once the painful reaction has begun it can last for several days.

Only female mosquitoes bite to get the blood which they need to produce eggs.

As an insect's feeding apparatus is very small, the insect punctures the skin and injects saliva which helps stop the victim's blood from clotting.

The saliva may also contain a local anaesthetic so the bite goes undetected by the victim, allowing the predator to feed at leisure.

It is the insect's saliva that sets off a reaction in the victim, causing irritation and pain.

The pain and inflammation of a bee or wasp sting is caused mainly by histamine and other agents that help the venom penetrate the skin tissues.

Insect stings are primarily weapons of attack or defence, so your waving arms around the minute a wasp or bee approaches will only make them feel insecure and defensive and more likely to sting.

A Royal Pharmaceutical Society spokesman said treatments for bites and stings generally contained antihistamines, local anaesthetics and soothing agents and were available from chemists without prescription.

Antihistamines taken orally were more likely to bring sustained and effective relief, although their disadvantage over creams was that relief was not immediate and using both treatments was recommended. Some antihistamine preparations could also make victims sleepy.

Hydrocortisone cream reduced inflammation of stings and bites that were not on the face.

A spray containing a local anaesthetic could be the best initial treatment for stings and would give immediate pain relief if it was applied as soon as possible.

People who were particularly prone to insect bites could use an insect repellent which came in varying forms including sprays, wrist bands, patches for clothing and furniture and plug-ins.

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