Bee stings can be treated with____________
A) vinegar b) sodium hydrogen carbonate c) potassium hydroxide d) lemon juice
Bee stings can be treated with____________
A) vinegar b) sodium hydrogen carbonate c) potassium hydroxide d) lemon juice
- Bee venom contains formic acid (also known as methanoic acid) but this is not the single active ingredient that causes the pain from a bee sting
- Wasp stings are alkali but once again the venom has so many active ingredients that it is very unlikely that it is the alkali alone that is the single active ingredient that causes the pain
Neutralising a sting with either vinegar or bicarbonate of soda is unlikely to be effective or even practically possible because:
1) The venom from wasps and bees is injected under the skin and after a few minutes spreads deep into the tissues. Sloshing unknown strength vinegar or bicarbonate of soda onto the skin surface is unlikely to even get near the venom so no “neutralisation” is likely to take place anyway.
2) A wasp or bee sting is between 5 and 50 micrograms of fluid – this is a tiny amount of fluid – a little pinhead or the size of this full stop . – and it is hard to believe how pouring comparatively huge volumes of unknown strength vinegar or rubbing lumps of bicarbonate of soda near the venom of unknown pH is going to produce a perfectly neutral pH which neutralises the sting and stops it hurting.
- Bee venom contains formic acid (also known as methanoic acid) but this is not the single active ingredient that causes the pain from a bee sting
- Wasp stings are alkali but once again the venom has so many active ingredients that it is very unlikely that it is the alkali alone that is the single active ingredient that causes the pain
Neutralising a sting with either vinegar or bicarbonate of soda is unlikely to be effective or even practically possible because:
1) The venom from wasps and bees is injected under the skin and after a few minutes spreads deep into the tissues. Sloshing unknown strength vinegar or bicarbonate of soda onto the skin surface is unlikely to even get near the venom so no “neutralisation” is likely to take place anyway.
2) A wasp or bee sting is between 5 and 50 micrograms of fluid – this is a tiny amount of fluid – a little pinhead or the size of this full stop . – and it is hard to believe how pouring comparatively huge volumes of unknown strength vinegar or rubbing lumps of bicarbonate of soda near the venom of unknown pH is going to produce a perfectly neutral pH which neutralises the sting and stops it hurting.
