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Article: The sting: don't take the threat of insect stings lightly--they can be more serious than you think.(Survival)
- Article from:
- Sports Afield
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The diminutive Hymenoptera--bees, wasps, and hornets---hospitalize and kill more people per year in America than bears, mountain lions, and snakes combined. A lot more. Statistics vary widely (and wildly in some cases), but as many as eight million people per year suffer some kind of allergic reaction to a sting. At least two million of these are rated "severe." Annually in this country, 40 to 120 people die from insect stings, a number some authorities say is markedly underestimated, since many sting-related deaths are misdiagnosed.
These high numbers are largely a result of ubiquitous contact. In warm weather (above 50 degrees F.), stinging insects can be nearly ...