In extreme cases, a wasp sting can kill people with allergies. But there are other very dangerous insects outside.
It is actually just a moth that, once hatched, floats around like a mouse and hardly interests anyone, except seasoned entomologists. But as a caterpillar, the oak processionary moth is quite beastly and an unpleasant housemate by nature. Once stung or accidentally touched, the otherwise inconspicuous moth extends its stinging hairs, which then make thousands of small stitches under the skin.
A common allergic reaction is hives (urticaria). It occurs approximately 15 to 60 minutes after contact with the hair. The characteristic reddish, itchy welts appear mainly on the arms and neck.
If you are attacked by nettles, change clothes immediately
Anyone who is so infected can only flee forward – so get dressed as quickly as possible, take a shower and wash your hair thoroughly. At the same time, combat teams should be deployed to ecological hotspots – such as the parks in Schönbrunn.
In addition, a namesake of the spinner, namely the oak web bug, is increasingly causing problems in nature. To the caterpillars, the sting on the skin almost feels like a caress.
Wasp stings can be fatal
However, this year’s tropical, warm and humid weather periods, which are particularly aggressive and unexpectedly stinging common wasps, have a greater impact. Worst possible allergic reaction: anaphylactic shock.
Because this can be life-threatening for the person affected. But there is also the somewhat more peaceful German wasp. Because it builds its cockles visibly, this species – in contrast to its hidden, ‘normal’ relatives – is much more often on the side of destruction.
New tick species chases victims for 100 meters
It is important to be on the lookout for Hyalomma ticks in fields, meadows and on the edge of the forest, which are becoming increasingly common. They are considered carriers of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: a viral disease for which there is no vaccination or medication. Particularly frightening: the African bloodsucker hunts actively, has good eyesight and runs so fast that it can chase its victims for up to a hundred meters.
Keyword Gelsen! These bloodsuckers have also multiplied explosively this summer. But be careful: climate change is now attracting more and more Asian tiger mosquitoes. The “Aedes albopictus” are possible carriers of more than 20 different pathogens.
Our luck: they are still rare in this country. But in view of climate change, with 100% ecological certainty, they will sooner or later become native and ineradicable in the “jungle of Austria”.
Source: Krone
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