Dangerous Bugs:
Some bugs are cute, some bugs are ugly, and some bugs can bite or sting you!

Bees

Most bugs that can bite or sting don’t want to hurt you. Most bees don’t want to sting because they die right after they sting you. Instead, bees usually prefer to make honey and mind their own business. So if a bee lands on your arm, don’t hit it. The best thing you can do is hold still until the bee gets tired of sitting on your arm and flies away.

There are some bees, however, that may sting you if they think you’re trying to bother their nests. Two of those bees are the bumble bee and the Africanized bee (killer bee). Both the bumble bee and the Africanized bee sting in swarms, meaning a group of bees stings at once. If you accidentally disturb a bumble bee or Africanized bee’s nest and a group of bees starts to sting you, run as fast as you can in a jig-jag pattern and get into a house or car – and away from the bees – as fast as you can.

Read about how you can avoid bee stings.

Spiders

Most spiders do good things in your house – they catch other insects in their webs. But there are a few spiders that are dangerous, so the more spider information and spider facts you have, the better!

The two spiders whose stings can hurt you are the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider, so it’s important that you know what these spiders look like. The black widow spider is easy to spot because it looks like no other spider. It’s bigger compared to other spiders and has an all-black body shaped like a grape with a reddish design on its back that looks like an “N” or a “Z,” depending on how you look at it. The brown recluse spider is a brownish tan spider with a smaller, thinner body and really long legs.

If you see a spider you think may be a black widow spider or a brown recluse spider, get away from it as soon as possible and show your parents the spider. Whatever you do, never touch a spider web in your house. If the web belongs to a dangerous spider like a black widow spider or a brown recluse spider, those spiders could bite you.

If you have more spider questions, check out the rest of our Web site – or ask mom or dad to help you get more information. Because some spiders are dangerous, it’s important that all of your spider questions get answered!

Want to know more? Want to see great spider pictures? Click here.

Mosquitoes

If you’ve ever played outside in the summer, you’ve probably been stung by a mosquito. And surely you know that a mosquito bite itches like crazy and can be really annoying! But an itchy red bump isn’t the worst result of a mosquito bite – some mosquitoes can carry diseases that they inject into people when they sting. So if you’re going to be outside in a place where there are mosquitoes, it’s a good idea for you to wear some mosquito repellant so mosquitoes won’t want to sting you.

Find out more about mosquitoes and check out these cool pictures here.

Ticks

Have you ever had a tick stuck to your head? Have you ever seen your mom or dad pull a tick off of your dog or cat? If so, you know that ticks are pretty gross! And not only are ticks gross, they suck the blood of the animals and people they attach themselves to. If find a tick on your head or anywhere else on your body, or if you think you’ve found a tick on your dog or cat, tell one of your parents – don’t try to pull the tick off yourself!

Read more on keeping yourself safe from ticks.