Is My Wasp Sting Infected?

Can a bee sting neutralize a wasp sting?

• Let's say you get stung by a wasp, and then a bee stings you in the exact same spot. Could it neutralize the sting from the wasp, since one is acid and one is alkali? Sorry for ...show more

• Answer:

  That would have to be some fast stinging. While it is true that bee venom is acidic, and wasp venom is alkaline, the venom of both is pretty quickly distributed in skin tissues. You would still get pain, I think, and the two venoms would have a hard time interacting. Besides, wasps seldom sting just once. Unlike the bee, they can sting again and again and again. They are also bigger, and tend to carry more venom, so it might be a trick to get exact amounts of each one necessary to completely neutralize. I also think you'd be in enough discomfort with just one, that the prospect of experimenting with the second in an attempt to counteract the first would not be attractive at all. It's hard to find bees and wasps in the same location as well- they just aren't particularly good neighbors to one another. Wasps tend to kill bees.