Humble Bee Named Among Australia's DEADLIEST Animals

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Bee afraid. 

An Australian study has revealed the humble buzzy bee is among the country's most lethal animals. 

The analysis of 13 years' data on bites and stings from venomous creatures found it is actually bees, wasps and hornets - not snakes, sharks, spiders and jellyfish - that pose the biggest threat to our health. 


Between 2000 and 2013, 27 people were killed after being stung by a bee, wasp or hornet. The same amount of people were also killed from a snake bite. 

The insects caused twice the amount of hospitalisations, 12,351 over the 13-year period. 

Public health expert at the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Unit, Dr Ronelle Welton, said she was pretty surprised by the findings. 

"Perhaps it's because bees are so innocuous that most people don't really fear them in the same way they fear snakes," she said. 

Researchers reckon one of the reasons anaphylaxis from insect bites and stings have proved so deadly, may be because people usually aren't in a rush to seek medical attention, despite the condition having the potential to kill very quickly.

Written by: @amydrewsnews

16 January 2017




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