Hi All,

Two days ago, while playing outside, my 3 year old niece was stung by a wasp (her second sting in two days).  She was screaming in pain.  I grabbed my pruners and cut the tip off one of my fig trees and applied the milky sap to the sting.  The screaming stopped within 5 seconds.  No welt formed at the site at the sting (she still had a welt from the day before) and there was not another peep out of her until yesterday when she showed me her leg and said "look Uncle James, it worked." 

Today, a friend of mine was complaining about itching mosquito bites.  I tried the same remedy on the bites and was told a few minutes later the itching had stopped.  Afterward, I broke out the wasp and hornet spray and killed all the nests around the house, including the one under the slide from which both of my niece's stings came from.  So it might be a while before I get to test this again, but if anyone else gets a sting from a wasp, bee or spider, try it out to see if it works for you.

~james

hmmm, good tip!!! Thanks, I'll try that.

Hi, James! Hope all is well in Houston.  It makes sense that fig sap (which contains the proteolytic substance ficin) could be effective against bee or wasp stings if applied quickly enough, as bee and wasp venom is a complex mixture of proteins, enzymes and amino acids. If the ficin deactivates many of these components, then the symptoms of the sting should be greatly decreased. If I used this remedy, though, it would be a matter of choosing between the symptoms of the sting and the intense itching, welts and sores that fig sap causes on my skin. I minimize the symptoms by using gloves and long sleeves when picking figs.

Hi Joe,

It's good to hear from you.  Thanks for the info on ficin. 

I remembered in my teenage years when we would get stung by jelly fish at the beach, the lifegaurds would put Adolf's meat tenderizer on the sting.  So I thought I'd try the fig sap on it.  I know many people are sensitive to the sap, although I've never had an issue with it.  As it turned out, after the last time Cameron and I visited, he had sores in his mouth from eating not quite ripe figs.

I'm spending most of my time in Granger battling grasshoppers.  I tried to send you an email a couple of months ago, but didn't know if it went through.  Let me know if  you have time this summer to get together.

James & Joe  ---  thanks for the good info.
Definitely will come to good use. The mosquito season here is just starting and its over by late July. It would be a perfect remedy for my bro who lives in the equatorial zone where mosquitos are prevalent.

I'll give it a try. I've also heard of fig sap being used as a treatment for warts, but don't know if it works.

You might need to be careful as some people are allergic to fig sap/latex and can experience anything from itch to rash to full on 2nd degree burns and blistering.

Hi James,

I will have to try the sap next time the fire ants get me and see what happens.  That's interesting.

Bad as they may be, those large, colorful grasshoppers are works of art.  I've seen huge hoppers here, in LA.  Mike talks about having run over lots of them when they are all over the roads South of here.

I imagine they could give you a nasty bite, at the size they are.  When I was little, I was heartbroken when a hopper bit me.

Vivian

James,

You are welcome anytime - just send us an e-mail or give us a call to be sure we are in town.

Joe

BUMP,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

We are deep in the growing season and biting insects of all kinds are everywhere.

Some can produce a powerful punch, I know. I had one thrown at me. LOL

I am bumping this a useful tool but this method is not for everyone.
Some of you may be allergic to fruit latex. Be educated and be cautious.

Yikes!

I fear I might be one of the allergic ones.  Yesterday, while touching those fig suckers with my bare arms (I had gloves on), my arms started really itching from coming in contact with the many fig suckers.  I was trying to part them to see if they were coming from the ground, or from on top of a root.  There was tons of lantana under the tree, and that could have also been the problem.

Might be allergic to that too.  I do get allergy shots because I am allergic to all kinds of pollens, grasses and molds.  I'll pass your tips on to my friends, but I might be afraid to use it.  I have pinched many figs with my bare fingers and gotten latex on them with no bad issues, so maybe it was the Lantana flowers.

I love these home remedies!
Suzi

I grow Aloe barbadensis aka Aloe vera, that works for most bug bites/stings and of course sunburn or other burns. I highly recommend everyone grow a pot. It's usually available in the big box stores and easy to grow. Just cut open a leaf and squeeze the liquid gel inside onto the afflicted area.   

Fig sap works on warts...and get some chickens for those grasshoppers. Pest control and unbelievable entertainment.

Last year after James posted about using fig sap for bites and stings my grand daughter came in from the yard with a bunch of mosquito bites. I went to one of my trees and broke a leaf. I then applied the sap to the bites. A few minutes later she had stopped itching and although usually she ends up with large welts, this time none developed. The next day she had got bitten again and came find me to go get some fig leaves. It worked again. Thanks for the info James.
"gene"

Twenty or thirty years ago I read that if you crush three different pulpy weeds and apply the mush to stings it would help. I have used that sucessfully.