BEES are responsible for the most venomous bite and sting hospitalisations, ahead of poisonous snakes and spiders.
According to a new report released yesterday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than 3500 Australians were hospitalised due to contact with a venomous animal or plant in 2017-18.
Of these, 927 cases were caused by a bee sting.
'The majority of hospitalisations for bee stings were due to allergic reactions, with bees and wasps responsible for 12 of the 19 deaths related to venomous bites and stings in 2017-18,' said Professor James Harrison from the National Injury Surveillance Unit.
Jimboomba beekeepers and owners of Bee All Natural Jason and Natasha Roebig are passionate about helping local beekeepers produce honey in a sustainable manner.
Mr Roebig said it was a growing hobby and more and more people were keeping hives in their backyards.
According to the AIHW report, spider bites accounted for 19 per cent of all venomous bite and sting related hospitalisations.
Of those 666 cases, redback spiders were responsible for cases of hospitalisations, followed by white-tailed spiders (38 cases), and funnel web spiders (25 cases).
The type of spider was unknown in just 300 cases.
Venomous snakes were chiefly responsible for 606 cases of hospitalisations with the type of snake unknown in around 208 cases.
Brown snakes accounted for 215 cases of hospitalisations due to venomous snake bites, followed by black snakes (83 cases) and tiger snakes (65 cases). Of the 19 deaths recorded in 2017-18, seven were attributed to venomous snakes.
'Alongside land-dwelling animals, Australia also has some of the world's most venomous marine animals, including the Irukandji jellyfish,' said Professor Harrison.
Contact with venomous marine animals accounted for just under 400 hospitalisations and no deaths, with stinging fish (including stonefish and stingrays) responsible for 320 hospital admissions, followed by jellyfish with 73 cases.
The rate of hospitalisations for all venomous bites and stings varied by states and territories across Australia. The highest rate occurred in the Northern Territory and the lowest in the Australian Capital Territory.
