Author Topic: bee stings (Read 3390 times)

hannabee · « **on:** May 13, 2019, 03:34:51 pm »

Hi all, I live in an area in which I am outside often, and I choose to be barefoot. Both for my work and normal activities, I have times when I get bee stings on my feet. I would say I get around 4-13 bee stings on my feet per year. But the last three stings I have received have swelled much more than the previous stings. Is this because of improper removal of the stinger? or another reason. I know I could google this but I trust you all more to know because you work with bees constantly. (AS A SIDE NOTE, I AM FINALLY GETTING SOME BEES IN MY BEE HOUSE I SET UP WOO HOO)

The15thMember · « **Reply #1 on:** May 13, 2019, 04:54:21 pm »

The best way to remove a stinger is to scrap it off the skin, using your fingernail or a credit card or something like that. If you pinch the stinger and pull it straight out, like with a tweezers, there is a good chance you'll pinch the venom sack and squeeze all the venom in, which can give you a more severe reaction. Also know that some stings will be worse than others for any number of reasons, your body's chemistry, the bee's body's chemistry, the amount of venom that got pumped in, the location of the sting, and any number of other factors. Even severe localized swelling is considered a normal reaction to a bee sting. Only reactions away from the sting sight, like all-over hives, swelling elsewhere on the body (like anaphylaxis), etc. are considered to be true allergic reactions.

saltybluegrass · « **Reply #2 on:** May 13, 2019, 05:00:41 pm »

Ground wasps-or honey bees?
They say your allergies change in your life a different times.
Also, if I could add tequila to a jug of bee stings, I?d make a million dollars in margherrita sales. Tropic tastes in those bums

The15thMember · « **Reply #3 on:** May 13, 2019, 05:11:37 pm »

Quote from: saltybluegrass on May 13, 2019, 05:00:41 pm

Ground wasps-or honey bees?

Hey, that?s a good point, salty. Hanna, are you sure you are being stung by honey bees? Because the majority of stings are actually from wasps, because, like salty mentioned, wasps (especially yellow jackets) live in the ground.

iddee · « **Reply #4 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:01:12 pm »

If she is removing the stinger, it is honeybees. Wasps and YJ's don't leave a stinger.

ed/La. · « **Reply #5 on:** May 13, 2019, 10:38:27 pm »

I often don't wear bee protection because of the heat and hood affects my vision and it is a pain. For a hot hive I suit up . I will take a few stings for not having to suit up but there is a limit. It is a personal choice. I do chose to wear foot protection. There is bees everywhere working the clover not to mention fire ants and snakes.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #6 on:** May 13, 2019, 10:51:45 pm »

Good point iddee. Hannah, last year while doing my first cut out, I was stung 5-7 times on my hands. After a couple hours of work, my eyes started watering, swelled up around them, and eyes were blood shot red. The lady of the home that I was working on was a RN and had Benadryl which I gladly took. I was concerned because I was having a great time working with the bees. I was afraid that I would be severely allergic and have to give it up! She also had an EpiPen which I did not use. I finished the cut out and talked about stings here. Jim and others suggested different things. I used Zantac, Benadryl, and Hydra Cortizone cream, the next few times after the cut out incident. Which seemed to help. The symptoms of the first cutout has never happened again. Looking back I wonder if I might have had poison from the stings on my hands and possibly rubbed my eyes. Now I get stung very regularly. At first it may show a welp, and a little swelling but that?s about it. I suppose I?m getting used to it. I was stung today three or four times. Unless I really think about it I can not pinpoint the spots. I no longer use anything for pain or swelling. I hope you are not devolving an allergic reaction. It would not be a bad idea, that when you start with your own bees, to keep Benadryl and the other mentioned items on hand. If the symptoms continue to get worse you may want to go to a doctor? There are others here who will know more about this subject than I do. I would listen closely to them . Best to you,
Phillip

hannabee · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2019, 01:54:44 am »

I usually get stung while walking across my schools field to my car. there are small white flowers (weeds maybe?) of which bees in the area love, and I don't always watch where I step. I don't think that these are wasps because each time I have removed a stinger, usually with my student ID. There was one time though in which I fell and the stinger got lodged into my foot, my foot swelled and remained wicked itchy and swelled for about a week.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2019, 06:31:14 am »

Hanna,
Carry Benadryl cream and Hydro Cortisone with you in your purse. Put a little or both of them on the sting every time until you stop reacting to the stings.
It is important to remove the sting as soon as possible.
I did an overhead cut out several weeks ago where I received about 25 stings to the hands arm and face. I removed them all right away and had no swelling. This past week during a floor cut out, I took several to my hands from crushing bees while lifting the comb out of the hole. I could not remove 2 of them right away with the comb still in my hand and it ended up swelling up for about a half hour. How long the stinger stays in makes a difference.
Jim Altmiller

Hops Brewster · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2019, 11:51:09 am »

Quote from: hannabee on May 14, 2019, 01:54:44 am

I usually get stung while walking across my schools field to my car. there are small white flowers (weeds maybe?) of which bees in the area love, and I don't always watch where I step. I don't think that these are wasps because each time I have removed a stinger, usually with my student ID. There was one time though in which I fell and the stinger got lodged into my foot, my foot swelled and remained wicked itchy and swelled for about a week.

Describe the small white flowers. Do you know what clover looks like? Bees love it.
Also possibly bindweed. If it's on a tough string ground vine, it's bindweed.

saltybluegrass · « **Reply #10 on:** May 14, 2019, 02:24:35 pm »

I?m serious.
What?s everyone?s thought on tasting the barb and abdomen?
I find it very enjoying

FloridaGardener · « **Reply #11 on:** May 14, 2019, 04:07:36 pm »

Salty, you should book a lunch date with my buddy Sal here, who waits in the apiary for yummy bee tummies.

van from Arkansas · « **Reply #12 on:** May 14, 2019, 05:53:03 pm »

. June, 2017, my right hand. If you think the hand look bad, you should have seen my foot, same day. I had to walk with crutches.

History: received stings from numerous bees, wasp, and 4 scorpions, 1 jelly fish, 2-3 asp, 1 caterpillar starting 1960. Little to no reaction: mild redness, slight pain and in 45 minutes the sting site looked and felt normal. Then 57 years later and whammy: insane reaction out of the blue, massive swelling, non stop itch, painful with redness lasted days.

Next year 2018, bee stings have little to no reaction. Same in 2019, received a sting on finger tip, 45 minutes later and all is normal. Also received a sting on my ankle a couple of weeks ago and again in 45 minutes, all normal, can?t even tell which foot I was stung I on.

So what happened in 2017??? I have no answer. According to the books I studied on immunology what I experienced was impossible so to speak. The book teach: I was supposed to react more violently with each sting after my reactions in 2017.

I should add the jelly fish was so much pain I almost went into shock, but healed good.

CoolBees · « **Reply #13 on:** May 14, 2019, 06:05:41 pm »

Crazy stuff Van. It could be that your body was already reacting to something [that you didn't know about] in 2017, causing an additional reaction, and that "something" has since cleared your system. ... just a thought. Our bodies are amazing.

van from Arkansas · « **Reply #14 on:** May 14, 2019, 06:22:18 pm »

Quote from: saltybluegrass on May 14, 2019, 02:24:35 pm

I?m serious.
What?s everyone?s thought on tasting the barb and abdomen?
I find it very enjoying

Salty, I do not know if the stinger shaft is digestible protein? If the shaft is protein such as hair then digestion is highly unlikely. If protein, such as meat, then by all means help yourself. If you have ever had the unpleasant experience of viewing coyote or fox dropping then you realize hair just passes right thru the digestive track. Hair is not a digestive protein.

OK now that we have discussed the unknown matter of digestion, consider how do you explain to the emergency room doc that you have a bee stinger stuck in the last place you want after bathroom duty.
Just ponder on that one.

paus · « **Reply #15 on:** May 14, 2019, 06:51:25 pm »

Our Bee Club meeting speaker last night May 13 2019 was an allergist. The Dr. was very interesting and informative. I would recommend that all Clubs try to get an allergist specialist to speak at your club meeting.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #16 on:** May 14, 2019, 07:05:30 pm »

I say go for it salt. Do us a favor and have your camera ready. If your tongue looks anything like Mr. Vans hand that is something new beekeepers need to see!

van from Arkansas · « **Reply #17 on:** May 14, 2019, 09:09:16 pm »

Quote from: Ben Framed on May 14, 2019, 07:05:30 pm

I say go for it salt. Do us a favor and have your camera ready. If your tongue looks anything like Mr. Vans hand that is something new beekeepers need to see!

Mr. Ben, that is hilarious.

billdean · « **Reply #18 on:** May 14, 2019, 10:34:11 pm »

Quote from: van from Arkansas on May 14, 2019, 05:53:03 pm

. June, 2017, my right hand. If you think the hand look bad, you should have seen my foot, same day. I had to walk with crutches.

History: received stings from numerous bees, wasp, and 4 scorpions, 1 jelly fish, 2-3 asp, 1 caterpillar starting 1960. Little to no reaction: mild redness, slight pain and in 45 minutes the sting site looked and felt normal. Then 57 years later and whammy: insane reaction out of the blue, massive swelling, non stop itch, painful with redness lasted days.

Next year 2018, bee stings have little to no reaction. Same in 2019, received a sting on finger tip, 45 minutes later and all is normal. Also received a sting on my ankle a couple of weeks ago and again in 45 minutes, all normal, can?t even tell which foot I was stung I on.

So what happened in 2017??? I have no answer. According to the books I studied on immunology what I experienced was impossible so to speak. The book teach: I was supposed to react more violently with each sting after my reactions in 2017.

I should add the jelly fish was so much pain I almost went into shock, but healed good.

And I thought mine looked bad!

saltybluegrass · « **Reply #19 on:** May 14, 2019, 10:48:32 pm »

Van,
I was a surfer and had a Portuguese man of war (long pink tassels?) wash through my wet suit from my neck and out my thigh. I was stung on my private?s, let my board go into the beach and laid out there wanting to die. Like a hot coat hanger!
That itching after a hand sting is relentless-

I?m just saying when I pull the little girls buttocks out of my skin, I sometimes eat them and have found them quite tasty

yes2matt · « **Reply #20 on:** May 15, 2019, 04:28:26 pm »

Quote from: van from Arkansas on May 14, 2019, 05:53:03 pm

. June, 2017, my right hand. If you think the hand look bad, you should have seen my foot, same day. I had to walk with crutches.

History: received stings from numerous bees, wasp, and 4 scorpions, 1 jelly fish, 2-3 asp, 1 caterpillar starting 1960. Little to no reaction: mild redness, slight pain and in 45 minutes the sting site looked and felt normal. Then 57 years later and whammy: insane reaction out of the blue, massive swelling, non stop itch, painful with redness lasted days.

Next year 2018, bee stings have little to no reaction. Same in 2019, received a sting on finger tip, 45 minutes later and all is normal. Also received a sting on my ankle a couple of weeks ago and again in 45 minutes, all normal, can?t even tell which foot I was stung I on.

So what happened in 2017??? I have no answer. According to the books I studied on immunology what I experienced was impossible so to speak. The book teach: I was supposed to react more violently with each sting after my reactions in 2017.

I should add the jelly fish was so much pain I almost went into shock, but healed good.

That looks like a rather severe sunburn on your hand. I wonder if there was an interaction between your body's reaction to the burn and to the sting. I know when I've been sunburnt to blister, I felt sick and drunk, because of whatever my skin was doing to protect/ repair. Maybe that condition is not compatible with bee venom.

2Sox · « **Reply #21 on:** May 15, 2019, 05:26:35 pm »

Get a prescription from you doctor for Clobetasol cream. It's a steroid on steroids! Runs circles around any topical you can buy. The sooner you apply it to the site after a sting, the better it works. I keep some in my pocket on every cutout and swarm call. It's generic and relatively inexpensive. A tube will last you a very long time.

van from Arkansas · « **Reply #22 on:** May 16, 2019, 07:33:12 pm »

Quote from: CoolBees on May 14, 2019, 06:05:41 pm

Crazy stuff Van. It could be that your body was already reacting to something [that you didn't know about] in 2017, causing an additional reaction, and that "something" has since cleared your system. ... just a thought. Our bodies are amazing.

Cool, agreed,,,as good an explanation as any. Anyway, my point was to offer hope incase another beek reacts out of the blue but subsequently recovers a year later as I did. For a beekeeper, a sudden violent reaction is very worrisome. I count my recovery as a Blessings.

hannabee · « **Reply #23 on:** May 17, 2019, 12:39:13 pm »

the worst sting (bite?) I have ever gotten was in Costa Rica on a service trip when I got stung by a hornet on my collarbone. I have gotten bitten/stung by many things in my life and I can say that was the worst.

As a side note, Have any of you had a reaction to the catatpiller of the brown tailed moth? My mom (as well as many of my siblings and friends) have had terrible reactions to the furs released by the bug and it caused a long lasting welt-like reaction. Yet when I asked my friend in medical school, they had not seen the bites before.