Fever From Bee Stings

[The15thMember]

For the first time I got stung while working the hive today, once in the thumb and once in the middle finger, both on my right hand.  It swelled up like they normally do on me.  Tonight I was sitting watching TV and I started to feel sort of sick, so I checked my temperature and I have a 100 degree fever!  After doing some research, I read that fever is a symptom of a toxic reaction, i.e. it's normal after a person has received a dozen stings or more.  I was only stung twice.  What are your thoughts on this? 

[BeeMaster2]

Member,
Did you scrape the stingers off right away or did it take a while before you were able to remove them?
Another factor could be that you squeezed venom in when you tried to remove the stingers.
Jim

[The15thMember]

Member,
Did you scrape the stingers off right away or did it take a while before you were able to remove them?
Another factor could be that you squeezed venom in when you tried to remove the stingers.
Jim

I got them out pretty quick.  I wear nitrile gloves, so I just took my glove off both times, and it took the stinger with it.  For the first sting I did sorta try to scrape the stinger off with my hive tool first, so it's possible that I accidentally squeezed that one in.  I also got meat tenderizer on both stings within like 2 minutes or so.  The stings were maybe 10 minutes apart.  The first sting is on the pad of my thumb, the 2nd one on the right side of the middle knuckle of my middle finger.  My temperature is now 102, I took some Benadryl mostly for the swelling in my hand, and some Ibuprofen for the fever.  I was going to try to ride the fever out, since it is my body's reaction to try to and metabolize the toxin, but at 102 I don't feel good about it potentially getting any higher.     

[BeeMaster2]

Removing your glove and using your hive tool are the best ways to remove the stingers.
I recommend, per my pharmacist, using both hydrocortisone and Benadryl creams on the stings. She said that they do different things to control swelling and itching. I think they helped eliminate my body not react to stings.
Jim

[paus]

I got 9 mil gloves at Harbor Freight and got stung on a regular basis although this is better than bare handed, which I like.  I bought 12 mil gloves from Amazon and have only been stung through the gloves one time.  I wash them and reuse them, I also powder my hand so they go on easier and have seen no difference in the bees trying to sting the gloves.

[The15thMember]

My fever broke during the night, so I was only running a temperature for about 5 hours.  Now I'm just back to my normal symptoms of swelling and itching. 

Removing your glove and using your hive tool are the best ways to remove the stingers.
I recommend, per my pharmacist, using both hydrocortisone and Benadryl creams on the stings. She said that they do different things to control swelling and itching. I think they helped eliminate my body not react to stings.
Jim

Thanks for the advice, Jim.  I don't have any Benadryl cream, but I did take some more orally this morning (well actually it was around noon, I sleep really late on Sundays).  I have ice on my hand right now, which seems to be helping with the swelling, and I'll probably put some hydrocortisone on it later. 

I got 9 mil gloves at Harbor Freight and got stung on a regular basis although this is better than bare handed, which I like.  I bought 12 mil gloves from Amazon and have only been stung through the gloves one time.  I wash them and reuse them, I also powder my hand so they go on easier and have seen no difference in the bees trying to sting the gloves.

Thanks paus.  I'm not sure of the thickness of the gloves I have, they don't appear to be labeled.  I just got them at Lowes, so I doubt they are very heavy duty.  If it seems like this severe of a reaction is going to be a consistent thing for me, I will definitely have to get some thicker gloves. 

My concern is that I had a toxic reaction after only getting stung twice, when it usually takes 10+ stings to cause this type of reaction.  It makes me concerned that I could develop an allergic reaction, since my body seems to be overreacting to the venom.  Do any of you guys get a fever or other symptoms of a toxic reaction (fever, chills, nausea, dizziness, headache, vertigo) regularly?   

[beepro]

This issue only apply to you because I got stung twice on the same left hand and not
have a fever issue.   Need to know that everybody's reaction is different.

If the fever lingers on for more than 3 days or escalated I recommend you to see a doctor right away.  I'm sure they have something to control your fever.  Too high a fever is not good for your brains.


Even with one sting my redness only lasted 3 days.  I also put on the neosporin + pain relief to stop the pain and swelling.   Hope you feel better. 
I recommend that you wear a full suit when close to the bee yard from now on.   A vented 3-ply suit will be fine because the 2-ply one they can still
sting through.   Also, don't wear the other nitrile gloves that cannot handle the bee sting even the 7 or 9 mil does not work.   So far the only nitrile that
work is the heavy-duty black 9 mil venom steel industrial gloves which is 70% thicker.  I saw a bee trying to sting my hand but cannot get its stinger in with
this glove.   No issue so far!

[LizzieBee]

A couple weeks ago I also got stung on my right middle finger. two or three days later it started to swell up.

Lizzie

[cao]

For the first time I got stung while working the hive today, once in the thumb and once in the middle finger, both on my right hand.  It swelled up like they normally do on me.  Tonight I was sitting watching TV and I started to feel sort of sick, so I checked my temperature and I have a 100 degree fever!  After doing some research, I read that fever is a symptom of a toxic reaction, i.e. it's normal after a person has received a dozen stings or more.  I was only stung twice.  What are your thoughts on this? 

When I first started keeping bees, I had swelling that would last for several days.  Now even if it is a bad sting, any swelling is usually gone within a day.  They only thing I put on stings is the juice from plaintain leaves(stops the pain and I believe it neutralizes some of the toxins.  The most that I've been stung in one day has been 4 or 5.  No fever, just a little swelling.  Every sting is different and your body may react differently to the sting depending on your health at the time.  If you are concerned I would recommend talking to your doctor. 

[The15thMember]

This issue only apply to you because I got stung twice on the same left hand and not
have a fever issue.   Need to know that everybody's reaction is different.

If the fever lingers on for more than 3 days or escalated I recommend you to see a doctor right away.  I'm sure they have something to control your fever.  Too high a fever is not good for your brains.


Even with one sting my redness only lasted 3 days.  I also put on the neosporin + pain relief to stop the pain and swelling.   Hope you feel better. 
I recommend that you wear a full suit when close to the bee yard from now on.   A vented 3-ply suit will be fine because the 2-ply one they can still
sting through.   Also, don't wear the other nitrile gloves that cannot handle the bee sting even the 7 or 9 mil does not work.   So far the only nitrile that
work is the heavy-duty black 9 mil venom steel industrial gloves which is 70% thicker.  I saw a bee trying to sting my hand but cannot get its stinger in with
this glove.   No issue so far!

My fever actually only lasted for 5 hours, as I mentioned.  I do know that everyone's reaction is different, I'd just like to know if anyone else happened to experience this sort of thing to see if I could get a gage on the likelihood of it getting worse, better, or staying the same.  I must admit I'm a little befuddled at your glove recommendation because I was literally wearing the exact gloves you recommend when I got stung yesterday!     They are in a black package with a red widow-type spider logo, right? 

When I first started keeping bees, I had swelling that would last for several days.  Now even if it is a bad sting, any swelling is usually gone within a day.  They only thing I put on stings is the juice from plaintain leaves(stops the pain and I believe it neutralizes some of the toxins.  The most that I've been stung in one day has been 4 or 5.  No fever, just a little swelling.  Every sting is different and your body may react differently to the sting depending on your health at the time.  If you are concerned I would recommend talking to your doctor. 

Thanks for the advice, cao.  When you say plantain leaves, do you mean plantain like the fruit that looks like a banana, or the weed broadleaf plantain?  How do you apply it, do you just crush it up?  Maybe I'll try that the next time I get stung and see if my reaction is better.   

[cao]

>When you say plantain leaves, do you mean plantain like the fruit that looks like a banana, or the weed broadleaf plantain?  How do you apply it, do you just crush it up?

The weed that grows in your yard.  There are two varieties, one with broad leaves and one with narrow leaves,  I typically use the narrow leaf on.  I just roll or crush the leaves between my fingers and spread the liquid on the bee sting.

[Michael Bush]

Not all stings are created equal.  Not all people have the same reactions either.

[Hops Brewster]

Most stings don't give me a fever.  A couple times it has resulted in a mild fever.  All sorts of different reasons for reactions.  Bacterial infections are also possible with bee stings, so it is certainly not surprising to get a mild fever like 100F with a sting or 2.

[The15thMember]

Most stings don't give me a fever.  A couple times it has resulted in a mild fever.  All sorts of different reasons for reactions.  Bacterial infections are also possible with bee stings, so it is certainly not surprising to get a mild fever like 100F with a sting or 2.

Thanks for the reply, Hops.  This is the sort of thing I was hoping someone would say, just that it happened to someone else and didn't herald anaphylaxis or anything.   Uniqueness in medical areas is always sort of freaky since there is no precedent.  Just out of curiosity, when you mention bacterial infection, do you mean due to bacteria entering the body through the sting site, or do you mean contracting something bacterial from the bee?         

[beepro]

Yes, the black widow spider gloves.    I have no issue using them.  Maybe next time
double up or use the real sheep hide gloves.

[Hops Brewster]

Most stings don't give me a fever.  A couple times it has resulted in a mild fever.  All sorts of different reasons for reactions.  Bacterial infections are also possible with bee stings, so it is certainly not surprising to get a mild fever like 100F with a sting or 2.

Thanks for the reply, Hops.  This is the sort of thing I was hoping someone would say, just that it happened to someone else and didn't herald anaphylaxis or anything.   Uniqueness in medical areas is always sort of freaky since there is no precedent.  Just out of curiosity, when you mention bacterial infection, do you mean due to bacteria entering the body through the sting site, or do you mean contracting something bacterial from the bee?         

Just some bacteria or another entering at the sting site.  Might be bacteria on your own skin or on the bee.  Some people use hand sanitizer on the sting site to help reduce effects of the sting.  I imagine it might help with the infection, but I'm not a doctor of any variety.

[paus]

Does anyone have experience with using hand sanitizer and working bare handed?

[Kathyp]

The other thing to think about is that it might not have been the stings.  Were you working out in the heat and dehydrated?  Did you have any other symptoms that might have been an indication of crud, or even having eaten spoiled some food?

You might keep some liquid Benadryl around and take a swig when you get stung.  It is the kid dose so you can just take a gulp and not worry about ODing.  I get mine at the dollar store when they have it   

[The15thMember]

Just some bacteria or another entering at the sting site.  Might be bacteria on your own skin or on the bee.  Some people use hand sanitizer on the sting site to help reduce effects of the sting.  I imagine it might help with the infection, but I'm not a doctor of any variety.

That sounds like a good precautionary measure.  It certainly couldn't hurt to just put some hand sanitizer on it before meat tenderizer or plantain or whatever. 

The other thing to think about is that it might not have been the stings.  Were you working out in the heat and dehydrated?  Did you have any other symptoms that might have been an indication of crud, or even having eaten spoiled some food?

You might keep some liquid Benadryl around and take a swig when you get stung.  It is the kid dose so you can just take a gulp and not worry about ODing.  I get mine at the dollar store when they have it   

Ah, the treasures to be had at the dollar store.     I'll have to see if they carry that at my dollar store.  My mom kept asking me the same thing, "Are you sure you aren't just getting sick?"  But it seems highly coincidental that I had an over 100 degree fever that lasted only a few hours right after the only time I've been stung multiple times, and I had no symptoms other than that.  The other thing that makes me pretty sure that it was the stings is that normally when I have a fever I just feel exhausted, like I just have no energy, usually I don't even want to sit up.  But I was at 102 degrees and other than being really cold, feeling achy if I got up, and my eyeballs feeling hot, I felt completely normal!  I just didn't feel sick, I only felt feverish.  As far as being hot and dehydrated, I find it unlikely.  I was working the hives in the morning to avoid the excessive afternoon heat, and I drink a LOT of water.  I literally always have my 32 oz. CamelBak water bottle within reach.  And in my Mom's kitchen, spoiled food would be about as foreign as finding a . . . I'm looking for some clever Southern simile, but not being a native Carolinian nothing comes to mind, so let's just say, it would be impossible.             

[jimineycricket]

I formally used black nitrile gloves but I thought the bees did not like them.  Now I use Blue latex gloves that I bought at Norco Supply. Was told they are used by undertakers. They have longer sleeves (extended cuff). I can wear them two or three times before they tear. I just wear them to keep my hands clean.