Got my first sting.

[yes2matt]

Congrats on your 1st (non-eventful sting)! I used to stress out about excessive stings when I first started doing bee removals ("is it too much venom or do I have heat exhaustion...oh nevermind, it's both!" 

Did 2 jobs on Fri/Sat and took a total of 14 stings. Didn't suit up; just wore a t-shirt, long pants and baseball cap w/Alexander veil (was working in the sun...90 degrees and humid...both long jobs; wearing a jacket would have been no fun). Even took one to the front of the neck. After being stung so many times it doesn't even phase me anymore, and I hardly react now.

 Just work smoothly and gently, and when you have a mean hive, suit up! Try to smoke your gloves too. I usually smoke myself before I start inspections or a removal.

I guess if you asked me, would I prefer 6-8 hours in a jacket, blazing heat and humidity in close quarters, or to be stung 14 times, I would choose the heat. But that just shows ya how people are different.  :)

[cao]

The trick to not getter my stung on the hands is to smoke your hands up real good.

Also to look where your grabbing and not rush things.  I've gotten a couple of stings on my fingertips because of that.

[PhilK]

PhilK how long have you been keeping bees?

Only since November 2015. Last time I got stung by a bee was probably 2004 then I got two stings basically on the knuckles within two days! I assume this is why I swelled up really bad. I also get a decent swelling with green ant stings sometimes so maybe it's just the reaction I'll always get - hopefully not a precursor to anything worse!

[Dallasbeek]

Green ants?  You guys down under have all kinds of unusual critters, don't you? 

[BeeMaster2]

PhilK how long have you been keeping bees?

Only since November 2015. Last time I got stung by a bee was probably 2004 then I got two stings basically on the knuckles within two days! I assume this is why I swelled up really bad. I also get a decent swelling with green ant stings sometimes so maybe it's just the reaction I'll always get - hopefully not a precursor to anything worse!

Swelling on the first sting is actually a good sign. Sometimes people do not react the first time because the body does not know how to react and then have severe attacks on the second sting.
Jim

[bwallace23350]

Swelling on the first sting is actually a good sign. Sometimes people do not react the first time because the body does not know how to react and then have severe attacks on the second sting.
Jim

This is depressing because I had no reaction what so ever.  I do get some swelling from wasp stings though

[Dallasbeek]

Okay, but you didn't really get stung.  The stinger barb wasn't under your skin and the stinger wasn't pumping venom into you.  I've been stung through gloves and could feel it, but it was definitely different from when I've had to scrape the stinger out.

[yes2matt]

Thought I'd revive an oldish thread to complain that I just took a sting on the inside of my left nostril. And. I thought I had scraped it out but I hadn't. So I'm pretty snotty and teary, and expecting to look funny in a few minutes.

Pollen was coming in, though, so there's probably some broodrearing going on. All good!

[BeeMaster2]

The worst part of getting stung in the nose is having to ask you buddy to pick it out. 
Jim

[bwallace23350]

Ha. I fixed my bee suit problem and got an ultra breeze. Now I am cool and have on a suit. Win win for me.

[220]

Only got my first bees 6 weeks ago, have been stung a few times over the years but hadn't had one for 5-6 years.
When I went to pick up my second hive the weather was far from ideal, overcast and very windy, we walked over to the yard to see how co-operative the bees would be when we started opening hives and without even a warning head butt I got hit between the eyes while standing 10y off to the side.
Very little pain or even itching had a small lump that looked like a mozzie bit for a couple of days.
Did a cut out on a tree yesterday, quite warm and my gloves were soaked with sweat, felt 2 stings through the gloves when I managed to crush bees trying to remove pieces of tree. Middle finger must have copped about 3 as it is itchy this morning in a few places and very minor swelling, the other finger I know copped a sting just has a minor itch.
Wife received a sting just above the eye Christmas eve, not to painful and no obvious immediate response, woke up Christmas day and her eye was swollen, completely closed, stayed like that for 36hrs.
Have had a few stings from the large red bull ants we have locally the past few months. Very intense pain and I come up with a large red welt at least 2" around the bite. They are the most painful sting Ive had and we have plenty of bitty things in Aus most of which have had a chew on me at some stage.
If I was to rate the red bull ant sting as a 10 then a green ant would be about 5/6 and a bee 2 or 3 at most.

[bwallace23350]

Glad we don't have ants like that. My aunt has a niece though who is deathly allergic to fire ant bites though. First and only person I know of who is allergic to that but then again I heard of a person telling us about someone who was severely allergic to bananas.