Bee Stings
Every bee sting results in a reaction in some form or another such as pain, swelling, redness, itchiness. The reaction may last for a few minutes or a few days.
For most people a bee sting is usually a minor problem. It hurts or itches for a little bit, but there are no major effects.
In most cases the human body over time develops antibodies; the first stings might cause swelling and an unpleasant reaction, the effect of a sting months or years later is hardly felt.
However, caution has to be taken as a small percentage (approximately 5%) of people are very sensitive to bee stings and may even develop a life-threatening allergic reaction anaphylaxis
Prompt emergency care may save their life.
See details under "Bites and stings" on the
How to remove a bee sting
When getting stung by a bee, the sting remains in your skin as the bee is unable to pull the sting out of the human skin.
Trying to retract the sting with all force the bee manages to pull her body apart, destined to die, leaving behind the sting with the venom sack attached.
Even without the bee the venom sack muscle keeps on pumping venom into your skin, therefore:
- Remove the sting by scraping it out with your fingernails or a blunt knife.
- It does not matter how you remove the sting, important is to remove it as quick as possible.
Minimising the effects of a Bee Sting
When you have been stung by a bee you can take measures to minimise the effect:
- Cool the sting area with ice or cold water.
- Apply a soothing anti-itch cream.
- Seek medical advice if stung in a sensitive area, especially if you have not been stung for a while.
Destroying bees because they sting?
We don't eradicate peanuts because some people are allergic to them. We don't even think about destroying cars because of their potential danger. So, why would we want to exterminate bees?
We cannot afford to destroy bees as the survival of our ecosystem and ourselves depends on them.
We are not suggesting to give bees free range in residential areas and let them nest in house walls, meter boxes or compost bins. By housing them in proper beehives we have control over their location and can relocate them, should this be necessary.
We can live in harmony with nature, including bees able to sting.
We also do not support the idea to remove bees by exterminating them as first choice. When bees become a problem, relocating them should be the solution by default. It is inspiring to notice the increasing number of people who do the right thing and have bees relocated rather than exterminated.
Bee sting reaction in my 1st year of beekeeping
nowadays I hardly feel a sting and after two minutes it's gone