How to Treat a Bee Sting

Bees are important to the lives of humans. Although they are the only insects that make food consumed by humans, there is a downside to the everyday routine of the bee, their stings.

Getting stung by a bee can be a frightening, painful, and sometimes deadly experience. According to this website, "As of 2002 there have been approximately 382 fatal attacks worldwide by killer bees."

Bee stings are often etched into our memory until we are well into old age. Can you remember a time when you had the experience of the surprise, pain, and fright that came along with a horrid bee sting? More than likely, yes.

Avoiding Getting Stung

To avoid being stung by a bee you can take the following steps:

Limit use of fragrances, including hair spray, scented soaps, lotions, and oils.

If a bee approaches you, hold still and pretend like you are a statue.

Blow gently on the bee to encourage it to move away from you.

Treating A Sting

Since bee stings are so common, there are many ways to treat it. If you do happen to be stung by a bee, here are steps you can take to treat the sting.

Remove the stinger as soon as you are stung. Most likely, if the stinger is still in the affected area, it will look like a black dot.

Clean the sting and surrounding area with soap and water.

Apply ice. This will slow the body's allergic response to the bee sting.

Treat the sting with calamine lotion or a paste made by mixing baking soda with water.

For pain relief, take acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

If you are highly allergic to bee stings, or you experience severe pain or swelling after a sting, immediately seek medical attention.

Myths About Bees

Myth: After your first bee sting reaction, future bee stings double and triple in severity.
Fact: In many research studies, repeated stings over time actually have a lesser reaction not an increased one.

Myth: Elderly individuals are more susceptible to a severe reaction than middle-aged.
Fact: The older one gets, the body's histamine production is less. Subsequently, the allergic reaction is less. This is not to say that an anaphylactic reaction cannot occur, although it is rare.

Myth: Bees can see and sting in the dark.
Fact: This is partially true, bees can sting in the dark as a stimulus response reaction. However, they cannot see in the dark. If being chased by a swarm of bees during the day, you can decrease their intensity by running to a dark garage or a darkened area of a forest.

Myth: A severe anaphylactic reaction will usually occur in the first 5 to 10 minutes after being stung.
Fact: Most anaphylactic reactions do occur in the first 15 to 30 minutes. 60% occur in the first hour, and the remaining occur in the next 3 to 4 hours. If there is not a severe reaction in 5 hours, the chances are very good that one will not occur.

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