Another cautionary tale! Always wear your protective gear!

[Ceph]

Well after what I said earlier in this posting karma dealt me a blow!

Got a nasty sting on the ankle which ballooned up an resulted in mass anti-histamines and hydrocortisone cream.

Teach me to not be lazy and put my wellies on to stop the crawlers getting caught in my socks, totally my fault.

Worrying thing is I thought it was a drone at the time due to the quick look and size before smoking and continuing inspection. On second thoughts drones don't have a sting and my virgin queen is AWOL.

I wonder!!

Never had a reaction like that to a sting!

Does anyone know if drones bite??

 

[itchyhives]

Wont be your queen stinging you.

 

[Queens59]

My new bees were very anti today and ended up with 6 stings!! All over my thighs...end up stripping my jeans off in the car as they kept stinging. When I took my socks off there were another 2 trying to sting through them...arrgghh. I've just finished anti-biotics from my last sting (other bees, an my own fault), lets hope they help.

 

[Heather]

Don/t wear jeans- big mistake - especially if they are tight fitting!! Joggers over jeans are great

 

[Inkywillow]

Yep, I wore jeans a few weeks back and got a sting in each thigh for my trouble. I also got a bee inside my veil TWICE (0.5cm split in the mesh) the other day, luckily I got them before they got me that time!

 

[louiseww]

Hello all,

I've always been quite good about wearing my protective gear - I never open up my bees without my jacket, veil and gloves on.

I'll be honest, and say I don't really bother with the trousers - I tend to wear jeans, which seem to offer perfectly adequate protection.

I always used to be very good about wearing wellies too. Until recently.

My bees swarmed on Friday - around midday - when I got there, they had already settled in a tree. I put on the jacket (and trousers this time!), but no wellies - up the tree I went, caught the swarm, but got stung on my ankle.

I didn't think too much of it - it bloomin' hurt, but the symptoms went away after 15 minutes or so, as is usual with me.

However, the following evening - a good 24-36hrs later, my ankle began to go red... then purple, then swell.

It continued to swell, and get progressively more painful as the days went by - until I gave in, and went to A+E yesterday morning.
I was kept in overnight and most of today, on a course of IV antibiotics, to clear up what had become cellulitis (pretty much just an infection).
I now have a selection of antibiotics I have to take for the next week - but hey, at least I can walk again... kind of

Not directly related to the sting - but I can assure you, I won't be going near the bees again without my wellies on!

Just thought I would share!

In parts of the body where there are surface veins the sting can be far more painful and create more problems - hope you are feeling better soon.
Best
Louise

 

[malawi2854]

Thanks Louise - it's all pretty much back to normal now. Finished the antibiotics yesterday. It looks normal, and almost feels normal - just feels like I've pulled a muscle now - which I may well have done, into the bargain.

Hoorah!

I will certainly ALWAYS be wearing wellies in future!!!

 

[Teemore]

Wont be your queen stinging you.

I know of two people who have been stung by honeybee Queens - one of them is a Bee inspector.

 

[Alabamaeee]

A friend use a homeopathic remedy for bee stings, you may want to give it a try.
It is called Apis Mel and is available in tablet or liquid form, but I think the liquid form is only available from a homeopath. The 30c concentration is the type she uses.

On receiving a sting you place a tablet under the tongue which diperses the ingredients rapidly. She then takes one tablet every 10 mins for the first hour, and it seems to work for her, as the swelling reduces quite quickly.

If interested Google "Veleda Apis Mel 30C"

I have not tried it out but if you do use it be sensible and try a small dosage first or visit a homeopath

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Quite agree - I wear my jeans, tucked into my wellies, and have never seen a bee even look remotely interested in walking down there!

If you really felt like it, you could tuck your jeans/trousers into your socks too - that way, the worst they could do would be to get to your feet... but as Silly Bee says, they do tend to walk up!

Don't agree.

I have had plenty of stings on my ankles, all because I used to tuck my suit into my wellies. They got down there, right down to the sock/ankle.

Ever since, I wear my suit over my wellies and have never had a problem. That's why they are elasticated at the bottom....to provide a seal.
You can't provide a seal if it's under your welly.

 

[Susan1]

I had an incident just after I got my bees were I was stung about 5-10 times on each hand, through my gloves. My fault for opening the hive at a silly time in windy weather. Both hands were swollenl up and I had to get antibiotics.
The other day I was out gardening in my crocs and came into the house, I sat for a while and when I stood up got a sting. A bee had been lurking in my jeans or somewhere and it got caught between my skin and crocs on my instep.
This time foot swoll up massively, was really sore and I felt ill for two days, it then went purple and itchy.
Someone told me that some people get a worse reaction after every sting and I am panicking. I wasnt even looking in the hive. I just hope this is a one off and the stings get easier or I dont think I will be able to keep bees.

 

[aberreef]

I had an incident just after I got my bees were I was stung about 5-10 times on each hand, through my gloves. My fault for opening the hive at a silly time in windy weather. Both hands were swollenl up and I had to get antibiotics.
The other day I was out gardening in my crocs and came into the house, I sat for a while and when I stood up got a sting. A bee had been lurking in my jeans or somewhere and it got caught between my skin and crocs on my instep.
This time foot swoll up massively, was really sore and I felt ill for two days, it then went purple and itchy.
Someone told me that some people get a worse reaction after every sting and I am panicking. I wasnt even looking in the hive. I just hope this is a one off and the stings get easier or I dont think I will be able to keep bees.

I had the same on my hands last year. It's an awefull feeling. My only other sting was on my shoulder and it was much less severe (swelling for a day).

From what other Beeks have been saying, stings to the feet/ankles seem to be the worst. Maybe this is because of blood circulation being less in the lowwer limbs so the venom doesn't disperse?

 

[Alabamaeee]

The other day I was out gardening in my crocs and came into the house, I sat for a while and when I stood up got a sting. A bee had been lurking in my jeans or somewhere and it got caught between my skin and crocs on my instep.
This time foot swoll up massively, was really sore and I felt ill for two days, it then went purple and itchy.
.

Susan,

May be a stupid question but did you identify it as a definite bee sting. A Horsefly, AKA Cleg in your part of the world has the same effect with some people. I have no reaction to bee stings but have exactly the same symptoms with horsefly bites.

 

[Friar Tuck]

Ive obviously been stung a few times never had any bad reaction. Got stung on the ancle once (no wellys) i was in pain for days and my foot swelled up like a ballon. must be something with ankles and stings !!!!

 

[Martin Pamplin]

Did you see what happened in Australia ? See: www.rte.ie/news and search for "Irishman stung 60 times while moving beehive"

There is a lesson to be learnt !

 

[Foxylad]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0419/australia_bees.html

The lesson there is stupid people should be allowed to keep bees!!

 

[victor meldrew]

I had an incident just after I got my bees were I was stung about 5-10 times on each hand, through my gloves. My fault for opening the hive at a silly time in windy weather. Both hands were swollenl up and I had to get antibiotics.
The other day I was out gardening in my crocs and came into the house, I sat for a while and when I stood up got a sting. A bee had been lurking in my jeans or somewhere and it got caught between my skin and crocs on my instep.
This time foot swoll up massively, was really sore and I felt ill for two days, it then went purple and itchy.
Someone told me that some people get a worse reaction after every sting and I am panicking. I wasnt even looking in the hive. I just hope this is a one off and the stings get easier or I dont think I will be able to keep bees.

I took me years to become immune to strong local reactions !
I used to swell up even when the bees sting had hardly broken the skin .
This went on and up to getting hives (A supposedly bad sign)
Here I am 20 odd years down the line and still keeping bees !
I now no longer react to bee stings.

IMHO the mind is a powerful organ ! Fear can generate reactions in the body far in excess of the threat !
This is purely self evident ; a good few years ago I suffered a heart attack and was subsequently put on various medications including a BETA blocker(2.5 grams) Could be coincidence but my immunity started with the onset of me taking said medication.
On another occasion, I got stung at a friends apiary , immediately I got nettle rash around my torso, my friend (Ukrainian by birth) gave me a large shot of Vodka , the nettle rash disappeared as if by magic . I have since attended a lecture where the lecturer said that alcohol interfered with the way venom interacts within the body .

I hope you stick at it but be aware of the difference between local and systematic symptoms !

John Wilkinson

 

[victor meldrew]

This site may explain the alcohol venom relationship ?

http://www.medicinebeeherbals.com/article-injectable-bee-venom.php

John Wilkinson

 

[woodyapex]

I took me years to become immune to strong local reactions !

On another occasion, I got stung at a friends apiary , immediately I got nettle rash around my torso, my friend (Ukrainian by birth) gave me a large shot of Vodka , the nettle rash disappeared as if by magic . I have since attended a lecture where the lecturer said that alcohol interfered with the way venom interacts within the body .

I hope you stick at it but be aware of the difference between local and systematic symptoms !

John Wilkinson

on that note just in case i'm going to have a right good drink before hand !!!! Just in case !!

 

[kazmcc]

This site may explain the alcohol venom relationship ?

http://www.medicinebeeherbals.com/article-injectable-bee-venom.php

John Wilkinson

Extract : Take a wide-mouth glass jar, approximately two to four inches in diameter, and about one inch high, fill it to the brim with sterile water, and cover it with some animal membrane (a ram’s dried scrotal sac is most appropriate)

Please tell me the ram is not still alive when this happens! Haha......forgive me, just being cheeky Very interesting link. Thank you.