Bee sting experiences

[dryar]

I know we all differ but I do wonder.

I am relatively new to Beekeeping but have already taken my fair share of stings. Most of them are in fact own goals...

Pulling a welly off with a bee in; Unzipping my hood prematurely and getting it on the nose and neck; Taking a glove off as I leave apiary etc etc.

I compare the stings I have experienced to a mild nettle with no immediate problems. The following day I find them quite itchy.

Does a tolerance develop as a general rule or does getting more streetwise pay in reducing the opportunity for an attack.

 

[jasonahood]

No hard and fast rules, it depends on many factors i think, i've taken a single blow to the thigh and my whole leg went red and patchy for days and just wouldn't stop itching.

Equally, the other evening when I was going through one of my nasty hives ( re-queening ), i took three in the same arm with no ill effect other than the immediate sting...

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Up until recently I had only ever suffered stings to the hands and had had no more reaction than a slight itch. However, due to my own complacency, this season I've a sting to the back of the head and several stings to the ankles. They swelled up quite badly and were very painful for over a week afterwards.
I am now back to the belt and braces approach - wellies, two pairs of socks, full bee suit with long sleeves and trousers underneath and a proper check for bees before taking the suit off. No stings since.

 

[Steve Dyer]

snip...
Does a tolerance develop as a general rule or does getting more streetwise pay in reducing the opportunity for an attack.

The answer as usual is both! I get stung quite often and actually I think frequency is good. Yesterday I was stung on the legs about four times and there is no sign now. Today I was stung through gloves on my hands. Two of them were fairly painless and I couldn't tell you now where they were, one was painful - I suspect it may be a matter of how near a nerve ending the sting hits. Equally today I was also stung through a sherrif on my forearm and there's an itchy red patch about 2" square, which is an unusual reaction for me.

Basically beekeeping equipment does not protect you from stings, but it does protect you from lots of stings, and give you an opportunity to get away if things get too hot.

Equally if you are careless you may be punished. A Cambridge don left his face mask zip just a little open, got twelve stings on his head and died.. - though 'they' say the lethal dose is 500 stings..

Steve

 

[jallen]

bit of itching but thats about it

 

[kazmcc]

wellies, two pairs of socks, full bee suit with long sleeves and trousers underneath and a proper check for bees before taking the suit off. No stings since.

Plus a baseball cap under the hood for me. It's been nearly 12 months I've been beekeeping now, and have yet to be stung. Always a proper check when we come away, as I was told that was the time most people get stung. Oh, and masking tape over any zip gaps lol.

 

[Headnavigator]

Baseball cap really important, keeps the veil far enough away from your face to avoid any pinger stingers. Other thing I wear is a jersey tubular neck scarf. When a friend and I fell under attack from her spawn of the devil bees and they got into our suits (yes!) it saved me from worse - I was able to squish quite a few that were in the veil with it before they got me, and I survived the other stings with no after effects as I always take a Piriton tablet before I go near bees.

 

[zippy573]

been stung on face twice - once above right eyebrow once on right cheek - both times right eye all but closed. Both times full on sting rather than through material which i think makes a massive difference. Most other stings have been taken through gloves or other material which makes removal far easier so bit of swelling and pain but nothing compaired with my face stings which i would have gladly paid a days pay to make better!

I have always assumed that most people swell up resulting in far more people saying they are allergic to stings that is actually the case - but i could be wrong!

 

[user 6228]

No reaction at all. Rose thorns are more painful pyrocanthus much worse. must be lucky .

 

[trapperman]

Plus a baseball cap under the hood for me. It's been nearly 12 months I've been beekeeping now, and have yet to be stung. Always a proper check when we come away, as I was told that was the time most people get stung. Oh, and masking tape over any zip gaps lol.

Me two, i`m in my second season and yet to get nailed, i was starting to think i`m doing something wrong.

 

[trapperman]

No reaction at all. Rose thorns are more painful pyrocanthus much worse. must be lucky .

God so true that pyracantha is a nightmare, i`ve had so many thorns go in and snap off when cutting hedges and then go infected, the stuffs a bloody menace.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

- I suspect it may be a matter of how near a nerve ending the sting hits. Steve

I think you may be right there Steve. When I got stung on the back of my head the pain shot right down the back of my neck - must have been a nerve ending surely? I must admit I panicked a bit - I was on my own at the time. I went back to the house, took an antihistamine and sat with a bag of frozen peas on my head for about half an hour.

It still really hurt at least 5 days later.

 

[SixFooter]

Year one and 2 I had itching and redness around the site of stings for 3 days which I think is standard. However, this year, my symptoms have reduced substantially; mostly to nothing at all. When I do react, it's only slight itching and only for an hour or two.
I get stung quite a lot though - probably an average of one a week and early this year, 8 times in one day.

 

[iamduvern]

Ive had a couple of bee stings small lump and a bit of an itch nothing to worry about. Then this afternoon a wasp sting in my left eyebrow within 30 mins my eye has closed up and the left side of my face swollen up and an ache in my upper jaw

 

[Andy Coleman]

I get quite a few on fingers and thumbs, mostly through the marigold gloves. Usually a bit red and itchy but subsides after a day or so. Got one on Saturday on the soft underside of my wrist, near where you feel for the pulse, and it was a "slow burner" - nothing much on Saturday till the evening, then the whole underside of my forearm was taut aching and swollen through most of Sunday. Took an anti histamine pill (zirctec) later Sunday pm, and OK now.

 

[steve1958]

You also need to be aware that different Bees carry more or less poison.

A newly hatched bee contains practicaly none,
but as they get older their bodies make an ever increasing amount of poison which is stored ready to inject if ever they are needed to protect the Hive.

So by the time they are ready to leave the Hive and collect pollen this has built up and they carry a significant amount of poison inside them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've been stung in front of the ear, top lip, behind the ear and the back of the head - minor discomfort but no worse (or not as bad) as a nettle sting. but anything to the hands in the past and I get quite a bit of swelling and itching for a few days. Took a sting between two fingers Monday whilst retrieving a swarm and apart from a mild itch for 5 minutes the day after, you couldn't even tell I'd been stung - so hopefully I'm getting desensitised.
I'm going to try the same experiment with beer next weekend!

 

[chickendave]

Stings to my hands, arms, legs and body not a problem. For some reason when I get stung on the face or ears which really hurts. It swells up and I look like the elephant man

 

[Birnambeekeeper]

I think I depends on your response to the sting - most of the problem stings are allergy related. If that's not a problems then it's just the toxic effects of the venom which hurts (sometimes a lot). My wife gets the worst midge bites huge great spots etc whereas I get none. Where I live we're bitten by midges all the time. Ive been stung so many times - sore then itchy then gone. If you react strongly then an epipen would be an idea