Bee sting protocol

[Newbeeneil]

I think that's pretty good rate if you use bare hands or nitriles. But I've decided that stings to my hands are no longer acceptable (I have my reasons), and I would like others who feel the same to know that it is possible to be a beekeeper and not get stung. It doesn't have to be part of the trade, and not getting stung doesn't necessarily indicate anything other than that you've found a level of protection that works and still allows you to handle bees sensitively.

I’ve tried with thicker gloves than nitriles but I really don’t enjoy the feeling. TBH I prefer without any gloves but my hands get too sticky with the amount of hives I inspect and using nitriles is better for disease control.
I kept count today, 36 inspections, 11 stings.

 

[deemann1]

I heard a (gloveless) commercial beekeeper recently saying he gets about 200 stings a day on occasions.

Only an idiot would do such a thing .
I have spoke to a specialist consultant on bee stings . I was told there is no such thing as sting immunity it's a myth beekeepers talk about ..

 

[Roger.Wilco]

I have spoke to a specialist consultant on bee stings . I was told there is no such thing as sting immunity it's a myth beekeepers talk about ..

The consultant isn't incorrect - but there does seem to be something in the "beekeepers myth"...

Immune and clinical response to honeybee venom in beekeepers

From the research paper:

The correlation between clinical manifestation of a sting and age was additionally examined. It was observed that clinical symptoms after a bee sting were less severe with the increasing age of the beekeepers. These results challenge those reported in the literature, according to which the risk of severe allergic reaction after a sting increases with age. This correlation may be due to the fact that older beekeepers have higher sIgG4 levels that provide better protection. The older beekeepers have been exposed to bee venom allergens longer than the younger ones, which causes natural desensitization. Therefore, the severity of symptoms after a sting may decrease with the beekeeper’s age. However, the literature reports involve only the general population, not beekeepers in particular. In fact, in the control group of people who had standard contact with bees, a tendency to more severe clinical symptoms after a bee sting was observed with advancing age. These observations are consistent with the literature data on the general population.

 

[Wilco]

The consultant isn't incorrect - but there does seem to be something in the "beekeepers myth"...

Immune and clinical response to honeybee venom in beekeepers

From the research paper:

To be honest I wouldn't use that paper to base any opinions on. It's not great in terms of quality. For example, it's poorly controlled, the sample size is miniscule and there are no post hoc tests to correct the p-value despite a series of analyses being performed. There's also no real discussion on these issues to temper the conclusions drawn. Additionally, the final paragraph, which follows the one you quoted, says:

Therefore, the results obtained in this study may not be broadly applicable to the general population, but only to the group of beekeepers. The beekeepers had significantly higher levels of venom-specific IgE and BST. Moreover, the higher the number of stings in the beekeepers, the higher the concentration of protective sIgG4 antibodies. This triggers a natural tolerance to honeybee venom in the beekeepers and
may suggest the need for a different approach to bee venom allergy diagnostic tests in this occupational group.

So it's not necessarily reliable and, to paraphrase Inigo Montoya, not saying what you suggest it's saying.

 

[Sutty]

If course it is entirely possible that local reactions become less over time/venom exposure with increasing levels of IgG, but that serious systemic reactions (much rarer) also increase in frequency mediated by IgE.

 

[Worldsend]

Be warned my reactions varied

I didn't fully collapse but when GP said "You know you might die next time"I took note
Now 2 years into desensitisation programme
Very frustrating but hoping I can do my bees next year

 

[Ely]

How do you introduce children to beekeeping that have never been stung? I have a 1 year old that eventually will take an interest in the bees and likely get stung. Not knowing if he is allergic or not terrifies me. What do you do? Keep the engine running in case of a quick dash to the hospital is needed? I feel like I should have an epi pen just in case until we find out.

 

[Sutty]

Is he allergic to other things or have a family history of atopy?
How would you respond in a non-beekeeping environment if he was stung by an unknown insect?
Very unlikely to be allergic on 1st exposure though it is just possible to be sensitised by exposure to venom on beesuits etc.

 

[Ely]

Is he allergic to other things or have a family history of atopy?
How would you respond in a non-beekeeping environment if he was stung by an unknown insect?

No allergies so far in the family. I guess you would just have to react. It just feels a little different being the beekeeper and not knowing