Bee stings: expert information needed

[DawnBees]

Hello everyone,

I hope it's okay to post this here.

I'm just hoping to mine your wealth of knowledge and experience in this subject.

I experienced my first bee sting (I'm 42) a month ago and it's been incredibly traumatic and drawn out process of recovery.

Anyway, not wanting to bore you with a long story, I have some simple questions:

1. I have a lump under my skin where I was stung - can this happen sometimes/should I be worried?

2. Is it possible for the venom to still be in my system one month later?

Heartfelt thanks to anyone who is willing/able to respond x

 

[Apiarisnt]

Replies on this forum are liable to be extensive, confident, contradictory and potentially misleading.

Safest to see a doctor.

 

[drex]

1. Yes it can happen, unlikely any need to worry. It is merely an over reaction of the body.
2. Very unlikely
However the " prolonged recovery" could be worrying, depending on what you mean and experienced. If at all concerned best to see your GP.
Dr. Ex

 

[DawnBees]

Replies on this forum are liable to be extensive, confident, contradictory and potentially misleading.

Safest to see a doctor.

Thank you for your reply.

I have been seeing doctors but they don't have specialist bee knowledge that a lot of you have here. Have been on antibiotics because the bee sting infected the soft tissue around the sting.

I've tried to keep my questions non medical but rather bee sting factual - if that's possible, hahaha.

I probably will go back to the GP if things don't generally settle soon.

Thank you x

 

[DawnBees]

1. Yes it can happen, unlikely any need to worry. It is merely an over reaction of the body.
2. Very unlikely
However the " prolonged recovery" could be worrying, depending on what you mean and experienced. If at all concerned best to see your GP.
Dr. Ex

Thank you very much for your reply.

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.

The bee sting infected the soft tissue around it, hence that prolonged recovery.

It's been horrendous actually. Delayed responses, infections, the lump...

The sad thing is bees used to be one of my favourite animals and now I'm hysterical whenever I see one, even in the garden. I hope I can get over that and love them again.

If I ever get stung again I think I'm going to have a massive reaction - something defo worth talking to a doctor about!

 

[Tony19]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.

The bee sting infected the soft tissue around it, hence that prolonged recovery.

It's been horrendous actually. Delayed responses, infections, the lump...

The sad thing is bees used to be one of my favourite animals and now I'm hysterical whenever I see one, even in the garden. I hope I can get over that and love them again.

If I ever get stung again I think I'm going to have a massive reaction - something defo worth talking to a doctor about!

Unfortunately you will get stung again if you're keeping bees. My first reaction was quite bad (so I thought) but each time you're stung the reaction gets less and less. BUT it may be that you are hyper allergic to stings and the only way to check is to go for a test. I got the lumps, pain and itching got stung last night at our Apiary beginers course once on the hand (slightly itchy this morning) once on the nose (little reaction thankfully as my wife would have been highly amused!!). It may be that your body is now trying to fight the infection as opposed to the bee sting venom and this may be unrelated to the original event. My daughter has a serious reaction to any sting and carries an Epi pen which her GP prescribed, although she believes she may have outgrown the effect. If you actually do keep bees then the best advice would be once you've established that further stings will not cause you any health problems then see if a local bee keeper can kind of hold your hand until you get your confidence back. Hope all goes well in the future.

 

[Beagle23]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.

The bee sting infected the soft tissue around it, hence that prolonged recovery.

It's been horrendous actually. Delayed responses, infections, the lump...

The sad thing is bees used to be one of my favourite animals and now I'm hysterical whenever I see one, even in the garden. I hope I can get over that and love them again.

If I ever get stung again I think I'm going to have a massive reaction - something defo worth talking to a doctor about!

I can only tell you of my own experience. I got stung on my wedding finger last year and it stayed swollen for nearly a month, with a small lump being present for 6 weeks. Since then I've had a few more stings, including one in the ear, which whilst painful did not result in swelling or lumps.

I think this is less likely to be a result of me building immunity and more to do with some bee stings being more potent than others, certainly the location, depth and longevity of the sting seems to be a factor, but potency I don't know.

Get yourself a really good bee suit, they help no-end with confidence issues.

 

[DawnBees]

Unfortunately you will get stung again if you're keeping bees. My first reaction was quite bad (so I thought) but each time you're stung the reaction gets less and less. BUT it may be that you are hyper allergic to stings and the only way to check is to go for a test. I got the lumps, pain and itching got stung last night at our Apiary beginers course once on the hand (slightly itchy this morning) once on the nose (little reaction thankfully as my wife would have been highly amused!!). It may be that your body is now trying to fight the infection as opposed to the bee sting venom and this may be unrelated to the original event. My daughter has a serious reaction to any sting and carries an Epi pen which her GP prescribed, although she believes she may have outgrown the effect. If you actually do keep bees then the best advice would be once you've established that further stings will not cause you any health problems then see if a local bee keeper can kind of hold your hand until you get your confidence back. Hope all goes well in the future.

I don't actually keep bees.

I know I'm being a bit cheeky coming here it just occurred to me that all of you would be the most experienced when it comes to stings... GPs really don't have your kind of specialist knowledge on the subject - just seem to throw antibiotics at everything. Although I do appreciate you can't really give medical advice.

I hope people here will forgive me for being an interloper

 

[DawnBees]

I can only tell you of my own experience. I got stung on my wedding finger last year and it stayed swollen for nearly a month, with a small lump being present for 6 weeks. Since then I've had a few more stings, including one in the ear, which whilst painful did not result in swelling or lumps.

I think this is less likely to be a result of me building immunity and more to do with some bee stings being more potent than others, certainly the location, depth and longevity of the sting seems to be a factor, but potency I don't know.

Get yourself a really good bee suit, they help no-end with confidence issues.

Hi there,

Thank you for our reply and sharing your own experience.

It's good to know I'm not the only person with a little lump several weeks later!!! I feel less scared just knowing I'm not the only one (regardless of what further medical treatment I seek out). Thank you!

It's interesting what you say about the "location, depth and longevity of the sting"... I was stung right at the top of the cheek and it produced intense facial pain for more than 24 hours so I think it was pretty vicious!!

Thanks x

 

[Hivemaker.]

Get yourself a good bee suit to wear, Oz Armour suits are very good according to some on here.

 

[Popparand]

Got pinged on the thumb this morning inspecting a v. active hive - even though I was wearing my marigolds! I probably jammed the bee against the frame/box. Nothing to worry about and the effects have just about worn off now.

I've also been stung on the face in the past - a lot more painful and swollen.

If....

you handle bees carefully
you check no stings on your gloves/gauntlets before taking off your veil. The bees will follow the pheromones for quite a long distance. (and always smoke a sting immedately for the same reason)
you check the veil from time tp time for tears - especially if you brush against branches

you are unlikely to get stung.

Most bees are pretty tolerant - considering we frequently dismantle their home!

The hard lump you describe sounds like an infection to me, not the effect of the sting venom itself.

 

[Julie in Ash]

When I first started attending Beekeeping sessions at the local Apiary (in my fifties!), this was the thing that concerned me as I could not proceed with an ambition to keep Bees if they were going to put my health at risk. I needed to know how I would react to a sting as I had not been stung since childhood. Eventually after a couple of weeks, one obliged and got me on my lip! It was unfortunate as one landed on my veil just as I was bending down. That turned nasty as it seemed to have nicked a vein and the next day I had a fairly decent sized haemotoma. I looked like I'd been mugged. That too become infected and I needed antibiotics. My Doctor told me I was suffering what she'd call a moderate localised reaction. It was also swollen for longer than I had been expecting would be the case after my own research.

It took a week for the swelling and blood to disappear. I put my reactions down not so much to the venom but to the stinger penetrating an unlucky spot near to a vein and nerve ending.

A few weeks later, we opened up an antisocial hive and I got pinged multiple times. Even with a full Beesuit on, if they are determined to get you they will find a way unless you have a top quality suit which I do not. This time I learned a new thing - once you've been stung once or twice and Bees have left their entrails on you, it seems increase the risk of further stings as other Bees can sense it. For the next 10 minutes I was like Linus out of Charlie Brown as dozens of Bees flew past everyone else to get to me and pop me! It even alarmed observers and the Mentor told me to stand away for a bit. I had to give up completely in the end and depart the Apiary as they were not giving up. I wouldn't mind but I had done nothing to them, I was just standing watching other people do things to them!

I think they managed to get me 4 or 5 times through the suit that time. My suit was covered in Bee bits. (I put in on a long wash with fragrance and soap free washing liquid). This time I reacted a bit differently. The sting sites didn't swell quite as much but seemed very itchy. I treated with antihistamine but did not need to see the Doctor. I was sleepy for a day or so after and my Research Chemist stepson told me this was due to a higher venom load. It took around 5 or 6 days for the sting areas to return to normal.

I can't say I'm typical as I just don't know, but speaking to my Doctor, the main thing to observe for are reactions that happen within a short time of receiving the sting. Breathing issues, feelings of dizziness etc. should be taken very seriously and help sort immediately as you are as risk of anaphylactic shock. Issues around infection of the sting site are, although annoying, less of a risk to your general health and are due IMHO to bad luck about where they popped you.

All this goes with the caveat that I'm not medically qualified and a very novice student Beekeeper.

HTH

 

[DawnBees]

Got pinged on the thumb this morning inspecting a v. active hive - even though I was wearing my marigolds! I probably jammed the bee against the frame/box. Nothing to worry about and the effects have just about worn off now.

I've also been stung on the face in the past - a lot more painful and swollen.

If....

you handle bees carefully
you check no stings on your gloves/gauntlets before taking off your veil. The bees will follow the pheromones for quite a long distance. (and always smoke a sting immedately for the same reason)
you check the veil from time tp time for tears - especially if you brush against branches

you are unlikely to get stung.

Most bees are pretty tolerant - considering we frequently dismantle their home!

The hard lump you describe sounds like an infection to me, not the effect of the sting venom itself.

Thank you so much for your reply.

Interesting that a lot of people are saying stings on the face - where my sting is - can sometimes be more painful and reactionary.

I was at a county show and they had two hives in big net tents. I was passing just as the beekeeper was coming out of one and a few bees escaped with him. The bee in question just came straight at me and attacked.

I don't know how I didn't get stung again as other bees then gave chase!!!

 

[DawnBees]

When I first started attending Beekeeping sessions at the local Apiary (in my fifties!), this was the thing that concerned me as I could not proceed with an ambition to keep Bees if they were going to put my health at risk. I needed to know how I would react to a sting as I had not been stung since childhood. Eventually after a couple of weeks, one obliged and got me on my lip! It was unfortunate as one landed on my veil just as I was bending down. That turned nasty as it seemed to have nicked a vein and the next day I had a fairly decent sized haemotoma. I looked like I'd been mugged. That too become infected and I needed antibiotics. My Doctor told me I was suffering what she'd call a moderate localised reaction. It was also swollen for longer than I had been expecting would be the case after my own research.

It took a week for the swelling and blood to disappear. I put my reactions down not so much to the venom but to the stinger penetrating an unlucky spot near to a vein and nerve ending.

A few weeks later, we opened up an antisocial hive and I got pinged multiple times. Even with a full Beesuit on, if they are determined to get you they will find a way unless you have a top quality suit which I do not. This time I learned a new thing - once you've been stung once or twice and Bees have left their entrails on you, it seems increase the risk of further stings as other Bees can sense it. For the next 10 minutes I was like Linus out of Charlie Brown as dozens of Bees flew past everyone else to get to me and pop me! It even alarmed observers and the Mentor told me to stand away for a bit. I had to give up completely in the end and depart the Apiary as they were not giving up. I wouldn't mind but I had done nothing to them, I was just standing watching other people do things to them!

I think they managed to get me 4 or 5 times through the suit that time. My suit was covered in Bee bits. (I put in on a long wash with fragrance and soap free washing liquid). This time I reacted a bit differently. The sting sites didn't swell quite as much but seemed very itchy. I treated with antihistamine but did not need to see the Doctor. I was sleepy for a day or so after and my Research Chemist stepson told me this was due to a higher venom load. It took around 5 or 6 days for the sting areas to return to normal.

I can't say I'm typical as I just don't know, but speaking to my Doctor, the main thing to observe for are reactions that happen within a short time of receiving the sting. Breathing issues, feelings of dizziness etc. should be taken very seriously and help sort immediately as you are as risk of anaphylactic shock. Issues around infection of the sting site are, although annoying, less of a risk to your general health and are due IMHO to bad luck about where they popped you.

All this goes with the caveat that I'm not medically qualified and a very novice student Beekeeper.

HTH

Hi Julie in Ash

Thank you for sharing so many experiences. I'm beginning to see how individual bee stings can be!

I was at a county show and they had two hives in big net tents. I was passing just as the beekeeper was coming out of one and a few bees escaped with him. The bee in question just came straight at me and attacked.

I don't know how I didn't get stung again as other bees then gave chase!!!

Once I wiped the sting away they stopped persuing me.

 

[enrico]

Stings from different insects affect different people in a miriad of ways. The swelling is a result of anti bodies attacking the venom and is usual, especially if only stung occasionally. It can leave a hard lump under the skin for many weeks but it usually disappears after a while. The worst sting I have ever had is a queen wasp hibernating in a cushion.
The infection that you got was a further complication and needed your body to fight that too, hence the antibiotics prescribed. Hopefully all will get better in time.
No one can tell you if your reactions will get better or worse with another sting but the worst thing you can do is panic when a stinging insect is near you. If you stay still it will offer no aggression. If you move quickly or try and swat or wave it away then it will begin to see you as a threat. Easily said and not easily done but........
Good luck
E

 

[DawnBees]

Stings from different insects affect different people in a miriad of ways. The swelling is a result of anti bodies attacking the venom and is usual, especially if only stung occasionally. It can leave a hard lump under the skin for many weeks but it usually disappears after a while. The worst sting I have ever had is a queen wasp hibernating in a cushion.
The infection that you got was a further complication and needed your body to fight that too, hence the antibiotics prescribed. Hopefully all will get better in time.
No one can tell you if your reactions will get better or worse with another sting but the worst thing you can do is panic when a stinging insect is near you. If you stay still it will offer no aggression. If you move quickly or try and swat or wave it away then it will begin to see you as a threat. Easily said and not easily done but........
Good luck
E

Hi Enrico

Thank you for your reply.

Everyone's knowledge here has really helped me understand more what's happened, how I'm reacting etc.

What happened when you were stung by the queen?

Thanks again.

 

[enrico]

Hi Enrico

Thank you for your reply.

Everyone's knowledge here has really helped me understand more what's happened, how I'm reacting etc.

What happened when you were stung by the queen?

Thanks again.

I hardly react to bees now although I used to react with swelling and itching and redness for a good 24 hours.
The queen wasp on my hand blew my arm up like a balloon, I couldn't bend my fingers or elbow. I went to the doctors but he quite rightly said, live with it, it will go, the swelling shows your body is acting correctly.
It was painful and much worse than any bee sting but hey. Someone once told me that it improves your sex drive so who am I to argue!!!!
This was a queen WASP and not a bee!
E

 

[Millet]

Get yourself a good bee suit to wear, Oz Armour suits are very good according to some on here.

They are that good i would confidently stand among the angriest bees in the world wearing only a pair of budgie smugglers.. it is absolutely impossible to get stung if you are zipped up properly.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They are that good i would confidently stand among the angriest bees in the world wearing only a pair of budgie smugglers.. it is absolutely impossible to get stung if you are zipped up properly.

Are they much heavier than the Sheriff/BB wear ?

 

[Beefriendly]

Yes heavier ,but few extra pounds are not even noticeable when wearing them. Besides you can shed a few extra pounds by wearing less underneath....much less.