Bee stings

[Drinkstone]

Just been on the second session of a beginners course and we were advised to go and get stung before getting bees. The question is how do you do that? Probably obvious. Second is a wasp sting the same? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[The Cumbrian]

I can't advise on how to get stung, I seem to manage it easily enough. Wasp stings are not the same thing. A wasp sting for me is terrible and leaves a mark (in one case for several years). Bees on the other hand bother me less than a nettle sting.

 

[Swarm]

It really depends on the reaction. I've had stings that were no more than a minor inconvenience and others that involved a large area of swelling and throbbing pain/itching that lasted a week.
By comparison, a wasp sting is not in the same league, at least for me.

 

[The Cumbrian]

The difference between how Swarm and I react to wasp stings probably explains the advice to get stung first. The you know how you are going to react. There is a huge difference in how anybody reacts to a sting be it wasp or bee. I only related my reactions to show that the two stings were (at least for me) totally different.

 

[Nightynight]

I have found my physical reaction to a bee sting has grown less & less over the 5 years, although I have managed to avoid being stung for 12months, I assume because I am getting better at handling them... or it could be I have been lucky

I understand for some old beeks the opposite may happen though and they have to give up beekeeping because of it

 

[biglongdarren]

its just as well your not on a course to be a lion tamer with a teacher telling you things like that
Darren

 

[Drinkstone]

Lion tamer

Yes but if your learning to tame lions you can reach behind you and there WILL be something nasty you can throw at the lion!

Thanks for all your comments they are most useful

 

[biglongdarren]

It really depends on the reaction. I've had stings that were no more than a minor inconvenience and others that involved a large area of swelling and throbbing pain/itching that lasted a week.
By comparison, a wasp sting is not in the same league, at least for me.

am the very same, some stings dont even make a red mark let alone anything else then i'll get one that will look like i've been beatin up,i got stung the other day on the tip of my finger and before long i felt it travelling right up my arm to my shoulder,then it all just cleared as quick as i got it.
Darren

 

[REDWOOD]

I have never been stung by bees, touch wood but have been stung by wasps five times at once on the skull, because there is no flesh up there it was not that painful but I believe that one venom contains acid and the other contains alkaline. You should however carry an epi pen if not for you but for friends or family, please read instructions on packet

 

[BeeJayBee]

Just been on the second session of a beginners course and we were advised to go and get stung before getting bees. The question is how do you do that? Probably obvious. Second is a wasp sting the same? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I've found that the quickest way to get stung is to try to push a drawing pin into the hive, close to the entrance, without wearing any gloves.

Bee stings aren't the same as wasp stings. There's an old mnemonic to treat them - Winegar for Wasps, Bicarb for bees. It seems to work, if you're quick enough.

Failing that then antihistamine (tabs or cream) is good. I believe some beekeeping suppliers sell a cocktail of essential oils that is very effective, but I haven't tried it.

 

[REDWOOD]

Ha so wasps have a alkaline sting and bees have an acid sting, one neutralizes the other

 

[Travelator]

Going back to the question of how to get stung...

I think the best way would be to find a friendly beekeeper and arrange to help them work their hives on a regular basis. You're bound to get a sting sooner or later, and in the meantime you get the chance to practice handling bees.

You can increase the probability of stings by wearing latex gloves which aren't very sting-proof but less scary than working with bare hands.

 

[madasafish]

Try to get stung on the back of the hand or a fleshy part of the hand. Stings on fingers seem - to me at least - to give rise to far less reaction than stings on fleshy parts.

Despite averaging over 40 stings in my first two years of keeping bees - and a few more so far in 2012 - my reactions seem unchanged...Lots of swelling on back of hands.. virtually none on fingers.

Legs, neck and stomach seem OK. Arms ? so - so..

 

[Luminos]

Don't wear a beesuit

 

[Teemore]

I gather that it was once common practice to tip about 10 or so bees (very scientific measurement this) into the open and ungloved hand of a new beekeeper to see how they reacted... Talk to a 'friendly' beekeeper and see whether they would be entertained by your discomfort.. sorry, would be willing to help you out.

If you go this route I really do hope that you do not discover you suffer an extreme allergic reaction to bee stings! The bottom line is that you will get stung at some stage when you are working with honeybees.

 

[drstitson]

a newbie who gets properly hands on should get a sting at first hive session.

 

[MJBee]

When I was introduced to bees (too many years ago to think about) my mentor insisted on bare hands. He picked up a couple of bees and gave them a good shake in cupped hands then released them - look no stings - I was told to give it a try and promptly received two stings His comment - "Now you know that drones don't sting but workers do

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

As part of the process to decide if I wanted to keep bees I visited the local auction to get a flavour of the whole hobby. Wandered too close to the colonies for sale with inadequate protection and discovered that I didn't react too badly to stings.

Would recommend getting stung beforehand, ideally in a place or with people that will help you get attention if it goes badly wrong.

 

[Moggs]

Sometimes I wonder at the words of 'wisdom' here. To advise a would-be beekeeper to go and get stung is imho, plainly daft. Why deliberately detract from the pleasure of having bees buzzing around, in a situation populated by (now extremely nervous) novices, only to have the novice remember the very first encounter with bees as a painful one. Not only that, but to deliberately agitate the colony with sting pheromone. The suggestion that such a measure might indicate reaction or no reaction is unfounded too as the reaction can change, sting for sting.

"Thank you for your purchase of your new car sir, now please go and drive it into the forecourt wall, will you?"

Ahh, the Epipen debate. Dangerous ground.

 

[FreeFall]

To advise a would-be beekeeper to go and get stung is imho, plainly daft...