Bee stings

[Dexterboy]

Over the past 2 1/2 month I've lost count of how many times I've been stung and, one day I stupidly went up in shorts and a t-shirt and got stung 19 times, it didn't bother me one bit and I've been stung about 13 times since then, I have now bought a better bee suit that I put on everytime, however 4 days ago one got me on the ear and yesterday one got me on the chin, my ear and my chin are both now swollen and very itchy, I don't understand why only these two stings have bothered me as I thought you was either allergic or not, can anyone shed any light on why it's happened now and what the best way forward is?

Many thanks.

 

[Dexterboy]

Well I think I may have just answered my own question reading my Haynes manual, both times the stinger stayed in for about 5 minutes each.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Not such a bad book after all eh?

 

[Dexterboy]

£16 well spent I think, I'll have to start taking some tweezers with me I think, I doesn't say anything about what may reduce the swelling and itchyness though, any tips would be more than welcome.

 

[Davelin]

Don't use tweezers, you'll just squeeze all the venom in. Scrape off with finger nail or edge of hive tool.

 

[enrico]

For thirty years or so all stings on me swelled and itched for forty eight hours. This itching used to drive me crazy. I bought a bomb proof bee suit that meant getting stung was minimal. Then I knocked over several hives! I found my suit wasn't bomb proof. I got so many stings I thought I would die....... But nothing happened! For a few years I was free of the itching and swelling. Having not been badly stung for a few years now I have some of it back but not nearly as much! The honey is worth it. As I have said on the forum before, an old beekeeper told me for every sting it improves your sexual staying power. Not sure if it works but it makes me smile when I get stung!
E

 

[SWEET]

I'm using a standard BJ 36 suit, tee-shirt/fleece/jeans/woolly hat and beekeeping wellies (suit/jeans tucked in), pair of standard nitriles and when it gets heavy a pair of thicker nitriles over those.

Zero stings even tho they are trying very hard, granted its hot but a great workout.

Do you guys enjoy being stung ha ha?

 

[WoodenBeam]

When in the states we purchase a few bottles of the following:

https://www.benadryl.com/products/benadryl-extra-strength-spray

Don’t know if you can purchase in the UK, google will be you friend I’m sure. That sprayed onto stings shortly after the incident will help (hopefully) with swelling etc. That said, I’d be looking to see why so many stings.......smells, handling methods, bad bees, hungry bees, queenless bees, something is amiss. I don’t expect to be stung really and when it happens I know why.

 

[madasafish]

For thirty years or so all stings on me swelled and itched for forty eight hours. This itching used to drive me crazy. I bought a bomb proof bee suit that meant getting stung was minimal. Then I knocked over several hives! I found my suit wasn't bomb proof. I got so many stings I thought I would die....... But nothing happened! For a few years I was free of the itching and swelling. Having not been badly stung for a few years now I have some of it back but not nearly as much! The honey is worth it. As I have said on the forum before, an old beekeeper told me for every sting it improves your sexual staying power. Not sure if it works but it makes me smile when I get stung!
E

hmm...I wish

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I'm using a standard BJ 36 suit, tee-shirt/fleece/jeans/woolly hat and beekeeping wellies (suit/jeans tucked in), pair of standard nitriles and when it gets heavy a pair of thicker nitriles over those.

Zero stings even tho they are trying very hard, granted its hot but a great workout.

Do you guys enjoy being stung ha ha?

For me on a hot day: Wellies, socks, boxer shorts, bee suit, nitriles.

 

[MartinL]

I thought you was either allergic or not, can anyone shed any light on why it's happened now and what the best way forward is?

You've just described what to many is a completely normal reaction.

Swelling & Itching (for up to 3 days) is normal for some of us!

Antihistamines help but, (unless you carry a mirror with your tweezers) any sting to the head & shoulders & you're still knackered!

 

[ShinySideUp]

I too have been stung many times but the only serious reaction is when I was stung just underneath the eye and face swelled up so much my eye closed and I couldn't see for a couple of days.

Two things caused this I think: one is that there are a lot of blood vessels in the face and it is quite sensitive skin and secondly it took me a couple of minutes to get to a mirror to see where the sting was before I could get it out and I think that is the main cause of a bad reaction in non-anaphylactic folk. Get it out in a few seconds and it's fine, leave it in for minutes and the trouble starts. I keep a large mirror attached to my shed door these days and head for that in the event of a difficult-to-see sting.

 

[Newbeeneil]

As I have said on the forum before, an old beekeeper told me for every sting it improves your sexual staying power. Not sure if it works but it makes me smile when I get stung!
E

It made no difference to me......... I'm sure it must depend where you are stung (take away the pain but leave the swelling!)

 

[Blunt Spike]

Then I knocked over several hives!

At this point you realised it's probably best to look at your bees before you open the sherry!

 

[fullframe45]

only a newbie here and after being stung several times i now suit up every time i go to the hives. My problem is horse fly bites ,They have got me several times and i react bad to em. Swelling and burning sensations and very itchy that last for almost a week.

 

[bobba]

I am what you call a fully armored bee keeper and have yet to be stung. I always wear hoody with hood up and cap under my cheap suit. And mandatory thick leather gloves.

It helps give me the confidence to work with my bees. I don't fear the odd sting, but don't like the idea of being stung on the hands or face. My main reason for the armor is in case something go's wrong, like dropping a frame or box. If I got stung up badly I know my wife would worry endlessly about me and and may question my new hobby choice.

One of my co-workers got stunt in the leg at work on Tuesday. She had never reacted badly to bee stings before. But this time the site of the sting on her leg swelled up quite badly and her hands became swollen, red and itchy. She had to have a day off work as the swelling at the sting site was painful when she put pressure on her leg.

The last time she was stung was last year, she got 8 stings in the hands. She was wearing gloves and apparently pulled over 50 stingers out of the gloves that day. She was unable to get the stingers out of her hands quickly so got a good dose. These stings caused her no problems.

The swelling at the site of the sting on the leg we understand. But we were wondering if the reaction on her hands was because that's where she got stung badly last time.

Her hands are better now (Thursday) but she has a funky purple mark on her leg the size of a tennis ball with some mild swelling.

Has anyone encountered old sting sites reacting to new stings? Or are swollen hands a common symptom to people who are sensitive to bee stings?

 

[Beefriendly]

And mandatory thick leather gloves.

Possibly the worst thing you can wear ...unless you really have the hive from hell.
Bee stings mount up on thick leather gloves without you noticing them and the alarm pheromones skyrocket resulting in a frenzied attack on you. You can get an unreal impression of your bees temperament.

In order to sting you a bee needs to grip with their legs and then use that leverage to depress their stinger. They find it more difficult to grip smooth nitrile gloves. You can tell when you have a bad colony by the way the bees "bounce" off your gloves...they are trying to gain footage to sting you but (in most cases ) can't.

 

[Swarm]

I am what you call a fully armored bee keeper and have yet to be stung. I always wear hoody with hood up and cap under my cheap suit. And mandatory thick leather gloves.

It helps give me the confidence to work with my bees. I don't fear the odd sting, but don't like the idea of being stung on the hands or face. My main reason for the armor is in case something go's wrong, like dropping a frame or box. If I got stung up badly I know my wife would worry endlessly about me and and may question my new hobby choice.

One of my co-workers got stunt in the leg at work on Tuesday. She had never reacted badly to bee stings before. But this time the site of the sting on her leg swelled up quite badly and her hands became swollen, red and itchy. She had to have a day off work as the swelling at the sting site was painful when she put pressure on her leg.

The last time she was stung was last year, she got 8 stings in the hands. She was wearing gloves and apparently pulled over 50 stingers out of the gloves that day. She was unable to get the stingers out of her hands quickly so got a good dose. These stings caused her no problems.

The swelling at the site of the sting on the leg we understand. But we were wondering if the reaction on her hands was because that's where she got stung badly last time.

Her hands are better now (Thursday) but she has a funky purple mark on her leg the size of a tennis ball with some mild swelling.

Has anyone encountered old sting sites reacting to new stings? Or are swollen hands a common symptom to people who are sensitive to bee stings?

I had an earlier sting site (ear) react to a later sting/s to hand a few years ago, like a nettle rash down the side of my neck.
I don't like the sound of that large, purple mark, I'd get it checked out.

 

[user 18806]

Possibly the worst thing you can wear ...unless you really have the hive from hell.
Bee stings mount up on thick leather gloves without you noticing them and the alarm pheromones skyrocket resulting in a frenzied attack on you. You can get an unreal impression of your bees temperament.

In order to sting you a bee needs to grip with their legs and then use that leverage to depress their stinger. They find it more difficult to grip smooth nitrile gloves. You can tell when you have a bad colony by the way the bees "bounce" off your gloves...they are trying to gain footage to sting you but (in most cases ) can't.

Thought I would be safe first time opened my hive. Fully suited with full layer of clothes under. Also wore leather/suede type thick gardening gloves. I felt one sting on a finger, then one more on the other hand. That was all I had.
That day, both fingers that had been stung were super itchy. And I could see 3 sting marks on one finger and 2 on the other. No stings left in me though.
Next day the finger with 3 stings was swollen so I could only just bend it, and when I did, felt like it wanted to pop.
2nd day, back of my hand was also swollen, but gradually the finger swelling reduced.
Woke up 3rd day and all swelling had gone. But could see the marks and I had 7 stings in the same finger! Could have been separate stings, but may have been when removing the gloves.
Still had itching on the 3rd day.... 3 days of antihistamines.
Now, am I brave enough to wear very thin medical type gloves, knowing that if I get stung, it will go in deeper.
I will try them and see, but if I feel a sting, may put the lid back on and re-evaluate. I do not want that swelling and the itching like that again.

 

[JKemp]

Over the past 2 1/2 month I've lost count of how many times I've been stung and, one day I stupidly went up in shorts and a t-shirt and got stung 19 times, it didn't bother me one bit and I've been stung about 13 times since then, I have now bought a better bee suit that I put on everytime, however 4 days ago one got me on the ear and yesterday one got me on the chin, my ear and my chin are both now swollen and very itchy, I don't understand why only these two stings have bothered me as I thought you was either allergic or not, can anyone shed any light on why it's happened now and what the best way forward is?

Many thanks.

I’ve had my bees about the same time.....why are you getting stung so much? I’ve not been stung at all. I wear a jacket/veil (cheap one) and blue nitrile gloves. Treat the bees with respect and they won’t try to sting you?