Bee stings

[Lee28]

Hi everyone just wondering what you all recommend for stings. I’m new to bee keeping and been stung a few times ( comes with the territory I suppose ) and wanted to see if anyone has any ideas to keep the swelling down.

 

[madasafish]

Sting and Bite Cream. From Sainsbury ,Asda etc. 1% (or 2%?) hydrocortisone cream.
Works a treat.
approx £2.50 a tube.

Reduces pain and swelling.

 

[Lee28]

Sting and Bite Cream. From Sainsbury ,Asda etc. 1% (or 2%?) hydrocortisone cream.
Works a treat.
approx £2.50 a tube.

Reduces pain and swelling.

Thank you I’ll give it a try

 

[Apiarisnt]

If you feel like throwing your money around then Piriton. Otherwise buy generic Chlorphenamine which is identical and a small fraction of the price, and easily available from online pharmacies. It works very fast ( I won't bore you with all the details, but it is to do with its ability to cross the blood brain barrier owing to lipid solubility)

But...

It is one of the early anithistamines, and causes drowsiness, so the usual warnings about not driving etcetera

I always have a few in my beesuit - just in case

 

[viridens]

With time and more stings you will hopefully develop immunity and suffer progressively less swelling.

 

[Apiarisnt]

With time and more stings you will hopefully develop immunity and suffer progressively less swelling.

...or the opposite. After many decades of stings, the wife of a local commercial beekeeper near here suddenly developed an allergy bordering on the anaphalactic. He has had to dramatically downsize as most of his hives were on the farm and close to the fasrmhouse. I now supply the local shop

 

[Ian123]

...or the opposite. After many decades of stings, the wife of a local commercial beekeeper near here suddenly developed an allergy bordering on the anaphalactic. He has had to dramatically downsize as most of his hives were on the farm and close to the fasrmhouse. I now supply the local shop

That happens more than you’d think.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi everyone just wondering what you all recommend for stings.

Agressive bees work well
or try poking a wasp nest with a short stick

 

[Erichalfbee]

I used Apis Mel in my first couple of seasons. Carried a tube around in my suit pocket. As soon as I was stung I took one
Stings have little effect years later.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Agressive bees work well
or try poking a wasp nest with a short stick

Or the vegan solution grasp a nettle (preferably one that has grown in a grenhouse as they seem much more potent)

 

[Norton Caff]

Everyone is different. Antihistamine doesn't work for me at all. Neither does using hydrocortisone cream. I have found hot water, as per the way for treating victims of the dreaded weaver fish. is my best solution. It stops the itching for a few hours and allows some peace and even sleep. My reactivity has remained the same over the years. I get very itchy swelling lasting about a week or so until the swelling subsides but the itching continues for a little longer. As I say some people hardly react, it's the same with gnat bites. Some folk hardly notice them and others suffer greatly (me!!) Everyone seems to have different remedies. It's worth trying alternatives if one thing doesn't work, try another.

 

[BugsInABox]

The no on drowsy antihistamines should work just as well as the bee sting reaction is a histamine one. Don't waste money on a brand - just get a generic non drwosy antihistamine. They work best taken quickly.

 

[Chiangmai member]

Here in Thailand we grow Clinacanthus nutans bushes around the apiary. The plant is used traditionally for treating skin rashes, insects and snake bites. A few leaves plucked from the bush and rubbed on the sting site is all that's needed. The plant probably wouldn't survive a UK winter outside but might be ok in greenhouses and moved out for the summer.

 

[Frenchie]

I react very badly to being stung, doesn't happen to often as I wear a lot of protective clothing. Excessive swelling and the dreaded itching is normal for me. My Wife is the exact opposite, small red mark and minimal itching. I have been tested and was told that I'am over sensitive and thus the reaction. Have tried most remedies without success,but putting honey on the sting does reduce the itching.

 

[Nannysbees]

Here in Thailand we grow Clinacanthus nutans bushes around the apiary. The plant is used traditionally for treating skin rashes, insects and snake bites. A few leaves plucked from the bush and rubbed on the sting site is all that's needed. The plant probably wouldn't survive a UK winter outside but might be ok in greenhouses and moved out for the summer.

That works on snake bites?????

 

[Nannysbees]

Touch wood at the moment not much of a reaction to a sting only had one so far on the inside of my finger, wow was like a hot needle going in, worse thing was I knew a bee had died because of it

 

[abm]

Toothpaste works for me, the sooner the better.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

As it takes a little while for antihistamines to work, you might take one before-hand if you are unduly concerned. Boots and Poundland sell them cheaply as over-the counter drugs.

It goes without saying that no one here can give medical advice so a pharmacist or doctor should be consulted if your symptoms are anything but very mild.

 

[pargyle]

Firstly, the critical thing is to get the sting out - scraping it off the skin with edge of the hive tool or a knife blade (avoiding squeezing the venom sac which is usually attached). Immediately, then take a couple of antihistamines - I prefer Loratadine as they are non drowsy - I get hay fever and I've always got some about but I keep a pack in my bee box as well. Then copious application of one of the branded sting ointments - I use Anthisan which seems to work very well (again, I keep a tube in my bee box).

The key is very much to act quickly. I've found that I've built a reasonable resistance to stings on my hands and arms and there is very little reaction but I got one on the eyebrow last season and that did swell up a bit despite immediate attention as above.

If you keep bees you are going to get stung at some point and there will normally be some reaction, swelling, pain, itching - what is important is that you note anything unusual after being stung .. shortage of breath, swelling in other places, dizziness or feeling faint, clammy skin, skin rash, increased heart beat and/or wheezing. Even a serious feeling of anxiety or confusion can be an indicator - any of these in isolation or altogether can be symptoms of anaphylactic shock and you may need immediate medical assistance.

If you have a remote apiary and work on your own then you need to let people know where you are and when you expect to return. You need to have a mobile phone with you. The emergency services are now using What3Words as a means of locating the caller - everyone should have this app installed and have note of the Three words that identify your out apiaries in case of an emergency.

We all think that any such emergency will not happen to us ... with any luck it won't but that should not stop us from being prepared. Even when you have not experienced serious effects from bee stings in the past it is not unheard of for beekeepers to find that, after years of keeping bees, their susceptibility changes. New beekeepers should ensure that they get stung (in the presence of other people) before they commit to keeping bees on their own.

https://what3words.com/products/what3words-app/

 

[BeeJam]

A (now-retired) GP member of our association recommended over the counter anti-histamines taken in advance (so they are in your system before you get stung) cetrizine was the one he recommended as its non-drowsy. Touch wood, I've not been so bad in recent seasons - oddly I used to find that stings in my right hand reacted worse than stings in my left hand (possibly due to the fact I'm right handed it would take me longer to transfer my hive tool to my left hand to remove the sting)