First sting

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I took a swig of beer in a bottle - momentary lapse in concentration. The wasp sting on my upper lip brought back focus very rapidly. Swollen and throbbed for days. Give me a bee sting any day.
I did the same with a can of pop, little bugger stung me on the tonsil, the entire side of my head hurt for hours. I , to this day, only drink outside from something I can see into.
 
Some of the most painful stings I've had happened when picking up what looked like a long dead, slightly squashed bee from a frame during extraction. (As an aside: I don't wear gloves when extracting but wash hands constantly, like chefs.)
 
First exposure preps the immune system ( like a vaccine if you like) the system can over react which is why you can get an allergic response that become anaphylactic if severe.
Apologies to any doctors here

No need to apologise - your patients presumably suffer anaphylaxis too?
 
Not often if I recall. I don’t think I ever diagnosed it. Perhaps @Wilco can shed some light.
In med school we occasionally shared lectures with the vets, but I can't remember which lectures. Maybe embryology, physiology, histology, pharmacology, immunology? At other times the vets went their own way, doubtless studying the wonders of the ruminant stomach......
 
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Allergies are much less frequent in people whom grow up on farms, one theory is that it is due to exposure to possible allergens very early or even in the uterus. Lots of contact with soil etc. On this basis our animals may have a lower allergy rate.
 
Severity of stings vary.

Mostly I get stung on the fingers/hands (I wear gloves). Sometimes straightaway the sting isn’t too sore, but they can be the ones that give you a lot of swelling or itching later.

Then you get the “AOOWWW!” stings, but they can fade quickly and don’t give bother later.

Strangely though, I got stung by a clag/horsefly a couple weeks ago, and my finger and hand swelled up probably as bad as any bee sting I’ve had. They are hateful b.......!!!
 
I've only had one sting (so far...) this whole year! Definitely an anomaly, as there's usually ten times that, mostly to the fingers when I don't realise I'm accidentally squishing a bee while picking up a frame. :rolleyes: Mind you, the one sting I did have was to my cheek, through my veil, so it was a lucky hit ;)
 

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