Ouch

[Cellectronic]

I have had 4 bee stings now in 12 months and each time the reaction seems worse.Last week I was near the hive (no suite ) and one went up my sleeve and lightly stung my arm , which felt like a nettle sting. next day my whole arm and hand had swollen and looked like it was about to burst open !! A visit to the doc's and I was put on steroids and anti-histermine for 5 days.
The next sting will be interesting !!! But I wont be taking any chances I will be wearing my suite. I wondered if else had a similar case ?

 

[always weeding]

HI,
i had about 6 stings last year and every time my reaction to the sting was worse.

 

[rolande]

might appear a little off topic at first, but...

I always remember a quote from a sports science manual which I read while still a teenager that went something like this:

"the difference between a jogger and a runner is that if the Doctor tells them they're going to die if they don't give up the jogger will stop, but the runner will go straight out and do 5 miles".

If you're concerned that your sting reactions are getting worse it may be a good time to assess whether keeping bees is worth the effort.

 

[Tom Bick]

I have had 4 bee stings now in 12 months and each time the reaction seems worse.Last week I was near the hive (no suite ) and one went up my sleeve and lightly stung my arm , which felt like a nettle sting. next day my whole arm and hand had swollen and looked like it was about to burst open !! A visit to the doc's and I was put on steroids and anti-histermine for 5 days.
The next sting will be interesting !!! But I wont be taking any chances I will be wearing my suite. I wondered if else had a similar case ?

Through out my life I have always reacted to insect bites I have good memories of what midges and horse flies did to me as a child not a good look.

So when I took up beekeeping I was apprehensive and for the first two years each sting became worse than the previous but then they started to diminish and now they are considerably reduced and if I get a sting on the hand I don’t swell up as though I have slammed it in the car door several times as I did previously.

As I only had server localised swelling and the occasional blister I was not so concerned and it was similar to previous insect bites over the years, but I did worry that if I started with other symptoms it may be more serious and the thought of anaphylactic shock played on my mind for a while.

I hope that your experience will be similar to me but be wary and don’t take any chances keep yourself covered up.

 

[o.stjohn]

If you're concerned that your sting reactions are getting worse it may be a good time to assess whether keeping bees is worth the effort.

Good point - suddenly the pleasure is no longer outweighed by the pain!

 

[Beauhawk]

I recently attended a club discussion regarding stings etc and very interesting it was.

The basic recommendation was to carry an epi-pen especially if you tend to your bees on your own. Also good if you have visitors to your hives as they may have no idea about their own susceptibility to bee stings.

 

[Cellectronic]

Through out my life I have always reacted to insect bites I have good memories of what midges and horse flies did to me as a child not a good look.

Yes I had the same reaction, Still do too and always take insect repellent when I go camping. I am hoping they will diminish as you say.
I will live and die a beekeeper, There is no going back now I am addicted to them !!

 

[enrico]

It took me years to start getting 'lesser' reactions, hence my advice to always wear a bomb proof suit! If you start worrying about stings your confidence plumits. If you are pretty certain you can't get stung te enjoyment returns!
E

 

[Finman]

.
My neighbour beekeeper is so sensitive that after every sting he must look, if he must go to hospital.
he has 30 hives.

Cellectronic. You have one hive, and it is not end life if you give up beekeeping. There is a risk that some accident happens and you get tens of stings. It will be serious.

 

[northernsoul]

It's supposed to be a hobby!

Not worth dying for surely

 

[itma]

...
The next sting will be interesting !!! But I wont be taking any chances I will be wearing my suite.

Not wearing a suit (or at minimum a veil and fully-covering clothes) is asking for trouble.
It would be nicer if British bees were less defensive, but accept the reality of the situation.
Because your reactions are becoming stronger, having a 'bee-buddy' around when you tend the bees the next few times would make a great deal of sense.

...
If you're concerned that your sting reactions are getting worse it may be a good time to assess whether keeping bees is worth the effort.

If your reaction does become severe, you can get "desensitisation therapy" (a long course of injections) on the NHS. See the recent thread recording DPearce's treatment experience - quite a ride, but with a highly successful outcome.

I recently attended a club discussion regarding stings etc and very interesting it was.

The basic recommendation was to carry an epi-pen especially if you tend to your bees on your own. ...

Daft advice.
ALWAYS make sure someone knows where you are and what you are up to.
Carry your mobile in an accessible (outer) pocket.
And (only) if you have been prescribed an EpiPen carry it with you in an outer pocket, and explain about it to any companion(s).
EpiPens are NOT a general recommendation.
But making sure that you can get help (should it be needed) is a universal recommendation.

... my advice to always wear a bomb proof suit! If you start worrying about stings your confidence plumits. If you are pretty certain you can't get stung te enjoyment returns!
E

A good suit is the best investment a beginner can make.
You must have full confidence in it, so that you don't have your mind cluttered by the prospect of being stung, and can enjoy your beekeeping.

 

[o.stjohn]

...The basic recommendation was to carry an epi-pen especially if you tend to your bees on your own. Also good if you have visitors to your hives as they may have no idea about their own susceptibility to bee stings.

Was the recommendation to carry an epi-pen if a doctor thought you needed it and it had been prescribed?

Giving another person a prescription-only drug that's not theirs is asking for trouble. Red Cross and St John's Ambulance have only just started giving Aspirin for stroke and heart attack victims!

 

[BeeJayBee]

I have had 4 bee stings now in 12 months and each time the reaction seems worse.Last week I was near the hive (no suite ) and one went up my sleeve and lightly stung my arm , which felt like a nettle sting. next day my whole arm and hand had swollen and looked like it was about to burst open !! A visit to the doc's and I was put on steroids and anti-histermine for 5 days.
The next sting will be interesting !!! But I wont be taking any chances I will be wearing my suite. I wondered if else had a similar case ?

I agree with what others have said about not routinely wearing some sort of protective clothing.

Have you tried taking an over-the-counter antihistamine before opening a hive? It might make a lot of difference.

 

[Cellectronic]

I have held a Blackbelt in kickboxing ( also am an instructor) for several years, So I am used to a bit of pain !!

 

[Cellectronic]

Doctor recommended to do my best not to get stung, That was all.

 

[Swarm]

I have held a Blackbelt in kickboxing ( also am an instructor) for several years, So I am used to a bit of pain !!

There is a little bit more than pain involved.

 

[Cellectronic]

Yes, I will well suited up and there is always someone a minute or two away so I am not on my own when tending my hive. If I do get stung again I will stay with someone so they can make sure I am ok.

 

[Moggett]

Normal bee suits are not sting proof. Mine is a good make and recommended by my association when I first started, and was the type the local bee inspector wore. One colony a few years ago stung my arms about 6-10 times through the suit whilst I was moving a BB. This year a bee went up the arm of my (rubber) glove and got me on the wrist (I now wear wristbands again since that).

As others have said make sure you have someone with you who can raise the alarm if you have a bad reaction.

 

[MattC]

As always, the important distinction with reactions is local vs generalised. So a big swollen arm after a sting on the same arm may look dramatic and be very uncomfortable, but is ultimately less concerning than if there is mild itching over the whole body and/or rash well away from the sting, or feeling faint/headache etc. The point being, even mild generalised reactions are more likely to progress to anaphylaxis- which is a life threatening generalised reaction- with subsequent stings.

Which is not to say you should always ignore local reactions, eg severe ones on face/neck etc may still need urgent medical attention, or if redness/pain persists longer than usual it may indicate infection, or if particularly severe etc etc. But in many cases you can get away with taking an antihistamine next time and keeping an eye on things. While a beekeeper with generalised reactions of any kind definitely needs medical attention at some point (often sooner rather than later).

Also worth remembering that a series of increasingly bad local reactions to stings may progress on to a generalised reaction down the line...

 

[thedaidai]

a beek I know takes a flask of very hot water with her during inspections. she holds a cotton wool pad soaked with very hot water against the sting. the theory is that this "boils" the proteins in the venom, thus changing their make-up and reducing the effect of the sting