I seem to be one of the people who swell up quite a lot after being stung. My concern is what if I got stung on my throat or mouth it would restrict my breathing. My wife is nagging me to get rid of the bees as she is a bit of a worrier. Anyone had any experience of being stung in these areas?
I really don't want to get rid of my bees!
You often find that the first few stings you take (between 5 and 50 depending on your own ability to build up immunity) are the worst ones for swelling and itching and taking days to go down but, for most people, stings on places like hands and arms and legs tend to be less troublesome.
But ... what you need to be aware of is if you are experiencing any symptoms outside of the immediate area of the sting - shortage of breath, heart racing, feeling faint or sick can be pre-cursors to anyphylaxis. Fortunately, it's only a percentage of people that suffer severe allergic reactions and the likelihood is that what you are experiencing is pretty much the 'norm'.
I get very little reaction to stings on my hands and arms but ...
I've been stung on the nose, lip and forehead, on one occasion I took two this year - one on my eyebrow and at the same time one on my eyelid, all these resulted in pretty spectacular facial swelling but it didn't affect any internal ability to breath or swallow. The one on the lip made drinking from a cup or glass a bit messy and the ones on my eye resulted in both eyes being almost completely closed up - but, over 24 hours or so it all seems to go down.
The key to it is to be aware of the level of reaction you experience and any sting that makes you feel ill ... and you will know you are feeling ill ... then close up the hive and get to somewhere where help is on hand and let them know what has happened.
Most of the stings I've taken have been my own stupid fault - clumsy handling, fiddling with them without bothering to suit up, handling other people's bees that are not as cooperative as mine, or just finding the odd 'guard bee' that was a bit overzealous in her role. It happens, if you play with 30,000 or so stinging insects then the odds are you will get stung occasionally.
A good suit, welly/muck boots with trousers tucked in, marigolds with nitriles over the top (Duct tape around the cuffs if your bees are 'crawlers') and everything well zipped up and bee tight - a thin towel scarf around the neck and a long sleeved shirt and long trousers under the suit if stings are getting through ... all help.
But ... best of all ... keep bees that are calm and not excessively protective and treat them gently, gauge their reaction to smoke - some don't like it - try a water mist instead or a hive cloth to keep them in the hive and if they are having an 'off' day - accept it and close them up - you are a hobbyist - there will be other days to inspect. Learn to read your bees mood ... if you are taking stings regularly then change something you are doing. Bees are very sensitive to smells, ripe bananas drive them mad, mine are not too keen on garlic breath or aftershave (I don't wear afterhave when inspecting but a friend who wanted to see my bees got badly buzzed by them although they didn't sting him - only thing different between me and him - strong smell of aftershave !).
So ... Don't worry unduly - my family were very bee averse but as time has gone on and they realise that they don't sting unnecessarily (and when they do - it's usually me !) they have relaxed a lot.
