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Home Remedies For Bee Stings

Updated on July 25, 2013
Bee Stings Can Be Quite Painful And Even Life Threatening To People Allergic To Bee Stings
Bee Stings Can Be Quite Painful And Even Life Threatening To People Allergic To Bee Stings | Source
Here is a photo of a Queen Wasp's Stinger.
Here is a photo of a Queen Wasp's Stinger. | Source

Bee Stings Can Be Dangerous

Strictly speaking a bee sting is a sting from a honey bee, bumble bee, or sweat bee but most people also include stings from yellow jackets, wasps, and hornets as bee stings. All can be very painful and to some people even potentially deadly. If you know or suspect you are allergic to bee stings you should discuss this with your doctor so you can be provided with a epiPen in case you have a anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting. When a honey bee stings you it releases pheromones which signal other honey bees in the area to attack also. So if you are stung walk calmly out of the area where you were stung and then remove the stinger. If you are stung multiple times you should go to your nearest emergency room even if you are not usually allergic to bee stings.

When a honey bee stings a person it can't pull the stinger back out. It leaves it behind but it also leaves behind part of its abdomen and digestive tract. The honey bee is the only bee that dies after it stings you.

The first step to treating a bee sting is to remove the bee stinger. You can usually brush it away or remove it with tweezers. Once the stinger is removed you can usually get relief with a cold compress.

Never approach swarming honey bees. If you see a large clump of honey bees hanging in a tree slowly move away and call the police. They will know who to call to remove the bees.

Other methods of treating bee stings include garlic, aspirin paste, tobacco paste, toothpaste, and onion. Some people even claim you can hold a copper penny against the sting site and get relief. The methods I have tried that worked the best have been ice in a bag wrapped in a towel and cold compresses.

Never try to treat anyone with bee allergies yourself. If they have a epi pen have them to use it but always call 911. A person with an allergy to bee stings can get in trouble very quickly.


Home Remedies For Bee Stings

First of all let me start here by warning anyone who is allergic to bee stings to never try to treat bee stings yourself. If you know your allergic to bee stings or even suspect that you are seek medical help at once if you are stung by a bee, wasp, or hornet. Go at once to your nearest emergency room and seek immediate medical assistance.

If your not allergic to bee stings I think you'll find that ice is the best thing for a bee sting. But first of all you'll want to be sure that a stinger was not left behind when the bee stung you. If it was use the side of a credit card to scrape the stinger away or carefully remove it with a pair of tweezers.

Once you have the stinger removed put some ice in a plastic bag and wrap it in a towel. Apply the ice to the area where you got stung. But keep in mind that you don't want to apply ice to any part of your skin for over twenty minutes. After you apply the ice you can carefully wash the area of the sting with warm soap and water and apply anti bacterial ointment.

The ice slows the blood flow to the area where you were just stung and also reduces the pain. It also helps to keep down any swelling. But don't forget that you don't want to apply ice to your skin for long periods of time.

Again let me caution you. Even if you are not allergic to bee stings and you are stung multiple times you should go to the nearest hospital emergency room as multiple stings can be dangerous to a person even if they are not allergic to bee stings. The best advise is if you are ever in doubt seek medical attention. Its always best to be safe rather than sorry.

Vinegar Paste For Bee Stings

You can mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar, powdered meat tenderizer, and baking soda and make a very effective treatment for bee stings. The vinegar neutralizes the effect of the venom in the bee sting and as it evaporates it will produce a cooling effect that will bring relief to the pain.

In most people the vinegar paste is a very effective treatment and should bring almost immediate relief. However if you have any type of allergic reaction to the vinegar paste wash it off at once.

A Bee Sting Still In A Finger
A Bee Sting Still In A Finger
After The Bee Stinger Has Been Removed
After The Bee Stinger Has Been Removed
The Area Of A Bee Sting 24 Hours Later
The Area Of A Bee Sting 24 Hours Later

More Bee Sting Information

Some people find that a bee sting will be painful for several hours after a bee sting. It may itch and burn for up to a week. You should not scratch the area of the sting as this will only make matters worse. You can apply antibiotic ointment to the area and this should bring relief.

If a person is allergic to bee stings they must receive medical attention or the person can go into shock from the bee sting reaction and die. Usually people who are allergic have a epiPen provided by their doctor. If you know or suspect that you or a person with you is stung by a bee and they are allergic to bee stings use the epiPen if one is available and go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Hornet Stings

Hornet Stings are much more painful to humans than honeybee stings. A hornet sting contains a large amount of acetylcholine. Hornets unlike honey bees can sting you multiple times and a hornet can also deliver painful bites. The sting of the giant Asian Hornet is the most venomous.

Use extreme care around a hornets nest. If you kill a hornet near its nest you can trigger an attack by the entire nest. If you have a hornet nest the best thing to do is to call a professional exterminator. If you receive multiple hornet stings you will need to seek medical help.

Hornets usually prey on insects and usually will only feed on live insects. Honey Bees are one of the insects hornets prey on.

Yellow Jackets

Yellow Jackets are very aggressive and they are attracted to human food and human food waste. In the autumn especially yellow jackets can be very aggressive and they will guard their nests most of the time built in the ground. If you are mowing grass and you know there have been yellow jacket nests in the area before you should walk over the yard and check for yellow jacket nests before you mow grass. If you spot yellow jackets flying around stay away and call a professional exterminator to get the yellow jackets out of your yard. In the early summer you can hang yellow jacket traps around your yard and you will have far fewer yellow jacket problems. Start out by hanging your yellow jacket traps out as early as possible to make sure that you destroy all the yellow jackets possible.

If you receive several yellow jacket stings walk quickly out of the area where they are and go to your nearest emergency room and tell them you have received several yellow jacket stings.

People are often attacked by yellow jackets when they are mowing their yard. Be sure to watch for yellow jackets flying up out of their nest and I almost always call in the professionals to get rid of yellow jacket nests. As hard as it may be try not to run or more of the yellow jackets may come out of the nest to attack you. If your stung and you know your allergic use your prescribed medication and call 911. Never take a chance. Seek help and then if you're okay everything will be fine. If you know there is a yellow jacket nest or more than one in your yard call a professional exterminator to take care of the yellow jackets.

Thomas Byers aka Crazyhorsesghost has been writing at Hub Pages for over six years and he writes on various subjects. Be sure to check out more of his Hub Pages.
Thomas Byers aka Crazyhorsesghost has been writing at Hub Pages for over six years and he writes on various subjects. Be sure to check out more of his Hub Pages. | Source
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