Bee Sting Treatment

Bee Sting Treatment
By Marcia Mcwhite

Bee stings can be extremely agonizing and in a few instances, even fatal. Bees inject poison from a stinger under the skin of the individual they sting. Unlike wasps that have stingers that withdraw after stinging, bees have barbed stingers that remain in the skin. The barb has a venom sack attached that can go on to inject poison for up to 3 minutes if it is not removed. Roughly 3% of the persons stung by bees experience an allergic reaction and just around 0.8% have an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Individuals who are not allergic to bee stings will experience swelling and itching at and near the area they were stung. The skin will become red and very painful. These reactions may last for up to seven days. If there is an allergic reaction, hives, redness and swelling can form all over the body. Victims can also experience swelling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and imbalance.

Individuals suffering from an anaphylactic reaction may experience difficulty breathing, and a drop in blood pressure that will lead to shock if not treated immediately. 50 persons die each year from such reactions to bee stings. Anaphylactic reactions will occur within a few minutes of the actual sting. If someone who is allergic is stung more than once, their reaction will worsen each time.

What to do if you are stung by a bee:

1. Get away from the area where you were stung as bee stings liberate pheromones that cause other bees that are close by to attack.

2. Call an emergency medical service if you know you are allergic to bee stings or if you experience any of the signs described in persons having an allergic reaction. Watch all victims closely for signs of anaphylaxis.

3. Check whether the stinger is still in your skin and remove it – it will look like a small black dot. It is recommended that you use a flat object such as a credit card to scrape away the stinger as pinching may cause more poison to enter the victim. The faster the bee stinger is removed, the less severe the reaction may be.

4. Put ice on the sting to reduce swelling.

5. Clean the area and apply hydrocortisone cream to lessen the severity of the reaction. It is recommended that a combination of baking soda and water can also be used. Either of these will break down the venom**

6. Take an antihistamine, use calamine lotion and painkillers to stop itching and swelling

**Bee venom is acidic, the mixture of baking soda and water is meant to neutralize the venom. Neutralization is unlikely because the venom is under the skin and in the tissues of the body and cannot be affected by an alkaline solution is placed on the surface of the skin.

Please visit these links for more information on Bee Sting Treatment: Bee Sting Treatment – I and Bee Sting Treatment – II.

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