Bee stings

Bee stings

All beekeepers will get stung at some stage despite wearing

the best personal protective equipment available. There are no exceptions

The following information about the effects of stings was

supplied by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology

and Allergy

Most people are not allergic to stings. The normal reaction is for some local pain for about ten minutes and some local swelling for a day or two. Occasionally the person stung may be sensitive to stings. Extensive swelling or redness may occur over a localised area; a generalized rash may also develop. In extreme cases, breathing may become difficult and the person may become  very  weak

This is an emergency and urgent medical treatment is

required. Even if the reaction is self-limited, people should

seek medical advice regarding future stings” Most beekeepers have found that the first few stings will cause a ‘local reaction’ of swelling and discomfort. Usually, this reaction becomes less as more stings are received over time. Eventually, the stings cause little or no local reaction apart from pain. However, this is not true for everyone. For some people, the reaction increases as more stings are received. These people should not keep bees without medical advice

When beginning in beekeeping, it is important to have

another person present to watch for any indication of an

adverse reaction to stings. The person should be able to get

medical help for you if it is needed. Joining a beekeeping

club where beginners are able to open hives and handle

bees under guidance of an experienced beekeeper is

recommended. Attendance at beekeeping field days and

short courses is also a good idea

The sting of the bee is located at the tip of the abdomen

When the bee stings, the abdomen is bent and thrust

downwards and the shaft of the sting enters the victim

The barbs on the shaft prevent the bee from withdrawing

the sting. After a brief struggle it tears itself free of the sting

mechanism and flies away.

After successfully inserting its sting this bee has not yet broken free

© Kathy Keatley Garvey. Used with permission

Muscles in the detached sting continue to drive the sting

deeper into the skin and at the same time more venom is

pumped from the poison sac into the victim. Remove the

sting as quickly as possible. A delay in removing the sting

will increase the amount of venom injected

Research reported in the medical journal, The Lancet, in

1996, pointed out that the method used to remove the sting

did not seem to affect the quantity of venom received. It was

more important to get the sting out as quickly as possible

in order to minimize the amount of venom. It was previously

believed that squeezing the poison sac would cause most, if

not all, of the poison to be received by the victim

A sting may be removed by scraping it out using a finger nail

or by rubbing it off on one’s clothing

The best approach is to avoid stings. There are indications

that some beekeepers with long term excessive stinging

may have become dangerously allergic to bee venom