4 Tips for Dealing with a Bee Sting
As spring comes ever closer, the natural world gradually comes back to life with warmer temperatures, blooming plants, and, of course, bugs. Bees are a sure sign of spring—and the flowers and honey to come—but a bee sting can be a painful experience. For your safety and peace of mind, here are four tips for dealing with a bee sting.
Stay Calm
This is a crucial step, especially if you’re helping a child with a bee sting. Don’t panic, keep a clear head, and keep your actions calm and composed. Most bees can only sting once, but you might be near a hive or nest. One of the reasons bees sting people is to defend their homes, so be sure to calmly move away from the area so that they no longer view you as a threat. If you do see other bees in the area, leave them alone and focus on moving to a safe place.
Remove the Stinger
One of the most important tips for dealing with a bee sting is to remove the stinger as quickly as possible so that it doesn’t continue to release venom. Try to avoid pinching it with tweezers or your fingers, as this will release more venom and cause more pain and swelling. Instead, use your fingernail, a piece of gauze, or a flat surface such as a credit card to scrape the stinger out of the skin. Once it’s out, wash the area with soap and water. You can also put hydrocortisone cream over the area to relieve itchiness and swelling.
Look for Allergic Reaction
Bee stings are painful, but they aren’t usually dangerous unless you’re allergic to the venom. It’s important to know the signs of an allergic reaction so that you can take action as soon as possible. If the sting causes nausea, hives, dizziness, or difficulty breathing, you might be having an allergic reaction. Keep an eye on the swelling, too. It’s normal for the sting site to swell up, but if the swelling moves to other parts of the body—particularly the face and neck—then you should call 911 or visit an emergency room.
Relieve Pain
Right after the sting, you can apply an ice pack to the site to reduce swelling. If you don’t have an allergic reaction, the symptoms should disappear after a few days. In the meantime, you can relieve some of the pain with over-the-counter painkillers or hydrocortisone cream. Of course, you should always follow the instructions on the label and consult your doctor about taking medications.
Why does it itches so bad n it has a big red bump
Why does mine itch so badly and is so small but has spread and is all red on he bottom of my foot? I stepped on it by accident and it is so sore😦
mine is on my chest and it is is a little red bump, around it is a white circle and around the white circle it is red and it itches really bad.
Got stung by wasp at 7:30am on 9/7/21. Pain gradually subsided, and was totally gone in 12 hours. Then the itching began. It’s been 36hrs since initial sting, and the itching is maddening. About a 4” red blotch, that comes and goes, but the intense itching is constant. Ice pack is only thing that stops it briefly.
Unfortunately I can’t hold an ice pack against my arm while working.
Will itching and redness go away soon? Getting concerned. Feel great otherwise.
As I used to keep bees, from experience after a bee sting use honey over the sting site.
The honey neutralizes the poison, reduces swelling and sting retracts it’s barbs.
Why does the photo show (I assume) some sort of onion related treatment?
Although not mentioned in the actual article (sent in by a reader), onions are known to reduce swelling and relieve pain when applied directly to a bee or wasp sting.