# Bee stings



## CLSranch (May 15, 2017)

If you become allergic it would should be progressive. Such as they are more swollen and swollen longer than they used to. Last time I got stung (not by a honey bee) it was right between the eyes. I was stacking hay in a barn. finished with that bale then put some of my chew on it. Went back to work never got swollen or really hurt more than a few minutes if that. I was also in that barn for days with another guy who would jump and run and swing at every possibly stinging insect. I had to tell him in my yard ( before I started keeping bee's) STOP swatting at the honey bee's. He's not allergic either.
I wouldn't worry about unless your reactions get worse.
Some people just have an overly drastic reaction for no reason. Yes it hurts. More just uncomfortable. Not going to kill ya or most anybody.

An epipen may useful in case a friend who shows up and doesn't know they are allergic wants to go help you or just look at the neat hives.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

omnimirage said:


> People constantly say....


Well, people are constantly wrong.


----------



## CLSranch (May 15, 2017)

Michael Palmer said:


> Well, people are constantly wrong.


 Short, sweet and true. I LIKE IT.


----------



## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

skip the epipen. Buy a bottle of liquid benedryl to keep in your car when you go out to the hives with a newbee. That can be taken when someone is not sure if they are allergic or not when they get stung for the first or second or tenth time. If you use an epipen, you are supposed to make a trip to the hospital.


----------



## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Everyone is different. Consult a doctor for advice first. It's always nice to share thoughts here but don't stop there.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Get stung often and you'll have no issues with allergy. Wear a suit and gloves and get stung rarely and you are in danger. IMHO


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Ravenseye said:


> Everyone is different. Consult a doctor for advice first. It's always nice to share thoughts here but don't stop there.


Doctors don't know all that much about allergic reactions to bee stings. How and why someone becomes allergic is still a mystery, from what I have seen. Doctors are going to tell you to carry an epipen at all times and to renew them regularly, just in case.

I'd say, be aware and don't panic should you feel differently after being stung.


----------



## Buzz-kill (Aug 23, 2017)

Michael Palmer said:


> Get stung often and you'll have no issues with allergy. Wear a suit and gloves and get stung rarely and you are in danger. IMHO


Very bad advice from a non doctor.


----------



## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> Get stung often and you'll have no issues with allergy. Wear a suit and gloves and get stung rarely and you are in danger. IMHO


I'm in the bees in a t shirt and shorts not because I like to get stung I just sweat way too much and in my experience the more I get stung the less the reaction is.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Buzz-kill said:


> Very bad advice from a non doctor.


Actually he's Michael Palmer, PhD.


----------



## vtbeeguy (Jun 10, 2016)

Buzzkill Michael Palmer has forgotten more about bees than you or I know so unless you have some sort of evidence his advice is bad I would hesitate to criticize what he's saying. But I'm sure one of the internet bee keeping gurus told you otherwise right, problem is most of them spend more time on the internet pushing their agendas than they do keeping bees alive!


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

sqkcrk said:


> Actually he's Michael Palmer, PhD.


----------



## CLSranch (May 15, 2017)

Michael Palmer said:


> Get stung often and you'll have no issues with allergy. Wear a suit and gloves and get stung rarely and you are in danger. IMHO





Buzz-kill said:


> Very bad advice from a non doctor.





Michael Palmer said:


>


 No it's been proven MOSTLY by natural "remedeyers" BUT also by Dr studies as well.
Others may be able to help me out on this that a study was done on bee keepers kids that "of course you don't want your kids stung" so they are in a bee suit while you are not. That those beekeepers kids who never got stung where greatly more allergic to bee stings than a normal person who has never been around bee's. Due to some pheromone always being around beekeepers kids but never getting the other pheromone by not getting stung.
Palmer you may remember better than me.
It had something to do with not coddling beekeepers kids. Because the pheromone is in the wash with the suit etc....

I believe I read it here. And I believe what I said earlier some people just over react.


----------



## CLSranch (May 15, 2017)

I used to pet a dog that went through poison ivy and get it ALL over. Hospitilized twice for head to toe and eyes swollen shut as a kid. Now I don't play in it, but can be near or touching it and get a small rash and some small blisters. I think getting it helped me from not getting it so bad.

BUT there is always that weird thing about allergy's. You could become allergic to something like eating peanut butter your whole life then after 40 you can't. But it's not over night if your worried about YOU needing an epipen.


----------



## rwlaw (May 4, 2009)

Actually MP did a video on it. 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=P0QB96RrGdM
Allergies come and go, I don’t bother with a epi pen, but I do carry a bottle of children’s Benadryl (gets into the bloodstream quicker than the pills) just in case.


----------



## tnmtn (May 27, 2016)

Epipen is very expensive and you need an Rx to get it. And it goes out of date so it has to be replaced. Lots of $$$ for maybe a maybe. My experience is the pain and swelling gets less the more I get stung.

If you are afraid, beekeeping may not be for you because it's going to happen. Before I ever started someone told me to pay attention to what I was doing because I will only get stung if I do something wrong. The bees will teach me.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Buzz-kill said:


> Very bad advice from a non doctor.


You can believe what you want. I've been around bees and beekeepers long enough to have seen some things. I know beekeeper family members, who never got stung, that developed allergy to bee venom. I've known allergic spouses and children that were treated for their allergy...and with what? Bee venom. My daughter the same. I know one child who was treated, became tolerant of bee venom, and worked with his dad in commercial bees. If he took the winter off, band got no stings, he reacted with first stings in the spring. When they moved to Florida for the winter, that never happened again. Now he's in Hawaii keeping bees commercially.

And I've got other ones, too. So, I'm convinced by Mraz and others that have actually worked with bee venom for decades. And with my allergist who knows the same.


----------



## DeanCedar (Sep 28, 2017)

My personal story....In my 30's I took up with honeybees, had a few hives got a few stings no big deal. Then one time I got stung and had an anaphylactic reaction. Let me tell you when you walk into an E.R. and tell them your body is acting differently then it ever has before there's not much waiting time to see a Doctor.
Anyway I went to an allergist afterward so he could tell me what's up. He tested me with increasing doses all afternoon and the results...."inconclusive"! So I carried an epipen for a while but the whole affair gave the gentle hobby of beekeeping a certain aire of doom that I found disagreeable, so I slowly gave them up.
I didn't like life without bees so at age 60 I took them up again. First time stung I took 2 benadryl pronto and drove myself to the clinic, let them know why I was there but didn't ask for help as I had noooo reaction. Just sat for about 45 minutes to be safe and decided it was safe to go. Been stung about 8-10 times since no problem. My G.P. said "all we can say is you're definitely not allergic to something 'till you definitely are." 
So that's my case. Having a few benedryl around the house can't hoit!


----------



## lemmje (Feb 23, 2015)

I watched a M Palmer video about stings a couple years ago -- may be the one linked above -- which cited folks that sounded like they put in the research. I've also had people tell me that after many stings they developed an allergy, so who knows. 

My $0.02 is that over the years my reaction to stings have been less and less. I probably take 20-30 stings a year, and they don't swell much more than mosquito bites anymore, except in the face, that still swells like nobodies business.


----------



## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Michael Palmer said:


> Get stung often and you'll have no issues with allergy. Wear a suit and gloves and get stung rarely and you are in danger. IMHO


That is what I experience, too. I get about 20 stings per day from May to September. Sometimes more (up to 500 stings max) and sometimes less. If there would be a growing susceptibility to bee venom from receiving stings, I would be a candidate. Did not happen...so far. 

What Michael said, is teached by many practicing apitherapists in Europe, including some doctors. Take it not as advice, just rumors. Reality proofs it.


----------



## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

lemmje said:


> I've also had people tell me that after many stings they developed an allergy, so who knows.


What is teached by apitherapists here is, that you develop an allergy if you irregularily get stung. So not the total numbers of stings count, but regularity. Take stings on a regularly basis, and you will be Ok. Usually people who own veils and thick leather gloves develop allergies, even if they get stings from time to time. 

I tell beginner beekeepers to get 100 stings in their first year and they do not react to stings in any way anymore. To sting yourself on purpose, use the outer side of your knee in a ditch. Swap the left and right side. The pain is less in this area and if the sting swells, the ditch prevents the skin to be stretched too much. Good for beginners.


----------



## sebashtionh (Apr 6, 2016)

Dan the bee guy said:


> I'm in the bees in a t shirt and shorts not because I like to get stung I just sweat way too much and in my experience the more I get stung the less the reaction is.


im the same minus the shorts..... in florida summer that bee jacket will cook you and yes i have a vent jacket and an ultra breeze and they both suck in the summer hell here... id rather catch the occasional sting then dehydrate again........


----------



## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Bernhard, can you explain what you mean by "knee in a ditch"? Its the "ditch" that I don't understand. Thanks, J


----------



## larrypeterson (Aug 22, 2015)

Friends,
My family physician, who happens to be a beekeeper, gave me an Rx for 3 ampules of epinephrine. My wife, who is a retired nurse, has the ampules along with syringes just in case. This cost just under $10.00 and it gives me peace of mind just in case'. I have never had a reaction to stings but I do have consirn about guests and visitors that might have a problem. I know she also has a bottle of liquid bebedril, normally used for treating children, for a possible minor reaction. I tend to agree with Michael Palmers take about getting stung on a regular basis. Just because I agree with him doesn't make it so necessarily, but it makes sense to me. I wish you well, LP


----------



## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

For visitors I give them jackets or suits and gloves (either leather or heavier weight nitrile). And I manage their experiences with my bees extremely carefully.

That management is primarily to make sure they have a fun experience and they leave here enchanted by my bugs. But I also do it because I do not want them to be stung.

Although I usually work my bees when alone with much less protection, including gloveless, when I have visitors I wear the same gear they do (except lighter nitrile gloves). I am not about flaunting any bee-goddess cred by being an apparent daredevil. I simply dress them up in beekeeper's clothing as if there was no other way to tend bees - if visitors see me wearing the same gear as I put them in, it makes it seem normal. And then they can relax into the experience of first seeing, then playing with live bees in their hives. 

BTW, I only use freshly washed gear for visitors so they are exposed to a minimum amount latent bee-venom particles. Sticking them in gear that has been used during active work with bees - and not washed since then - would expose them to that issue. So my rule is: visitors are only invited when I have the resources available for them, which means clean gear. (Besides dirty, sweaty gear, not your own, is too gross.)

Nancy


----------



## omnimirage (Aug 31, 2015)

Is squirting down a used suit with a hose sufficient to removing the bee venom, or do I need to use the washing machine?


----------



## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I wash mine in the washing machine, with veils removed and hand washed to protect the netting from hungry zipper-teeth.

Warm, or better, hot water, plus ordinary washing powder (I use Cheer), plus an extra rinse, then line dry in the sun on my Aussie dryer. Removes grime (but not propolis), human sweat and body oil, along with stinger pheromone, and hopefully, bee venom. But this doesn't get them sparkling white, just clean work clothes.

It's remarkable how clean gear seems to keep the bees calmer. And honestly, I feel better in clean gear. 

I collect extra old gear when I can find it offered secondhand; I wash and mend it and add it to my stash. This winter's project is actually sewing some new smocks for myself. I am constantly wishing I had taken (or been offered) shop classes and I could make woodenware and such. I took Homemaking classes, where I learned to sew, so I'm putting those skills to work instead.

ETA: After washing the bee gear in my machines, even though the machines are excellent-rinsing European front loaders, I always do a load or two of utility laundry (shop cloths, dog drying towels, etc.) to make sure any bee venom left from the bee gear isn't going to be re-deposited on my family's clothing or linens in a subsequent load. If necessary, I'll even run an empty cycle, though it makes me nuts to waste the energy.

Nancy


----------



## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

I have people over often, usually just to look, not so much to get into hive. Its on them as far as protection, i have extra veils thats about it. However if you are in a remote location, it may not be a bad idea to atleast have benedryl or an epi-pen available. In my area, bees are really nice most of the year, being stung is not much a concern. 

I wash my suite once a year in a washing machine. I don't notice a difference, except it looks whiter. Lately, ive just been wearing a tulle veil with old long sleeve collared shirt and ballcap. I have a few old work shirts that i rotate, they get washed once BO is bad. Im not concerned about bee venom, more about smell. I don't want to smell bad when i stop at the gas station. I don't react badly to stings and am not stung very often. If I did i would likely not beekeep. The bees don't really sting my upper veil. The gloves get the most stings from accidentally squishing bees. I wear gloves not to prevent stings but to keep my hands clean and free of propolis.


----------



## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> That is what I experience, too. I get about 20 stings per day from May to September. Sometimes more (up to 500 stings max) and sometimes less. If there would be a growing susceptibility to bee venom from receiving stings, I would be a candidate. Did not happen...so far.
> 
> What Michael said, is teached by many practicing apitherapists in Europe, including some doctors. Take it not as advice, just rumors. Reality proofs it.


Bernhard - do you realise that you kill about a hive of bees a season? Get a beesuit and save those bees, please.


----------



## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

omnimirage said:


> It seems like most people deem bee stings to be quite a bad thing. If I express that I've been stung twenty or more times, people have told me to go see a doctor asap "just in case". People constantly say that, just because I'm not allergic now, doesn't mean I won't develop one and have an allergic reaction soon, that the more I'm stung the more likely I am to become allergic. Those who haven't been stung are often very fearful of bees because "they don't know if they're allergic or not".
> 
> Are bee stings more dangerous than I think? Is it risky to take someone who hasn't been stung by a bee before, over an hour away from a hospital? Should I get myself some sort of epipen? Or maybe some sort of lotion to put on fresh beestings?


After reading all the responses are you any wiser? For me - I'm more confused than ever


----------



## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

max2 said:


> I'm more confused than ever


Did you read my post?


----------



## omnimirage (Aug 31, 2015)

Sometimes confusion is what precedes learning. I picked up on some useful things but yeah nothing necessarily conclusive.


----------



## roberto487 (Sep 22, 2012)

Okay. A bee sting reaction where your can suffocate is what I consider an allergic reaction. A bee sting where the sting area gets swollen, I don't consider it an allergic reaction. No need to go the doctor to have your wallet milked. If it is swollen just dab a bit of vapor rub or other menthol product. Very cheap and effective.


----------

