Lesson 2: Stings
What's normal, what's an emergency, and how to get stung less
Anyone who keeps bees will get stung sometimes. It's worth thinking about that honestly before you start. The good news: you can cut stings down a great deal, and for almost everyone a sting is painful but not dangerous. This lesson shows you how to tell a normal reaction from an emergency, and what to do in each case.
A normal reaction
A bee sting causes sharp pain at the spot, then redness and swelling. The area may feel hot or itchy. This is a normal reaction. On its own it does not mean you're allergic.
Normal swelling can be surprisingly big. If you're stung on a finger, your arm may swell as far as the elbow. That's fairly common, even though it can look alarming. Normal swelling can last up to a few days, and the spot may itch while it heals. A cold compress helps with the pain.
Many beekeepers find that, over time, they no longer redden or swell much when stung. (It still hurts!)
An allergic reaction: get medical care
Allergic reactions range from mild to severe. If you think you're having an allergic reaction, get medical care. Symptoms can start right after the sting or up to about 30 minutes later, and can last for hours. Watch for:
- hives or swelling away from the sting: for example, stung on the left hand but the right hand or neck swells;
- feeling sick to your stomach or lightheaded;
- stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea;
- low blood pressure.
Oral antihistamines can help ease symptoms, but they don't replace seeing a doctor when a reaction is spreading.
Anaphylaxis: call 911
A few people are truly allergic to bee venom. Less than 1% of people have the most serious reaction, called anaphylaxis. It usually starts within minutes, even seconds, of the sting. Signs include:
- swelling of the mouth or throat,
- shortness of breath or trouble breathing,
- trouble swallowing,
- shock or passing out.
This is an emergency. Call 911 and get medical help immediately. Anaphylaxis treated in time can usually be reversed with an injection of epinephrine (adrenaline). People who know they're allergic to stings should carry an epinephrine auto-injector or sting kit, prescribed by a doctor, whenever they might meet stinging insects, and shouldn't work bees alone.
Take the stinger out the right way
When a honey bee stings, it leaves its stinger and venom sac in your skin, and the stinger keeps pumping venom for a short time. Get it out quickly by scraping it sideways with a fingernail, your hive tool or the edge of a card.
Don't pull it out with your fingers or tweezers. Squeezing the venom sac pushes more venom into your skin.
How to get stung less
Experienced beekeepers can work huge numbers of bees and get very few stings. The main ways they do it:
- Gentle bees. Colonies headed by gentle, commercially raised queens sting far less (lesson 15).
- A veil, and protective clothing until you're experienced (lesson 20). Light colors are best; bees target dark, furry or leathery things, like the bears and skunks that raid their nests.
- Use your smoker (lessons 21 and 32).
- Handle bees gently. Slow, calm movements; don't crush bees. Crushed bees give off a smell that brings more bees.
- Skip strong scents. Bees communicate with smells and are very sensitive to them. Avoid strongly scented shampoos, soaps and perfumes before working bees.
- Watch the noise. Vibration and loud noise from mowers, weed eaters, chain saws and generators alarm bees. Look around before running noisy equipment near hives.
If you're chased by angry bees
It's rare with managed hives, but if a lot of bees come after you:
- Walk or run away to a car or building. Cover your face with your shirt or arms as you go.
- Don't swat or flail. Movement and crushed bees make it worse.
- Don't jump into water. The bees will wait for you to come up.
- Once you're safe, scrape out the stingers.
- If someone else is being stung badly, tell them to run for shelter and call 911. Don't go in after them without protective gear.
Keep pets safe
Keep dogs and other animals away from hives, and don't pen or tie animals near hives. If an animal is being stung, get it away from the bees without putting yourself at risk. Scrape out the stingers the same way you would your own, and call your vet if it was stung many times.
What to remember
- Pain, redness and swelling at the sting, even big swelling, is normal. A cold compress helps.
- Swelling or hives away from the sting, nausea, lightheadedness: get medical care.
- Swelling of the mouth or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, fainting: call 911.
- Scrape the stinger out sideways; never pinch or pull it.
- Gentle bees, a veil, a smoker, calm handling and no strong scents all mean fewer stings.
Quick check
- You're stung on the finger and your hand swells up to the wrist. Is that an allergic reaction?
- Name two signs that a sting is an emergency.
- Why shouldn't you pull a stinger out with tweezers?
Show answers
1. Not by itself. Large swelling around the sting is a normal reaction and can last a few days. 2. Any two of: swelling of the mouth or throat, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, fainting or shock. 3. Squeezing the venom sac pushes more venom into the skin; scrape it out sideways instead.
Adapted from: USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bee Stings 101 and Bee Safety (Carl Hayden Bee Research Center); UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: Stings; Delaplane, K. S., Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Extension Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017); Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594).
Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.