A bee can kill you … but for the vast majority of you, a bee sting is just a little bit of pain. For the minority of people who have severe reactions to bee stings, symptoms can range from whole-body swelling, to vomiting, tremors, shortness of breath, even coma, shock, and death and death. In fact, more Americans die each year from bee or other insect stings than from snake bites.
Carry your own stinger
If you know you are allergic to bees, carry an injection of epinephrine with you at all times and seek medical help immediately. If you have not been bitten before and you are not sure if you are allergic or not, pay close attention to how you feel immediately after a sting.
Do not waste your time
If you have problems more significant than pain or swelling around the area of the bee sting, seek medical help quickly! Allergic symptoms usually appear within 20 minutes of a bee sting, and the earlier you have a reaction, the more allergic you are.
For the rest of you
Even if you are not allergic, you may have pain and swelling from an insect bite, but you don’t have to suffer for long. First, identify the creature that attacked you. If your attacker was a honey bee, locate the stinger and poison bag at the site of the sting and remove it from the skin immediately.
When you leave a bee stinger inside, the sac continues to pump venom into your system for two minutes after the sting. Do not squeeze the bag or try to remove it, you will only be pushing the poison directly into your skin.
If it was a yellow jacket or some other wasp or hornet, you don’t have to worry about it leaving a stinger behind. But you have to get out of the area fast, because these little ones can come back and sting you several more times.
Take a pill
After a bite, you can take aspirin or ibuprofen for pain and an antihistamine like Benadryl to help reduce swelling. If the sting area continues to feel pain, apply an ice pack or heat to the sting to relieve pain and swelling. People have also gotten relief from bites by applying ammonia or enzyme-based meat tenderizer to the site immediately after being bitten. Others have reduced pain and swelling by applying baking soda or charcoal paste to the bite. In a pinch, apply mud to the bite, wrap it with a bandage or a piece of cloth, and leave it until the mud dries.
Don’t pick a fight
The best way to treat bites is to avoid being bitten while outdoors. Try not to attract bees or other stinging insects by wearing light, white, or khaki-colored neutral clothing, because bees are attracted to dark patterns or colors. Don’t use hairspray, cosmetics, deodorants, or other scented products that can trick bees into thinking you’re a giant flower. If you continue to have bee sting problems, talk to your doctor about increasing the amount of zinc in your body. Bees seem very attracted to people with zinc deficiency. Finally, pay attention to your surroundings and be prepared for trouble.
