Author Topic: How many stings do you get per month? (Read 5249 times)

BeeMaster2 · « **on:** January 05, 2012, 10:05:17 pm »

One of the reasons that I got into Beekeeping was a persistent problem that I had had for years with my left shoulder before I started Beekeeping. I couldn't raise my left arm above my shoulder. After I took a bunch of stings during my first year, usually after I took off my bee jacket/hood and 7 on my left hand from one swipe across an open hive, the problem went away completely. This year I don't think I have had 7 stings all year and that is with almost no protection through out the year and cutting out/removing 4 feral hives. Now I am having a problem with the muscles in my left arm being very weak and constantly sore. I hate being stung and have a hard time forcing myself to be stung but in the last 2 weeks I have picked up three different bees and tried to force them to sting my left arm. None of them did. Go figure.
So, how many times a month do you get stung?
Has bee stings help any medical problems?
Jim

luvin honey · « **Reply #1 on:** January 05, 2012, 10:51:05 pm »

I keep promising myself to bare my left hip in front of the hives to take care of iliotibial band syndrome from running, but I never quite get the courage.

My stings/month varies considerably. The one thing I've noticed is that I get less and less reactive to beestings, now reacting almost not at all when I used to have massive swelling, redness and itching. Even stings on my face this fall didn't react whatsoever. Awesome!

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 05, 2012, 10:58:17 pm »

Yea same here. I had one on the tip of my nose and one on the lobe of my ear. Thought both of them would cause my face to swell up. Within an hour, you could hardly tell I had been stung. Of course having pulled both of them out with a finger nail immediately probably had a lot to do with it. If they had been on my arm I probably would have left them in for a while.
Jim

Shanevrr · « **Reply #3 on:** January 05, 2012, 11:04:01 pm »

I get stung 5 to 10 times a month. it sucks in the hands, but part of the game. Ive heard of it working for arthritis and MS, all I know of

iddee · « **Reply #4 on:** January 05, 2012, 11:29:48 pm »

I don't count the stings, but if I go awhile without any, I will pick one or two up and place on my lower back. I notice a considerable amount of pain and stiffness disappearing within in minutes.

beee farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** January 05, 2012, 11:35:59 pm »

Idee, if I went shirtless all the time messin with bees I would go into venom withdrawls during the winter :-D :-D :-D

Michael Bush · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2012, 08:22:59 am »

During queen rearing season I usually get stung most days, but usually only one or two or none would be typical. When not queen rearing I usually don't get stung often as I'm not in the hives so much and not doing so much. My knees always feel better a few days after a sting if I haven't been stung in a while...

Finski · « **Reply #7 on:** January 06, 2012, 09:39:44 am »

.
If one hive gives 20 sting a day, the queen will be squeezed

5 per day is normal from one hive. I work with bare hands.

In one month? At least hundred. Sometimes all hives are good tempered and I get tens in a whole summer.

i

AllenF · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2012, 12:34:56 pm »

None last month. :-D

Rich V · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2012, 01:53:16 pm »

That all depends on how stupid I get. I can go for several trips to the yard and not get stung at all, but if I get in a hurry and start banging things then I get whacked. I hardly ever use gloves,but most the times have on a veil. I have had as many as 15 stings at one time, they don't seem to phase me much unless their on my hands. For some reason my hands really puff up, even more so then my face or lips.

caticind · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2012, 02:10:26 pm »

Quote from: luvin honey on January 05, 2012, 10:51:05 pm

I keep promising myself to bare my left hip in front of the hives to take care of iliotibial band syndrome from running, but I never quite get the courage.

My stings/month varies considerably. The one thing I've noticed is that I get less and less reactive to beestings, now reacting almost not at all when I used to have massive swelling, redness and itching. Even stings on my face this fall didn't react whatsoever. Awesome!

Lucky....I swelled more and more with each, and finally got diagnosed as mildly hypersensitive. While I am doing desensitization therapy I have been advised to avoid stings as much as possible as it sets back the treatment schedule and increases risk I will respond with anaphylaxis. Started wearing a jacket w zip-on veil, heavy pants, and latex gloves (used to working barehanded so couldn't stand wearing thicker ones), and have received no stings in 3 months. Before that it was usually a few a month in the hands, though I work slow and don't have that many hives.

As for medical, a woman who hosts one of my hives says her daughter (who has RA) feels less pain in her hands for a while after stinging herself in the arm - the sharper pain makes the other feel less and this effect persists for a few hours but does not compare to medication. I give credence to widespread reports that stings reduce symptoms of arthritis, since venom is anti-inflammatory or can "distract" auto-immune response. There's not any good research on this, yet, however.

backyard warrior · « **Reply #11 on:** January 06, 2012, 04:54:57 pm »

i think its more of a psychological fear than the actual pain its really not that bad it only hurts for a few seconds :) Chris

hardwood · « **Reply #12 on:** January 06, 2012, 05:24:25 pm »

I took 10-12 just this morning while inspecting 3 hives that some idiot had used for target practice while I was away in TX. The queen was killed in one so I'll have to combine it with another hive...not much chance of getting a well mated queen this time of year.

Scott

msully · « **Reply #13 on:** January 06, 2012, 05:37:08 pm »

I have 3 hives and a couple of nuc's and this year got less than 10 stings. I never wear gloves and once the weather warms up go with just a T-shirt, hat and veil. I am careful, but my buddy/helper is a bull-in-a-china shop and he usually doubles my sting count....

Mike

kingfisherfd2 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 06, 2012, 06:13:18 pm »

I think that I took about 4 or 5 stings all last summer. Most of that time I was without gloves or veil. Part of the time just the veil.

backyard warrior · « **Reply #15 on:** January 06, 2012, 07:14:28 pm »

i always go into the bee yard and wear all my gear and once i see their tempermeant i shed the clothes little by little depending on how crumpy they are i had a friend go into a hive with nothing he lifted off the outer cover and the beat the snot out of him never again did he go without a veil

edward · « **Reply #16 on:** January 06, 2012, 08:00:42 pm »

The first beekeeping class the little :evil: stung me in the face !

Didn't put me off , my beekeeping jacket arrived in time for the next class.

The fist two years :'( THEY GOT ME GOOD :'(

As time went by and I got more hives and more experience the amount of stings have dropped of to about 1 every 3 to 4 weeks 50 hives right now maybee 80 to 90 next winter.

Why ?

Better bees , a better beekeeper , and a bee suit :-D + its kind of painful :'(

I have found a supplier of leather gardening gloves that are almost tailor maid and fit my hands perfectly , most important is the thumb and index finger.
They fitted so well that I could pick bees one by one to put in a queen sending box , to the surprise and amazement of my beekeeping colleges.
I am going to pile up and by a few dozen pairs , when you find gloves that fit buy many pairs , you never know how long they will continue to make them.

One of the reasons that I wear a bee suit is that a few colleagues have developed bee allergies and have to carry an epi pen with them , they are addicted to beekeeping and won't quit in spite of the doctor's orders :-D

The first suits I bought were the moon suits , one small step bee man . .. . . But now I use the old fashioned suits with the hat and round rings , it is cooler and easier to see the eggs in the cells. Not cool looking but those old beekeepers must have thought it through

mvh edward :-P

squidink · « **Reply #17 on:** January 08, 2012, 07:09:20 am »

Interesting topic! I'm averaging about 10 stings a month, for me it's not the feeling like I have benn zapped by an electric fence but the itchiness that follows! I have found personally the more I get stung the lighter the pain.. Well worth it!

Helmuthd · « **Reply #18 on:** January 08, 2012, 12:34:56 pm »

On an average I am getting stung once per month. So going into my second year of beekeeping you can guess my count. It doesn't faze me as much anymore....a swollen hand now and then isn't that bad.

What I have learned about bee stings in my last year:
~If your taking Sudafed, it does seem to make the sting worse.....major swelling occurs. So, I don't tend to the bees when I'm sick much.
~On the other side, taking 2 Benadryl right after you get stung, and 2 every six hours for the next 24 hours keeps the swelling down (but, if you stop taking the Benadryl within this 12 hour period you can swell up...I have actually seen this happen on myself).
~Having an Epi Pen handy is a great idea...I just hope I never have to use it. I don't care for step #3 on the pen..."Call 911" :)

What I've learned about bee temperament in my last year:
~If your doing an open feeding of sugar syrup near the hives and decide to mow the lawn next to the hives...you will get stung...(I've been stung twice and chased down 3 times already).
~If your letting the bees clean out the frames after you extract, stay the hell away from the frame for at least three days...you will get stung.

After all that, I still love beekeeping!

Hemlock · « **Reply #19 on:** January 08, 2012, 07:33:22 pm »

Quote from: sawdstmakr on January 05, 2012, 10:05:17 pm

One of the reasons that I got into Beekeeping was a persistent problem that I had had for years with my left shoulder before I started Beekeeping. I couldn't raise my left arm above my shoulder.

Sounds like bursitis; like me. Could not raise either arm AT ALL! I would get a handful of stings each year. They never helped with the bursitis one bit.

THEN, One day i had a systemic reaction to a sting. (a month ago)

After the emergency trip to the doctor AND 2 shots & a bunch of pills...I noticed i could raise my arms...ALL THE WAY UP...for the first time in two years. I regained about ninety percent of the use of my arms back :shock:. Hallelujah!

I don't know if it was the sting; the medications; or a synergy of both. I had received plenty of meds already to no avail. Not until the hyper reaction did everything change.

I don't recommend it but something helped. Before that only yoga helped with my shoulders. give it a try.