Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: wisconsin_cur on August 01, 2009, 01:17:29 pm

Title: Do I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: wisconsin_cur on August 01, 2009, 01:17:29 pm
This is my first year keeping bees.  I have been stung on just 3-4 occassions this summer.  Yesterday I got stung 4 times.  No big deal.  Little swelling and the two stings in the knuckles resulted in some joint pain.

In the middle of the night I woke up with a fever.  Sore joints this morning.  Topped out @ 101.5 and no other symptoms.  I do not know that this was a reaction to the stings, but the absence of other symptoms make me wonder.  

I am not giving beekeeping up.  Any advice or observations?
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: David Stokely on August 01, 2009, 02:32:50 pm
Doing a Google search, I found this page:

http://www.drgreene.com/21_43.html

Here is a quote from that page:

a fourth type of immediate reaction is the toxic reaction, which can follow multiple stings. This is a direct result of bee venom, and not an allergic reaction. Symptoms can include fever, weakness, nausea, vomiting, and pain. Toxic reactions are rarely serious, but do sometimes sensitize the child and herald future allergic reactions.

Delayed reactions result when the body's immune system prepares for future stings, but some of the exuberant defense measures inadvertently turn against the body itself. These symptoms begin more than four hours after the initial sting. Delayed reactions include serum sickness (fever, weakness, rash, swelling, and/or intense itching which begin a week after the sting), nephrotic syndrome (inflammation of the kidney), neuritis (inflammation of the nerves), or inflammation of other parts of the body.

Sounds like you should contact your doctor and discuss it with him, but maybe get a prescription injection pen just to have on hand to be on the safe side.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 03, 2009, 06:49:24 am
I got stung into my leg two days ago, no big deal. But next morning itching and stuff really scared me. It`s still really visible let me not attach a photo. Heck if I know what`s to expect next ;(
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Scadsobees on August 03, 2009, 09:13:04 am
Schemer, what you had is fairly normal.  For about 4 years my stings would swell way up, and itch furiously for a couple of days, but it was always local to the sting, even if local meant half my arm or my hand.  As long as it is connected to the sting it is not too alarming.  Thankfully that goes away after a while, and it has pretty much stopped doing that to me now.

What Cur has going on sounds different...I can't speak to experience, but I agree that an EpiPen would be a worthwhile investment if this is what you are experiencing.  The trick is to find a beekeeping Dr. who knows about the stuff and won't go all crazy on you and tell you to stop beekeeping now.

Rick
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 03, 2009, 11:41:21 am

to find a beekeeping Dr. who knows about the stuff and won't go all crazy on you and tell you to stop beekeeping now.

Rick

ha-ha ;) thanks anyway. didn`t come to a doctor but from what I have frantically read in the internet it`s gotta be "localized delayed hives" if that`s what it`s called. approximately one and a half inches in size and it`s wearing away now. and it`s seated right on spot of a bite, so it`s not system failure, I hope... But still i was smart enought to visit a pharmaceutist and procure antihistamine. you know, they also say that two shots of vodka mixed with honey neutralises bee venom just fine, that`s what simple folks were used to prior to when doctors took over. never tryed myself though... thanks again for comforting me!
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: wisconsin_cur on August 03, 2009, 12:41:00 pm
Fever broke the same day.  I will wait to see what happens the next time that I get stung.  From what I have read and talking to my MD they want to hold off on the epi-pen until I either have the body wide hives or some kind of breathing problem.  So we'll just have to see?

Thank for all the responses... despite my typo in the title.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Scadsobees on August 03, 2009, 01:16:02 pm
approximately one and a half inches in size and it`s wearing away now. and it`s seated right on spot of a bite, so it`s not system failure, I hope...

Shucks that sounds perfectly normal.  The itching and swelling starts anywhere from an hour to a half day afterwards.  1.5 inches ain't nuthin!   They'll get worse before they get better.  Just wait till your whole hand or arm swells up and itches furiously for 3 days!

It does go away after a few years.

Cur, sounds like you have a doctor who knows what they're doing, instead of the normal CYA stuff.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 03, 2009, 01:43:33 pm
Fever broke the same day.  I will wait to see what happens the next time that I get stung.  From what I have read and talking to my MD they want to hold off on the epi-pen until I either have the body wide hives or some kind of breathing problem.  So we'll just have to see?

Thank for all the responses... despite my typo in the title.

Have you given any thought to wearing gloves or something? I understand they targeted your knucles... As for me I guess it was my ancle that didn't smelled right, well I was wearing socks you know... Otherwise why would anyone aim for an anlce when there is a whole body in front of you, unprotected. I was hunting hornets with a tennis racket - bastards are eating my bees by hundreds, I believe.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 03, 2009, 01:48:44 pm


It does go away after a few years.

[/quote]

you know what`s interesing? I have seen many people report of unhealthy situations with hives, shocks, etc. but I never saw anybody saying- "I have had enough.  I give up." What does that mean? I don`t know. Probably it means that beeking is somehow so magnetic that unless it endenger other family members folks won`t quit.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Scadsobees on August 03, 2009, 05:38:42 pm
Naw...we're better than that.  If we say anything it is "Aw shucks, I've had enough".  :-P
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: BruinnieBear on August 03, 2009, 06:55:42 pm
Whew!  Pretty blue, all of a sudden!  What's a non-monitored account? :?
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: wisconsin_cur on August 03, 2009, 11:14:51 pm
I have gloves for when I expect a hive to get aggressive with me (queenless for example) I also cut the legs off some old jeans and use rubber bands to cover the seam between my gloves and my shirt.  This is what I did today when I combined two hives.  I got stung once and a "scratch" from a stinger through the shirt so we will see if I get a fever tonight  :evil:

Poor JR terrier.  I forgot he was outside and he ran past the site of the hive I was moving about 20 seconds after I picked it up.  Once we were safe and in the house I took 20 stingers off the guy and gave him some benedryl (1mg per # of body weight) 
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 04, 2009, 12:29:57 am
Naw...we're better than that.  If we say anything it is "Aw shucks, I've had enough".  :-P

I am sorry I shouldn`t have said that.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 04, 2009, 12:32:02 am
see if I get a fever tonight  :evil:

Poor JR terrier.  I forgot he was outside and he ran past the site of the hive I was moving about 20 seconds after I picked it up.  Once we were safe and in the house I took 20 stingers off the guy and gave him some benedryl (1mg per # of body weight) 


How are you holding up? As for the dog, didn`t know bees can sting dogs...
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Sean Kelly on August 04, 2009, 01:00:40 am
Each time I get stung I get a nice welt that lasts a week or so.  Itches and burns the whole time and it's perfectly normal.  Bee stings suck but are half the fun of keeping bees!!!   :evil:

Sean Kelly
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: wisconsin_cur on August 05, 2009, 11:56:00 am
see if I get a fever tonight  :evil:

Poor JR terrier.  I forgot he was outside and he ran past the site of the hive I was moving about 20 seconds after I picked it up.  Once we were safe and in the house I took 20 stingers off the guy and gave him some benedryl (1mg per # of body weight) 


How are you holding up? As for the dog, didn`t know bees can sting dogs...

Dog was fine.  I got another fever.
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Rebel Rose Apiary on August 05, 2009, 07:06:29 pm
Okay this is my two cents worth.....

First of all, I worked as a veterinary tech for some years and seen animals with stings of all sorts....your dog is lucky! He got through the stings okay this time, but it is highly possible that he will be sensitive to stings the NEXT time he is stung and not be so lucky! The Benedril is good to have on hand for man and beast, but it will not keep the dog safe if he gets stung and has a reaction.

As for yourself and the stings.....when is the last time that you had a Tetanus shot? Many stings can cause an infection that can be deadly. Also there are times when a stinger is broken off and not scraped out. The length of time that a stinger is left pumping in more toxin, the worse the chance for a reaction. Also, the age of the bee that stings you and the time of the year has various effects on the reaction to stings. Young bees are not as bad when they sting you as older foragers are.

Good luck working with your bees. I think that I would still keep bees if they were armed and carrying loaded 9mm pistols!  :-D

I get a lot of comments when I tell people that I keep bees.....usually they are somewhere along the line of me 'being crazy' or 'have I got a death wish'!!

Brenda
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: wisconsin_cur on August 05, 2009, 10:08:01 pm
Thank you for the input.  I know myself well.  As a result I never let my tetnus booster lapse.

 :-D
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: johnnybigfish on August 05, 2009, 10:37:59 pm
Hey.....I never thot of vodka and honey!! Sounds great!...almost like "instant mead"!

your friend,
john
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 06, 2009, 01:01:23 am
Thank you for the input.  I know myself well.  As a result I never let my tetnus booster lapse.

 :-D

what`s a tetanus booster?
Title: Re: Doo I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 06, 2009, 01:03:25 am
Hey.....I never thot of vodka and honey!! Sounds great!...almost like "instant mead"!

your friend,
john

well, that`s what peasants alwaysed used in Russia as an antidot to a bee sting, they still do, actually.  However, I believe that these days there are lots of more effective medication to apply.
Title: Re: Do I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Kathyp on August 06, 2009, 01:34:34 am
it's an immunization to keep you from getting tetanus (lock jaw).  it's done every 6 to 10 years depending on what your risk level is.
Title: Re: Do I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: shemer on August 06, 2009, 01:42:39 am
it's an immunization to keep you from getting tetanus (lock jaw).  it's done every 6 to 10 years depending on what your risk level is.

intersting, never heard of that. is it mandatory for a beekeper in the US?
Title: Re: Do I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: Kathyp on August 06, 2009, 01:52:12 am
oh no.  it's not mandatory for anyone except kids need it for school.  it's a good idea especially if you work on a farm or some place where you are apt to get scraped up and dirty.  tetanus lives in soil and can infect you through a cut.  Clostridium tetani spores.
Title: Re: Do I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: johnnybigfish on August 09, 2009, 09:40:37 pm
Yehhh....whats tetanus? :-D
your friend,
john
Title: Re: Do I need to be worries (reaction to stings)
Post by: podius on August 10, 2009, 10:04:58 am
it's an immunization to keep you from getting tetanus (lock jaw).  it's done every 6 to 10 years depending on what your risk level is.

intersting, never heard of that. is it mandatory for a beekeper in the US?

It's just one of a long line of government mandated vaccines that US citizens are required to have injected into their bodies. You can at this time still elect not to have the injections, but then you are denied the ability to participate in many social and government run programs.