First Bee Sting

[SamboRoberts]

SamboRoberts, You are even a newer newbee then I am.  :-D Can you become "un-lost" and share a general location? It makes responding to posts easier if one has a general idea of climate.

I'm un-lost now, but I don't like to narrow my location down too much. Suffice it to say that I'm about 15 miles from the coast in South Eastern Australia in a temperate climate. Temps here rarely get below -3 degrees centigrade (26F).

I don't have all the best protective gear yet either. A veil and gloves were the most important. I KNEW light colored clothing was a must. I found some pale blue long sleeved Oxford style shirts at the Goodwill. They have worked thus far, but the bees I have seem to be gentle. Also have a white sweatshirt that works OK during cooler days. I have discovered that lighter greens or blues don't seem to elicit much notice from the bees, but dark blue does bring out close inspections.

Dark blue was my downfall when working with Dad's hives, but now I've got a white lab coat that I tuck into light coloured track pants (sweat pants). I just put a rubber band around the cuffs of the jacket to keep the bees out of my sleeves. I bought a new veil and smoker and then about a week later I found a retired beek who sold me a 2 frame galvanised extractor and two smokers for $110. Score!

[JPinMO]

wettsun21, welcome to the club.  ;)   My first couple of stings hardly reacted, the next few seemed to get worse, the next couple after that seem to have less reaction.

I seriously wonder if their venom isn't affected by their breed, or maybe even their diet. No telling, I suppose.

I did take two on the hand and wrist that didn't swell much, but itched like crazy. I would wake myself up at night scratching. I tried all the usual remedies -- baking soda paste, meat tenderizer paste, hydrocortisone, Benadryl, taping pennies over them. (I haven't tried Kathy's Vagisil remedy, though.)  I finally soaked my hand in epsom salt water, which really seemed to help.

I have found that I can take Claritin, but the Zyrtec makes me drowsy after a few hours. For some people, antihistamines make them hyper. Everyone reacts to things differently. Just keep trying all the remedies until you find what works for you.

[JPinMO]

I keep a tube of stop the sting in my pocket and apply right after getting the stinger out.

Mdax, where do you find that? Is there a brand name?

[JPinMO]

Dark blue was my downfall when working with Dad's hives

Sam, any dark color will make them defensive, including red! If anyone tries to talk you into wearing those brown jersey work gloves (if you have them down there), that person is NOT your friend.

I bought a new veil and smoker and then about a week later I found a retired beek who sold me a 2 frame galvanised extractor and two smokers for $110. Score!

Definite score! YAY!

[BeeMaster2]

I keep a tube of stop the sting in my pocket and apply right after getting the stinger out.

Mdax, where do you find that? Is there a brand name?

JP,
Stop The Sting is the name brand. Go to stopthesting.com to order it. Some bee supplies are now carrying it.
Jim

[Royall]

Amazon has it for $17.95 for 3 tubes. Free shipping with Prime. It is 5 bucks a tube plus shipping from stopthesting.com

[JPinMO]

Thanks, guys; I misunderstood mdax's post, didn't realize that was the name brand. I think I saw that at my Walmart, or something with a similar name. I'll have to look next time I'm over there.

[BeeMaster2]

Thanks, guys; I misunderstood mdax's post, didn't realize that was the name brand. I think I saw that at my Walmart, or something with a similar name. I'll have to look next time I'm over there.

It is probably the same stuff, my wife bought some at a local store about 6 months ago. I do not know which one it was.
Jim

[T Beek]

Simply rubbing a little honey on sting areas works for many.......but TBH I no longer bother.  Comparatively what's a little pain, after all?  I've come to expect and embrace the process.  IMHO and experience, that mindset alone can/does/will reduce the number of stings received. 

Stings still remind me that I'm alive, in the moment and connected to the universe, and they make me forget about anything else going on in the world for at least a little while, kind of a Zen thing perhaps  8-)  Bee stings for nirvana anyone  :-D

That said I probably deserve many more stings than I get these days :-\  (i think my bees might be buddhists)   

[bbbthingmaker]

My first bee sting was almost a relief. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected.  Now I have learned that some stings are worse than others. But all are tolerable, so far.

[theBeeLord]

i started beekeeping this year - from packages -- and i used to go in straight from work, no smoker, nothing.  shorts, flip-flops.  all was good.  then they grew in numbers.  got stuck on the nose - that hurt. 
worst experience was when i was putting the top box back on, went to brush them off the edge and BAM the whole bunch i was trying to brush attacked me.  got about 6-8 stings that day.  had to run away, fire up the smoker, and go back.
now i wear my veil, gloves in my back pocket. i find empty hands are better at handling the sticky frames. if i'm taking more than just a peek i fire up the smoker. 
some days they're sweeties, and other days they're mean as can be. 
i try to not bother them on cloudy days, or if there's a forecast of storms/rain.  i think that helps.  and staying very, very calm.

i've noticed they come sometimes and tap you.  if you hold still 99.9% of the time you don't get stung.  swat or make a sudden move and 99.9% of the time you WILL get stung. 

currently i use bee stings to help with joint/back pain.  about 6 is the most i've done at once - and other than localized swelling and itching, i'm ok.  it does help a lot with the pain.  i have degenerative disc disease and i find bee stings helps ease that.

benadryl helps the symptoms of a bee sting but i prefer to let my body get used to it.  hopefully i won't be one of those cases where you magically develop an allergy to bee stings.  that would put a damper on my fun.

[sterling]

I read these post about bee stings and I don't usually say anything because the stings don't bother me other then the initial ouch. I don't swell or itch. And I think the main reason I don't get a reaction is because I eat a lot of honey and a little pollen from my own hives.
And that may not have anything to do with it but it makes sense to me if honey helps with the immune system for other things it would help your body cope with venom from a sting from a bee that made the honey. But maybe not. :lol:

BTW: I always wear a veil but I will get stings on my hands and arms sometimes.

[Jeanette]

Does anyone remember the entomologist named Justin O. Schmidt? He rated the pain levels of various insect stings on his 'Schmidt pain index'. It is his descriptions that I like the most.

The honey bee sting falls between ratings 2 and 3:

Rating 2: 'Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.'
Rating 3: 'Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.'

Delightful.  :-D  http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2007/05/16/schmidt-pain-index-which-sting/

[brooklynbees]

I get at least two stings a year and only because of my own stupidity in my opinion.
Last week while checking and winterizing, I forgot to put my pant legs into my socks. One of my girls probably fell on my shoe and then crawled up my leg inside my pants. Well, I moved the wrong way and she got stuck and stung me on the calf. The lower leg was swollen and painful to walk on for three days.
I've been stung a bit higher and gentlemen, its just as painful for us ladies. That time I realized she was there and I gave my neighbors quite a show by ripping my pants off in the yard trying to get her out, but I still ended up getting stung.
I find tucking and rubber banding at the ankles and wrists reduces the interior incidents, so to speak.
But its a matter of remembering and of course, the old "just a peek while I'm out here" without taking precautions is generally when I get nailed.

[Brother Dave]

Does anyone remember the entomologist named Justin O. Schmidt? He rated the pain levels of various insect stings on his 'Schmidt pain index'. It is his descriptions that I like the most.

The honey bee sting falls between ratings 2 and 3:

Rating 2: 'Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.'
Rating 3: 'Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.'

Delightful.  :-D  http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2007/05/16/schmidt-pain-index-which-sting/

Thanks I like the descriptions he gives for the pain. I am a registered nurse and just finished training on pain assessment. very fun article