Bee Stings

One of the important things to remember is that not all bees sting, and those that do only do so when they become frightened or in the case of the foraging members of the bee colony, they will sting if they are disturbed or injured while they perform their routine activities.

Because the stinger is a modified egg-laying apparatus, only females can sting. Some such as the yellow jacket are more liable to attack than others.

When a person is stung, venom is injected that causes pain. The body responds to stings by liberating fluid from the blood in order to flush the venom components from the area. This flushing causes the redness and swelling at the site of the sting.

If the same kind of insect has stung you before, your immune system will probably recognize the venom and enhance its procedure for disposal. This may cause a great deal of swelling around either the sting site or a whole portion of the body.

One of the most important things is to remove the stinger before you do anything else. The best way to do this is to scrape the stinger with a credit card to remove it without dislodging the sac that contains the venom as it is removed.

The sooner the stinger is out of the skin, the less venom that enters the bloodstream, and the less painful the sting will be.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings:

Vinegar, Baking Soda and Meat Tenderizer:

An excellent home remedy for bee sting is to make a paste of vinegar, baking soda, and meat tenderizer, applying to the site of the sting. Meat tenderizer contains the enzyme papain that works to break down the toxins in bee and other types of venom.

Toothpaste:

Rubbing toothpaste at the site of the sting will relieve symptoms for several hours.

Ice:

Apply ice to the area at twenty minute intervals as needed. Depending on the severity, this method will reduce the symptoms for a large portion of the day.

Aspirin:

Rubbing a wet aspirin on the site of the sting helps neutralize some of the inflammatory agents that are in the venom.

If you are sensitive to aspirin you should not try this method, as they may also be sensitive to aspirin on their skin.

Mud:

The oldest home remedy is probably applying mud to the site of the sting.

This remedy has been passed down for many generations and is helpful for removing the stinger as well.