You'll likely see a red bump. If a stinger was left behind, you'll also see a small black filament sticking out of the center. It may have a bulbous end, which is the venom sac. If the skin around the stinger is loose, pull it tight to get a better look.
The stinger looks like a tiny black dot in the sting. Use a fingernail or credit card edge to scrape it off. If the stinger is below the skin surface, leave it alone. It will come out with normal skin shedding.
If part or all of a stinger gets stuck under your skin, it will probably work its way out in a few days, like a splinter would. If the swelling does not go down, you'll need to see a provider and make sure it's not infected.
To help alleviate the panic, it's important to know what to do — and not do — to treat a bee sting. The first thing to do is to get the stinger out quickly. The longer the stinger stays in the skin, the more venom it releases, adding to the person's pain and swelling. Stay calm.
If there's a stinger in the wound, remove it quickly — within a few seconds if possible. Scraping the stinger out rather than squeezing or pulling it out may reduce the amount of venom that is injected. However, it is more important to remove the stinger quickly than to be overly focused on technique.
A honey bee is the only species with a stinger that detaches, which means that the honeybee will sting and then die. On the other hand, wasps, hornets and other types of bees will fly off to sting again (and again and again). A stinger will look like a small brown or black dot in the middle of your sting.
In order to safely remove a stinger you need something flat like a credit card or butter knife. You can also use a nail if nothing else is around. Step 3 – Scrape don't squeeze to get the stinger out. The #1 rule of removing a stinger is to scrape it out rather than squeezing.
If the reaction starts spreading, it's time to seek bee sting emergency treatment, particularly if you have a known allergy to bees or are suffering from multiple bee stings. Other severe allergic reaction symptoms to watch for include: Skin irritation such as hives, itching, and/or flushed or pale skin.
In rare cases, a bee sting can become infected. Symptoms of an infection include redness, swelling, warmth, and pus drainage. It is important to seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible, as some people can experience an allergic reaction.
A local reaction can produce very uncomfortable pain, itching, and swelling. Some of this swelling can be delayed, increasing over 24 to 48 hours. It may take 3 to 10 days for these symptoms to resolve. Pay close attention to your body's responses and even write down what you experience.
Some people who get stung by a bee or other insect have a bit stronger reaction, with signs and symptoms such as: Extreme redness. Swelling at the site of the sting that gradually enlarges over the next day or two.
A bee sting can cause a painful bump. The swelling can become quite large. Lymph Nodes. Most common cause of a lump or mass felt under the skin.
The majority of the time, the symptoms of bee sting serum sickness will improve on their own within 48 hours. As the chemical from the bee toxin is filtered out of your body, the sickness will begin to go away.
You probably won't have a severe allergic reaction the first time you are stung. But even if your first reaction to a sting is mild, allergic reactions can get worse with each sting. Your next reaction may be more severe or even deadly.
What kind of symptoms should I expect? The symptoms of a bee sting vary from person to person, but you may see a pink or red welt or swelling of the skin around the sting site. A central white spot usually appears where the stinger punctured your skin, Hottel says. You may also feel some itching around the area.
The swelling and pain usually improve within a few hours. Approximately 10 percent of people develop severe redness and swelling after a sting. This is called a large local reaction. The area may become large (4 inches [10 cm] or more) over 1 to 2 days and then slowly resolve over 5 to 10 days.
Fire ants, yellow jackets, hornets and wasps can sting repeatedly. Honeybees have barbed stingers that are left behind in their victim's skin. These stingers are best removed by a scraping action, rather than a pulling motion, to avoid squeezing more venom into the skin.
Scraping out the stinger with fingernails or pulling it out with fingers is faster than fumbling around to find a dull (knife) blade or credit card. By the time a person finds a credit card or blade, more venom will have been pumped into the wound than if the stinger had been immediately pulled or rubbed out.
Burner and stinger symptoms typically occur in one arm only. They usually last seconds to minutes, but in some cases they can last hours, days, or even longer. The most common symptoms of a burner or stinger include: A burning or electric shock sensation.
The body typically starts to break down histamine within a few hours, which is why the itchiness from a bee sting usually goes away within a day or two. However, in some cases, the body does not break down histamine as quickly. This can cause the itchiness to last for days or even weeks.
In honey bees, the stinger remains stuck in your skin and when the bee tries to pull away, the stinger tears out of the body, resulting in the bee's death. (Wasps and bumblebees, however, have stingers that don't get stuck in human skin.)
Some people may have a stronger allergic reaction to an insect's venom, leading to bee sting side effects, such as a very large, swollen welt. The welt may grow in size over a 48-hour period. This reaction remains local to the sting site and doesn't spread to other areas of the body.
Normal reactions typically include intense pain, itching, and redness with swelling at the sting site up to the size of quarter. Large local reactions extend out from the site of the sting and involve redness with swelling that can at times involve the entire arm or leg.
Swelling such as this is fairly common, even though it may be alarming. Normal swelling may last up to a few days. During the days following a stinging incident, the wound may itch. Pain may be alleviated by using a cold compress.