To sting, a bee jabs a barbed stinger into the skin. Bee sting venom contains proteins that affect skin cells and the immune system, causing pain and swelling around the sting area. In people with a bee sting allergy, bee venom can trigger a more-serious immune system reaction.
Severe pain or burning at the site lasts 1 to 2 hours. Normal swelling from venom can increase for 48 hours after the sting. The redness can last 3 days. The swelling can last 7 days.
The study rated the painfulness of honey bee stings on 25 different body locations. The most painful ones were in the nostril, followed by the upper lip and the penis, per the research. The least painful spots were the skull, upper arm, and the tip of the middle toe.
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.
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.
In those who are allergic to bee stings, the venom triggers a more severe immune system reaction. These people may not have an allergic reaction the first time they are stung but may have an allergic reaction to a second bee sting.
Bee sting swelling and pain
Pain: It's okay to admit that it hurts. A bee sting feels like a sharp poke, as if you've been jabbed with a needle unexpectedly. Swelling: The affected area typically swells a little, sometimes a lot. If you were stung on your hands or fingers, be sure to remove any rings quickly.
Carpenter bees are fairly docile and one of the least aggressive stinging insects. They are considered pests because they bore holes into wooden structures.
While both types of stings can be painful and cause swelling, the venom in wasps is typically more potent. This means that you may experience greater symptoms after being stung by a wasp. In addition to knowing how to treat a sting, it's also helpful to know how to avoid them in the first place.
The venom in a bee or wasp sting induces a local toxic reaction at the site of the attack. A typical local reaction to a bee or wasp sting produces the following symptoms: instant pain at the site of the sting that is sharp, burning, and usually lasts a few seconds.
The pain usually only lasts for a few hours if you have a mild reaction. Symptoms on your skin like swelling, skin discoloration and itching may last for a few days following the sting. Your skin will return to normal once your injury heals. While rare, severe allergic reactions to bee stings can happen.
Apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to ease redness, itching or swelling. If itching or swelling is bothersome, take an oral antihistamine that contains diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or chlorpheniramine. Avoid scratching the sting area. This will worsen itching and swelling and increase your risk of infection.
Mild bee sting reactions usually involve localized pain and swelling and subside relatively quickly. For example, you may notice that the area around the sting swells and becomes red. A bee sting typically feels like a sharp burning pain that worsens over time.
Honestly, they do not want to sting humans and only do so as a form of defense. This is especially true for docile insects like honey bees. But, they are very passionate about protecting their family. They will give everything they have to ward off an attacker.
In the miniscule times where it has been reported that a queen actually has stung a person, we have heard that the sting is not as painful to a person as that of a worker bee. This could be that because, unlike a worker bee, a queen bee's stinger is smooth and not barbed.
In most cases, bee stings are just annoying, and home treatment is all that's necessary to ease the pain. But if you're allergic to bee stings or you get stung numerous times, you may have a more-serious reaction that requires emergency treatment.
What's the Friendliest Common Bee? One of the friendliest bees is the bumblebee, a large, fuzzy bee that lives in colonies and pollinates flowers. Bumblebees are not aggressive and will only sting if threatened or provoked.
Africanized “Killer” Bees
This bee species, which resembles its European honeybee cousin, has a much more aggressive nature. Although their venom is no stronger than that of the regular honeybee, the danger comes from the fact that “killer” bees attack in much larger numbers, usually the entire colony.
Bees may sting if they think their queen or beehive is in danger. Check your yard regularly for nests before doing yard work or running a lawnmower. Some bees nest underground or in hollow trees, so keep an eye out for insects coming and going from a common location.
It's only when they sting mammals, with their thick skin, that the barbs become wedged. In trying to get free, the bee rips away part of its abdomen and internal organs. It's this that causes it to die a few minutes later – while bees don't have blood per se, it essentially bleeds to death.
If you're stung by a bee, you need to get the stinger out quickly to make sure more venom is not pumped into your body. The longer the stinger is in, the more likely it is that you'll have a reaction.
Epinephrine is obtainable only by prescription from a physician. The average person can safely tolerate 10 stings per pound of body weight. This means that although 500 stings can kill a child, the average adult could withstand more than 1100 stings.
Honey bees, unlike bumble bees, can sting only one time because their stinger becomes detached after insertion. The honey bee stinger is barbed while the bumble bee stinger is smooth and allows for repeated stings.
Another major difference is that a honey bee is able to sting only one time and dies soon after. The honey bee stinger has small hooks that cause the stinger to remain imbedded in the victim. The sting apparatus is pulled from the bee's body when she moves away causing massive abdominal rupture and death.