First Aid for Bee Stings Ouch! Home Remedies for Bee Stings and What to do for Multiple Bee Stings
Custom Search
First aid for bee stings is something we should all be aware of and home remedies for bee stings are going to come in very useful during the summer months when our bees are at their most active.
It has probably happened to most of us a bee sting or two which can either be a mild irritation or even deadly depending on whether you are allergic or not.
Thankfully this is quite rare but there are occasions sadly when allergic reaction to bee stings requires something far more than our own knowledge of first aid for bee stings.
To reduce the need for First Aid for Bee Stings……
Leave the bees alone if you see any, they are only going about their business of making honey and pollinating our plants and we shouldn’t hold it against them that they have their own line of defense for protecting themselves.
I enjoy walking my dog frequently in local forests and whilst we were walking with my friend and her two dogs recently we saw a carpet of bluebells, they were extremely pretty, however we also noticed there were no bees anywhere.
As we walked through these peaceful surroundings it wasn’t difficult to hear a bee as we both suddenly did.
The strange thing with this bee was that it landed right on the top of my head. My friend was so excited as she follows my progress whilst writing my website and she saw this as a sign of my connection with honey bees.
This is a lovely thought and could well be true; however, I know that it was the strong perfume of my hairspray that had attracted it.
Silly of me really as I should know better. Bees are attracted to smells such as these so a simple way to avoid the need for first aid for bee stings is not to wear perfume of any kind.
I stood very still because if I had panicked and started to wave my arms around frantically I would have undoubtedly have been stung.
The reason for this is because I would have frightened this little insect that after having stung me would have emitted a smell of its own and attracted its friends who would then have attacked me leading to multiple bee stings.
Not a pleasant thought for anyone. What did we do to avoid this? Quite simply I stood very still whilst my friend blew gently on the bee and off it went to carry on its day in very pleasant surroundings. Good job too as I was not carrying any kind of treatment for bee stings.
If you ever find yourself faced with a honey bee swarm please don’t flap your arms around and scream. This will frighten them enormously interrupting their path which often is only when they are looking for a new home and they’ll not be interested in you anyway.
Move slowly away from a bee or bees in your garden and just move to a safer location. Sometimes if it’s a swarm, this may not be so easy. Lie flat on the ground and keep still, whatever you do, do not run!
Using First Aid for Bee Stings
There is hardly a grown up person who hasn’t been stung or who hasn’t seen someone stung, this is especially upsetting when it happens to a young child.
Treatment for bee stings can be very simple to treat at home if you are stung in your garden. However, it is extremely important to keep an eye on the unfortunate one for a minimum of 24 hours after.
My own son-in-law, who although is a lover of honey, cannot understand my particular passion for honey bees. This has only happened recently because he was actually stung by a bee and developed a severe allergic reaction. He has been stung before in past years but not until recently did he have this type of reaction.
He was stung on his leg which swelled to a huge lump and coupled with a tightness in his chest making it difficult for him to breathe was saved with quick thinking by my daughter who drove him to the local hospital thus preventing what could have been a potentially dangerous situation.
He was treated with adrenalin by the doctor who also gave him a spare tablet to keep in his wallet in case there were any further episodes.
What is the Best First Aid for Bee Stings?
The best thing to do immediately after the sting is to reduce the amount of venom that’s going to go into your bloodstream. A bee sting feels as if someone has thrown a kind of poison arrow into your skin.
This arrow contains venom and it is this venom that causes a reaction to your body. First aid treatment for bee stings is of course different to bee sting treatment which is used for treating arthritis sufferers.
Usually bees sting you around the face area if this is the place you have been stung especially on your tongue or eyes then you should really seek emergency medical treatment who are specialists in the treatment for bee stings.
The concern here would be that the swelling could block your air passages making it difficult to breathe and our eyes are something we should never take for granted.
Quick Treatment for Bee Stings
What you should do immediately is to get the stinger out because the more it stays under your skin, the more venom it releases. You need to act quickly though, especially if the person who has been stung has a history of allergy to bee stings, or if you don’t know whether they are allergic or not.
Remove the stinger from under the skin as soon as possible. This can be done with your finger nail if you don’t have a pair of tweezers handy.
Be very careful as you scrape it off because most of the time it will not come out whole and could break off at the tip making it harder to remove. Try not to squeeze the stinger as more venom will be released into the skin and we need to stop this from happening fast.
People who know they are seriously allergic to bee stings will carry with them either an adrenalin tablet or an epi-pen. Help them to use it, but should they not have it, call an ambulance right away.
You should not wait to see if they will have a reaction so long as they have confirmed that they have a serious allergy act straight away. You should also watch for any signs of choking.
If the victim is non-allergic, there will only be irritation. The reaction is usually local, with a little swelling and itchiness and mild pain around where they were stung. A little TLC and a pain killer is sometimes all that is needed for first aid of bee stings.
This usually does not require a whole lot of attention; the pain will go away quickly but the swelling may be there for a day or more. Please don’t allow your child to become afraid of honey bees because without them we will have a lot more to worry about!
If there is itching which unfortunately there will be, try using antihistamines or dabbing on some calamine lotion. A sterile swab with some alcohol can also bring great relief and a simple paste made from bicarbonate of soda will also help. Most of these things are already in our first aid kits or kitchen cupboards and hard as it is try not to scratch that bee sting!
Even if the victim is non-allergic but has suffered multiple bee stings, you need to take them to the hospital right away if you have one nearby, however this should be considered an emergency so call that ambulance, first aid for bee stings in this instance is an emergency situation.
Dogs and Bee Stings
Our poor dogs can also be the subject of bee stings and this is usually the end result of our dogs trying to catch this insect who is buzzing around and causing it some annoyance!
D for Dog
is a great website which has some really good first aid for bee stings information concerning both Wasp and Bee Stings. This is just one of the many tips provided for help in keeping your dogs safe and happy through the summer months and beyond.
Most dogs love things that move fast and a bee or wasp is unfortunately seen by many dogs as being fun to chase and try to catch. If you see your dog chasing or attempting to play with a bee or wasp, do your utmost to distractandstopthem.
Treating Bee Stings whilst out
There are so many of us who enjoy walking or camping and this can often lead to a bee sting or two because we unwittingly walk through plants the bees are collecting nectar from.
We do this by accident of course because nobody in their right mind would do this deliberately! We should try to include some first aid for bee stings in amongst everything we take with us to ensure our little expeditions go smoothly.
Apart from the adrenalin tablet or epi-pen for those who know they are allergic we should carry some tweezers, some alcohol swabs, calamine lotion and something for pain relief. Watch very carefully for allergic reactions which should they occur, get to a hospital quick.
What is your favourite first aid for bee stings? Please let me know, it's always nice to share.
