My first sting!

[knadai]

I'm officially a beek now! I got my first sting!

I started a single hive from a nuc on June 15th and, despite weekly inspections, had never been stung.

Today I wrestled with an inner cover glued to the telescoping cover. Which way does that thing go on anyway? I was smart enough to carry it away from the hive before wrenching on it. There were a few bees still on the cover. I felt a little tickle on my wrist and noticed her walking with her legs but not making any progress across my skin. The stinger was in and she was stuck. I watched her for a few seconds and marveled at how much it didn't hurt. I would liken it to getting snagged by a raspberry thorn. I pulled her off and left the stinger in for about ten seconds before pulling it out. I wanted to get a decent dose.

This sting was important because I don't recall ever being stung by a honeybee in my life. I am 42. I guess I will find out if I am allergic next time, yes?

As for this time, a small welt and a little redness. No pain.

[Jeffzhear]

Many beekeepers keep benadryl handy in case they have a reaction.

[kopeck]

I got hit twice today. I was mowing, and did what I usually do but for some reason this time they didn't like the tractor that close to the hive.

One in the neck and one in the ear. It's been a long time since I've been stung, and all things being equal getting stung where I did wasn't exactly how I wanted to find out how I might react.

I put some calamine lotion on the stings right away and....nothing happened.

Still hurt for a while though. ;)

[Chef Isaac]

Toothpaste works nice and so does a cornstarch slurry.

I do not do anything know when I get stung.

If iti s really bad and get stung multiple times, I take some benedryl. I keep the liquid stuff with me just in case.

[RonS]

Well either you have widely spaced nerve endings, or I have way too many. The stings that I get are not pleasant, and I have never marveled at the venom sac pumping in more pain elixor. I get it out immediately. If you were alergic to the sting, you would not likely have to wait until next time to find out. Welcome to our world.

[aidah]

We are all just close enough to the edge to have people wonder about our well being. If anyone but us were to read this stuff, we would be committed. Can you imagine being excited about getting stung by a bee? Life is good. love the site. :p

[beemandan]

On occasion I'll get a painless sting. It'll usually be on the hand in a calloused spot. Otherwise they hurt, I swear, I remove the stinger, I smoke the spot to cover the pheremones and go back to work. Someone once asked why I do it. I told them that its much like picking blackberries. You know those thorns are going to get you but the reward is worth the misery.

[Andrew@ThreeElms]

The sting I got last Mondey in the temple hurt. Normally it's just irritating for a minute or two but I get on with the job and forget about it. This one though really bugged me. Maybe it was just because I was watching and not actively working. Who knows.

Welcome. :)

[knadai]

I thought you didn't develop an allergy until after your first exposure to an allergen. Is that not the case with honeybee venom?

And are we talking about a true "allergy", or just an overreation compared to other people? Is there a difference?

On a slightly separate topic, I have never developed any "immunity" or lack of reaction to yellow jackets, despite being stung dozens of times a year over many years.

[mistergil]

Welcome to the club !:)

I've been stung countless times over the years and have yet to see this immunity that some get. Always soreness and swelling for a couple of days after. If I can't get the stinger out right away it's always worse so there's no "discovery channel" type observations on this end. Stinger out as quick as possible, five sting limit but sometimes more if I'm into doing something important enough to justify them.

If a severe allergic reaction develops, 99.9% of the population will get at least one major warning episode with full symptoms. I used to keep an epi-pen handy when I had hives in amongst suburbia but forgo it here as we are pretty isolated (plus they want $90.00 now for one). Severe allergy can happen at any point to a variety of substances, no allergy today but one tomorrow can crop up. Yes aidah, the shrinks would have field day with this masochistic bunch..:p

[Matt NY]

I got my first sting a couple weeks ago at the BetterBee feild day. This is year two and I've even started wearing shorts to work. After Larry Connor made some hive increases with no protective gear at all, I headed to the store and was talking with someone out front when I was tickled by a be on my sock. I thought she was off but she wasn't and I irritated her somehow. I thought I had scraped the stinger off, but it was still in me when I grabbed it and injected myself. That hurt. No swelling though and the pain went away quickly. I went home and got it again. I had my face about 2 feet from the entrance. I was engrossed with some gaurds fighting off some intruders when one hit me just above the eyebrow. Not much pain, no swelling either, but I got the stinger out quickly and cleanly. I was very happy with my low reaction. The pain I can take, being laid up I can't.

[timgoodin]

I got a good one yesterday on the lower eye lid, yes I should have had my veil on but I was just filling the entrance feeder. These girls mean business when it comes to protecting their property during a durth and temperatures near 100. I think I will wait until late afternoon or early morning from now on. The swelling has about gone down but it was a great opportunity to have bee conversations at work. Maybe it will generate some swarm captures next year. Who knows. Hang in there on the first sting you will get use to it but still not enjoy it!!

Tim:mad:

[iddee]

>>>>I thought you didn't develop an allergy until after your first exposure to an allergen. Is that not the case with honeybee venom?<<<<

You thought correct, and it applies to bee venom, too. No one ever reacts to their very first sting.

[drobbins]

>I got a good one yesterday on the lower eye lid

shots to the face are bad
I can do some work in shorts and a tee-shirt as long as I have a veil
but I ain't letting them at my face

Dave

[Benton2569]

Glad that your first one did not hurt. Mine hurt so bad I screamed like a girl. The bee had crawled up my pant leg and stung me on the inside of the thigh. I was jumping around like someone set my pants on fire. Kind of funny....after the fact. I can only imagine what the neighbors must have thought.

[Troutsqueezer]

I have four hives, harvested well over a hundred pounds of honey this year, been doing it for about 4 years now. As a beekeeper, I haven't been stung yet. Or wait a minute, I guess I'm not really a beekeeper... :)

[moonlightbeekeeper]

getting stung ,hummmmmm,got my first one when i was 9 stopped being a beehaver when i was 48 (didnt take me long did it), turned beekeeper then i figured i "knew" what i was doing, have only been stung 60 or 70 times this year. twice at once, in the eyelid (shouldn't have blinked). I have a different type of beekeeping thing going though. honey makes the pain go away faster for me

[Ravenseye]

My only ever reaction was from a sting just below my eye. Had to walk all the way to the house to get the stinger out so I got the full dose. Had hives from my neck to my waist for about an hour. Hot...itchy. Then...boom...they went away. That was last fall. Got stung three times this year on the hands without consequence (beyond the "ouch" and the swearing that follows!).

[Parke County Queen]

Where it hurts me the most is on my ankles. I hate when they sting me there. I need to get a new beesuit that isn't "highwaters"!

[kc in wv]

I told them that its much like picking blackberries.


beemandan,
I have used the same statement. I also would rather get a few beestings than 1 mosquito bite.


The sting that bothered me the most was recently. It was just irritating. I bought one of thos very flimsy veils to keep around for visitors. The type that Brushy Mountain sells. Anyway I was trying it out when the wind blew it against my neck. One of the girls hit me on the Adams Apple.

[Aisha]

I am sympathizing with you.

I just got my second one today - above the lip. I now have a fabulously large Angelina Jolie lip...but only in one quadrant of my mouth. I have duck lip!

My fault...I moved too quickly to smash a small hive beetle near the entrance and a guard bee showed me why those strange words are written in books: " Always move nice and slow around the bees." Doh!

[Bizzybee]

Story is that, of the folks that are allergic to bee stings, only 10 percent of them are allergic to honey bee stings.

Welcome to the club! :)

I find that most don't typically hurt more than a few seconds. And location means a lot. Some are downright bad. An only one that I wish I never got. I felt remnants of that one for months, literally.

[Joseph Clemens]

Many years ago, when I was younger than 10, I began my stinging career. My younger brother (2 years younger), would always be right there with me. I was stung and he was stung, for our first times while watching the bees in a huge old oak tree. We watched them bringing in pollen, the colors were very appealing to me. Even from my first sting it was just a momentary sharp pain, that sometimes would radiate from the point of origin for about 30 seconds or so. The only swelling was a welt, about the diameter of a pencil eraser (approx. 1cm), which would fade away in about 10 minutes. On the other hand, my younger brother would have quite a bit of general swelling and pain that would last for several days. He did not become a beekeeper and he still manages to be stung from time to time (2-3 times per year), and he still has the same type of reaction.

[IndianaHoney]

I'm mentoring a friend of mine this year. She learned a valuble lesson a few days ago. We went to my hives to take some honey and guestimate stores. It was blazing hot out. At the end I asked her to pick up an empty deep I had sitting by my hives. Instead of putting her vail back on, she walked over to the hives without it. She has very long hair. Needless to say, they got caught in her hair. She got one to the neck just under her ear, and one in the other ear just above her ear ring. That ear swole to one and a half times its size. I then told her what was painfully obvious, never approach the hives without a vail.

[Bee Draggle]

"knew" what i was doing, have only been stung 60 or 70 times this year.

If you are a hobby beekeeper and only own 3 or 4 hives and you are getting stung more than just a few times a year, you are being stung needlessly. You are either really into pain or you don't own or use the right protective clothing.