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bee sting swelling photos

71K views 65 replies 51 participants last post by  Walt B 
#1 · (Edited)
My 15 year old son was helping move hives Sunday. He got stung on the hand below the thumb. You can see where the sting was in the last couple of photos. I watched him remove the stinger he did it like he was taught. The sting was only in for a couple of seconds. It happened in the truck after we lhad loaded. He had a little local swelling after the sting nothing unusual. The photos show what his hand looked like 24 hours later. This was only his 3rd sting his first 2 didnt do this. The doctor says his bee days are over. Which I dont think hurts his feelings.










 
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#38 ·
mduncan

I do feel for your son....same thing happens to me when I get stung. It usually takes about 24-48 hrs for the swelling to subside. That's why I can no longer work without gloves (one or 2 stings on the finger and my hand and arm swell to the elbow). If the ladies get me through the gloves I have to immediatly take off the wedding ring and get to the Benadryl.
Someone posted that this reaction was non-systemic, probably just a pretty bad localized reaction. I'd have to agree, but I wouldn't disregard your MD's advice totally. I've been teaching Paramedic education for a couple of decades and I always make sure my students know that allergic reactions can and do change. Some people can become less allergic to a substance over time and others (like me) can have their reactions worsen. Local reactions can easily progress to systemic reactions.
 
#40 ·
one of the clubs I belong to does apply stings to beginners who have never been stung to make sure they aren't allergic. They have an epi-pen on hand and someone who knows how to administer it. I had never seen an epi-pen and assumed it was something about the size of a ballpoint pen tha you could carry in your pocket. I was really surprised to see how big they are.
 
#41 ·
In my opinion that is a perfectly normal reaction for someone who hasn't been stung a lot. And remember not all bee stings are created equal. I might get three stings in one day and one just leaves a red dot and the other might swell up my whole hand and the other one just itches.
 
#43 ·
Yes, that's what happens to me too - localized swelling 12-24 hrs after the sting - completely normal reaction - just the body's way of fixing the damage done by the venom.

A bad reaction would be one that was quick and not in the place where the sting was.

It also illustrates why getting 200-300 sting can kill you if you don't get prompt medical attention - it will take your liver a while to metabolize all that venom in your blood and in the mean time it will be doing damage to your vital organs.
 
#44 ·
I think the number that kills you is up over 1,000. It is based on weight and size of the person being stung. I've had over 100 stings (bees still alive and crawling around the hospital when I went. I was not popular with the nurses). Now I wish I hadn't gone as the steroids were probably worse for me than the bee venom.

Since then I have researched the amount of venom, number of stings, etc. that are "serious."

I get stung ever few months and usually swell for a day or two, then itch and then it goes away. My mental/emotional resistance has subsided greatly and now I don't pay much attention to the physical symptoms.
 
#45 ·
looks like local allergic reaction, overwinter hives or especially feral hives pack the most venom in their sting. (those little tiny ones are worst) I wouldn't be concerned unless your son was stung from the shoulders up, possible swelling of airway. My dad and brother both react the same way as your son. Benadryl will help with stings on the hands. As long as your son had no problem breathing or cardiac rythm changes i believe him to be able to continue with bees for many years to come. A suit would be a good thing, a veil a must, gloves wouldn't hurt either. My two cents. jim
 
#47 · (Edited by Moderator)
My sting Reaction

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc84/BeeAnonymous/IMG_0372.jpg

Well, I'm glad to see these pictures. When I get stung the swelling above is normal..... For me that is. A lot of non beekeeper friends tell me I'm allergic and should give up the hobby, because they never swell up like this when they are stung.

I have been stung 9 times since I started beekeeping last year. Reaction seems to be diminishing each time. My favorite stings are on my forearms or biceps. I get to look like Popeye for a few days and show off my one big gun.

I haven't read from anyone about the heat generated by the area of swelling. On me the spot seems to generate heat for as long as the itching. 3 days max. Any one experience that too?
 
#48 ·
stung in the throat-to the ER last weekend

wish i had gotten my wife to take some pics.... i was felling a large pine tree... and well... it led to an impromptu hive relocation. it's was a nuc i left in my front yard so i could keep an eye on it over winter. it's built up quite a bit. i suited up 1st, but the bees were ticked. the veil ended up touching my neck and that was the 1st place i got hit. then my ankles. and once they found out my ankles were exposed, they told about 20 of their friends to go hit me there. i'd already been stung several times this year already, but this time i turned red as a beet. my eyes bugged out and got really red and blood shot. my wife flipped out and took me to the ER. I tried to tell her that i could breath just fine, but she didnt believe me since my lip was swollen and stiking out like a duck bill and my voice was sounding funny since i got stung right on my adam's apple... and of course i'm telling her that i'm totally fine while looking at her with my bugged out blood shot eyes. I was feeling better before we even got to the hopital, but she made me go in, and then they kept me there for hours of "observation''

Dr. said i'm allergic and should be more carefull and prescribed an Epipen. I really dont think i'm allergic since i've been stung hundreds of times before. i think it was just a cumulative effect from so many stings at once, and that one sting to my throat.

that day was way worse than when i got bit by a copperhead tho. i bet that dr. would say i'm allergic to those too !
 
#56 ·
Acording to Dadant's The Hive and the Honey Bee, this is a stage 3 reaction and is quite normal (about 17% of people have these reactions) and can last several day to a week or more with increase swelling as days go by.
There is ZERO coralation between these reactions and alergic reactions that can cause breathing problems etc...In other words, one does not equal the other. Find a doctor who is willing to look something up if he doesn't know the answer.
 
#58 ·
That is exactly what happened to me during my first install....

On day 3 I got a cortisone shot and it was down within hours.

And, you are right the MAJOR LOCAL REACTION (Which is what I have) is a big pain, but no relation to anaphalactic reaction. I am considering desensitization which they say can be done once a week for 3 months now.
 
#59 ·
I've had localized swelling like that and systemic reactions, even went into anaphalactic (sp)shock once. That reaction included rash over body (mine was a fine rash), a feeling of being overheated, going into shock (like Iwas going to pass out) tightness in the chest (feels like you can't take a deep breath) and nausea. I had over 70 stings when this happened.

But I still keep bees. Usually I can handle a few stings without swelling but I never know.
I always carry an epipen with me when working the bees and when really going deep into them take a benadryl as a precaution so I have something in my system when/if I get stung. I should go back to the medical center for desensitization.

It might be a good idea to get an epipen for your son just in case he gets stung again.
 
#60 ·
I am a preacher and everytime i get stung near the eye its seems like it is on a church day. Everyone gasps and says you are allergic. No bee venom is supposed to swell you up. That is called a natural reaction not an allergic one. The boy will be fine. I hope he remains intrested in bees. It takes several stings each spring to reduce swelling and itching. I don't know what the magic number is but after so many they do not affect you as much; but it is something that we go through each year.
 
#61 ·
I got 40 or so in the head and neck mowing on the tractor the first year I had bees. After I determined my throat wasn't closing up, I drove myself to the ER. They did the predisone series and a kenalog shot. I was swollen like elephant man for a few days. Now most stings do nothing but itch, but every once in a while one will swell and get a little fever in it, usually hands or wrist.
 
#63 ·
When I was 13 i got stung about 40 or 50 times ... and these only in my head.. never counted how many times I was stung at my body.... and of course this didn't stop me and make me quit my bees.... Like every poison, bees' poison affects mostly the heart... local swelling is normal reaction.... it's not normal when you got stung in your finger and even your armpit swells.... But everyone should take the decision of his own :)
 
#64 ·
This is my first beek season. I caught several swarms early on, and started getting a little relaxed. I went to a swarm call with no protective gear one evening. :no: I ended up dropping the box as I was shaking them in. I only got stung about 15+ times. :doh:

I popped 4 Benadryl and drove to the ER. I had the tingling, the hives, the nausea, and the swelling tounge. The stings were localized on my left arm. It took a good 15 minutes before these symptoms occurred.

After some steroids and more benadryl :sleep: I left the hospital. I took the steroids for a little over a week. The first 4 days, or so I would still have hives pop up if the length of time between pills was too long.

I have been stung numerous times in the past couple of months since then. Before the swarm incident I would get the localized swelling and feverish skin. Since the swarm incident I get almost nothing. Still hurts like a SOG, but gone in a day. Very little to no swelling. :popcorn:

Kind of cool to get the "immunity". Don't know how long it will last, but I will enjoy it while it does.
 
#65 ·
I got stung on three times on the hand a couple of months back and my hand swelled about like the young mans. This is my second year beekeeping and I usually suit up, when I'm working with the bees. All the bees that I have are really gentle, so I got a little over confident. I went out on a cool morning to replace the hive top feeder. All I was wearing was a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. The girls got me on the hand and on my left calf as I was walking away. I experienced swelling and heat in the sting sites for about a week. I still have a sore spot between my fingers at one of the sting sites. I blame most of the reaction I had to being ill with a systemic staff infection ( that I aquired from abcessed tooth). I think that if I had been healthy the stings would have been a non-event.
 
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