June 10: Bee Stings

When I mention to people that one of my hobbies is beekeeping, the first thing they ask about is stings. Don't you ever get stung? I'm not quite sure why people are so afraid of getting stung by a honey bee. I think it's because they lump honey bees in with yellow jackets, bumblebees, and wasps. Honey bee stings are much less painful than wasp stings, that's for sure. I try to explain that a) honey bees are gentle compared to their relatives, that b) I rarely get stung, that c) they won't sting you unless you are in their way or tearing up their house, and that d) it doesn't really hurt that much! Honey bees don't seek out people to swarm, like you see in the movies.

Ironically, I'm writing this post after having just gotten stung. The Russians are a growing colony, and I now have to be careful about standing in their flight path. Twice, bees have taken off from their bottom board launch pad and flown right into me. Not their fault.

What do I do if I'm allergic to bee venom?
I keep an Epipen (available by prescription) at my house, just in case someone might visit with an allergy to bee stings. Anaphylactic shock from a bee sting can occur when an allergic person gets stung. You need to inject the Epipen and get that person to the hospital as quickly as possible. But again, it happens very rarely.

Can a bee sting me more than once?
No. Worker bees have barbed stingers. When she stings you, she cannot remove herself. The poison sac gets ripped out along with parts of her gut, so she will soon die. Drones don't have a stinger. Queens do and can sting multiple times, but reserve their stinging for rival queens.

What does it feel like?
Well, there is a stab of pain, like a pin prick, as the stinger sinks in. The pain becomes a bit worse as the venom is released. It can be a bit of a delayed effect. I become slightly dizzy. The sting spot gets numb and red. But it's all over in a matter of minutes.

What do I do if I've gotten stung?
If you do get stung, how long you leave the stinger in affects how much venom is injected. Scrape it out as quickly as possible (see diagram). Don't panic.

What is in the venom?
Mostly melittin which releases histamine and serotonin, causing itching, swelling, decreasing blood pressure and respiration, and pain, and phospholipase A which destroys cell membranes and causes pain. Another ingredient is apamin, a neurotoxin that causes tremors! Luckily, very little venom is injected with a sting.

We need more hobby beekeepers, and unfortunately, I think one obstacle in recruitment is the fear of being stung.

Did you know? Fewer than 20 deaths each year in the U.S. result from bee stings.