All You Need to Know About Bee Stingers

A Complete Guide to Bee Stings

I find it fascinating that a bee sting can cause so much pain. On my first official day as a beekeeper I was stung 22 times on the head. Yes, it was painful, unlike the stings of other bees.

For instance, a sting from an alkali bee hurts like a pinprick at first but quickly subsides and causes no lasting damage. You won’t even notice the sting from a leafcutting alfalfa bee, but the little red well it leaves behind will itch like a mosquito bite for days.

A large orange wasp’s sting was the most painful insect sting I’ve ever experienced. I was near our fence, and didn’t notice the small hive.

For at least an hour, I could think was the pain. While bumble bees are adorable with their fluffy appearance, their stings may cause significant pain. I stepped on one (during a car wash fundraiser) and immediately regretted it.

My reaction to a honey bee sting is pain, followed by itching, and then resolution a few minutes later, unless the sting is to the face, in which case it might last for hours. Inexplicably, the ones on my head continued to swell for days.

Yet, there is sometimes misunderstanding regarding which animals sting and how often, so here are some facts concerning stings in general.

Explanation of the mechanism behind a bee sting

In the bee world, only the females can sting. While ovipositors are the ancestors of stingers, males don’t use them since they don’t reproduce.

In order to deposit their eggs deep into the bodies of other invertebrates, wasps have developed long, thin ovipositors. The ovipositor may also be equipped with poison to render the victim unconscious.

Vegetarian bees developed from wasps because the stinger was no longer necessary for hunting (pollen doesn’t try to flee).

It is a misconception that all female bees can sting you. Around 75% of bee species have females that may sting humans.

Honey bees have barbed stingers; most bee species have smooth stingers. Although just two types of wasps have barbed stingers, honey bees are one-of-a-kind among insects. Having the barb firmly lodged in the enemy’s skin allows the venom gland more time to pump its contents.

When a honey bee stings you they die. Some of the bee’s vital organs are torn from its abdomen as it flies away, resulting in death. Yet, the worker could survive the incident for a number of hours or even days.

Honey bee stings don’t always permanently implant. When honey bees strike animals with thin skin, like other bees, the stinger does not always embed, allowing the honey bee to sting again.

How can I safely and effectively remove a bee stinger?

One cannot agree on the most effective bee stinger extraction method. Others claim to scrape it is necessary to prevent further venom absorption. Some people advocate grabbing the stinger and pulling it out, while others think this is not acceptable.

The removal of the stinger as quickly as possible is seen as more significant than the method used by most medical authorities.

But, you may reduce the risk of injecting additional venom into the skin by scraping your nail over the stinger or avoiding pinching it as you remove it.

Methods for Extracting Bee Stingers

You could feel frightened and terrified after being stung by a bee because of how unexpected it is. Keep cool and do the three actions below to extract the stinger.

Examine the Sting

Examine the area around the sting carefully after it has occurred. Red bumps with black centers are common. A stinger will seem like a little black thread that has been detached. At the very tip of the strand lies the venom sac, which seems like a bulbous bump.

If the stinger is hidden from view, you may fear it has been embedded in your flesh. Nevertheless, this is very improbable due to the stinger’s barbed form, which makes penetration of the skin extremely difficult.

In addition to being the bee’s ultimate weapon, a stinger also proves to be the creature’s undoing.2

If you look at the spot where you were stung and don’t see a stinger, you should attempt to calm yourself. Most likely, there isn’t one, and the insect that struck you does not leave its stinger behind.

Tighten the Skin Up

If the stinger is visible, carefully peel the skin to one side to examine it. Having a tight surface will also aid in removing the stinger.

Grab the Stinger or Scrape It Out

The stinger may be removed with a fingernail or the edge of a credit card if you locate it. Tweezers should not be used to extract a stinger since doing so might cause further venom injection.

While their stings may not be as effective, bees without barbs may strike repeatedly. All stinging insects, with the exception of honey bees, may reuse their stingers several times without harming themselves.

There are no barbs on a queen honey bee’s stinger. Her body has no barbs; therefore, she may sting several times. Queen honeybees will defend their thrones with their stingers against rival queens and virgins.

The prospect of stingless honey bees is quite appealing. Nevertheless, that’s not the case. Although stingless honey bees can’t sting, they may bite and inject corrosive venom.

Venoms from stings are unique to each type of bee. Each species’ venom has its distinct chemical composition. This explains why certain stings are more painful than others and why an allergy to one species’ sting may not extend to that of another.

Allergic responses are uncommon after a single bee sting, according to some. They argue that only highly social insects like honey bees, yellow jackets, and other social wasps evolved the proteins that trigger human allergic responses.

When a person is stung by a bee, what should they do?

Use hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce redness, irritation, or swelling. Use an oral antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or chlorpheniramine if the itching or swelling is too much.

Getting the sting location scratched will just make the situation worse. The itching and swelling will become much worse, and you’ll be more susceptible to infection.

Why are bee stings good for your health?

Bee venom includes a number of active compounds, including peptides and enzymes, that may be useful in the treatment of inflammation and neurodegenerative disorders.

FAQ

What happens if you leave a bee stinger in?

• If you are stung by a bee and don’t try to remove the stinger right once, the pain and other symptoms might develop much worse. You’ll feel greater agony and swelling the longer the stinger is embedded in your flesh since more venom is being released. This could raise the risk of an allergic response.

What kind of bees leave stingers?

• Honey bees only leave Stingers. A little black dot may be seen where the stinger once was. To remove it, scratch the surface with anything sharp, such as a fingernail or the edge of a credit card. Don’t touch it if the stinger is under the skin.

How can you tell if bee stinger is out?

• A red bump is what you’ll see. A short black filament may also protrude from the middle of an abandoned stinger. In certain cases, the venom sac has a bulbous tip. To obtain a closer look at the stinger, tighten the skin surrounding it if necessary.

Can a bee sting make you sick?

• It might take a few minutes to many hours after being stung for an allergic response to set up. Large local reactions with redness, swelling, fever, and nausea are all possible in a real allergic response.

Do bee stings get progressively worse?

• You usually won’t have a significant allergic response the first time you are stung. Yet, allergic responses may become more severe with each successive sting, even if the initial reaction is modest. The next response you have might be fatal.

Do bees leave stingers in your skin?

• Honeybees are unique in possessing a stinger with specific hooks that allow the stinger to remain in the skin after the insect has stung a human. If the bee attempts to fly away, its stinger will be pulled from its body. Honeybees can only sting once before they die.

What’s the harm in removing a bee stinger?

• Certain flying insects, like honeybees, have venom sacs in their stingers, therefore, you shouldn’t attempt to remove them with tweezers. Dempsey warns against removing a stinger with tweezers since doing so might cause additional poison to be released from the sac. But wasps and hornets don’t do this; they don’t leave behind a poison sac.

How long does it take for bee venom to get out of your system?

• The sooner individuals get treatment, the greater their odds of survival. Intensifying local responses raise the likelihood of subsequent systemic manifestations. Those who aren’t allergic to venom from bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets often feel well after a week.

How dangerous is a sting from a yellow jacket?

• A sting from a yellow jacket with a tainted stinger might result in an illness or even blood poisoning. Several serious medical issues may emerge after a yellow jacket sting, in addition to the pain and the risk of allergic responses (hives, pruritis, and angioedema). A fatal outcome is possible in certain cases.

When should you see a doctor after being stung by a bee?

• See a doctor if you are concerned. The discomfort of a bee sting doesn’t go away after a few days. Besides the itching, you’ve experienced additional signs of a bee sting allergy.