What to do when you’ve been stung

Home treatment for a bee sting, and prevention

In recent blog posts, we’ve been talking about how to avoid getting stung…. but sometimes, it still happens (despite our best efforts). Most bee stings can be treated without medical attention, and we’re gonna take a look at some dos and don’ts for that situation.

When a honey bee stings a person, the barbed stinger is not pulled back out from the wound. The bee leaves behind not only the stinger, but also part of its abdomen, digestive tract, muscles and nerves.

DO:

• DO stay with the person to watch out for any severe reaction that could develop… and DO call for urgent medical help if there is a severe allergic reaction

• DO remove the stinger promptly by wiping over it with a piece of gauze, or scrape a finger nail, or a card over it

• DO remain calm

• DO wash the site of the sting with plain soap and water

• DO apply a cold compress or offer aspirin or acetaminophen (if desired) to reduce swelling

DON’T:

• DON’T leave the person alone – they may develop a severe reaction

• DON’T use tweezers to remove the stinger

• DON’T squeeze the stinger or scratch the sting – this could aggravate the problem and lead to an infection

• DON’T  panic!

• DON’T Burst any blisters that develop since this can lead to infection.

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So there we go! Ten Do’s and Don’t’s in case you’re ever unfortunate enough to get stung by a bee (or any other stinging pest)!