Sting Reactions

**Neils** · 02-07-2012, 03:24 PM

So yesterday I had a reasonably bad reaction to a sting.

Within 15 minutes I was hot, shaking, dizzy, being sick and developed a rather fetching rash and apparently went red as a beetroot. I never felt short of breath or that I was seconds away from keeling over but I did eventually take myself, with the help of a friend off to Hospital to get myself checked out. They gave me a bunch of a steroids and antihistamines kept me in for an hour to make sure I didn't expire and sent met off with a week long course of antihistamines and the somewhat less than helpful advice of "don't get stung if you can help it".

So I guess the question is, should I be considering packing it in? Is a thicker pair of gloves that the bees can't sting through and being far less tolerant of aggressive colonies enough?

Might it just have been a one-off reaction or is that a really silly assumption to make?

I realise that this is an internet forum and the proper thing to do is probably go see my GP before going anywhere near a beehive again, but I've been stung before with no real adverse affects at all and certainly nothing like this so I'd be interested in hearing other peoples experiences and if there are any useful links to what's known about reactions to stings, why it happens and why can get worse.

**HJBee** · 02-07-2012, 03:41 PM

Could it be down to the strain of bee etc - I am sure there will be experienced folk far more educated on that than I who will give their views - but to me it's a common sense theory? Glad to hear you are better today, but not that you may feel the need to give it up.

**Neils** · 02-07-2012, 03:53 PM

I'm hoping not to have to, but I don't yet know whether I should consider that a warning or a one-off that might not happen again.

I've had stings off that colony before with no issues. That reaction came right out the blue, if anything I thought I was getting less of a reaction to stings up until yesterday. Going to Hospital might have been a bit melodramatic, but I felt it was better to be safe.

**chris** · 02-07-2012, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by Nellie

. Going to Hospital might have been a bit melodramatic, but I felt it was better to be safe.

Your symptoms are the same as I had. The person with me phoned the equivalent of 999, and a doctor talked him through what to do, whilst he immediately dispatched an ambulance to collect me. The round trip for the ambulance was 1 1/2 hours. The first thing they did on arrival was to give me some injections. They wouldn't have bothered with all that for nothing, so no, you weren't being melodramatic.
In my case, the village witch was running around screaming that I was vomiting blood. What a waste of a good Medoc!!
It was the first time I'd had such a reaction, and the rash part covered my whole body. OK, I did have 30 odd stings, but you had the same reaction with one. See a doctor.

**GRIZZLY** · 02-07-2012, 05:18 PM

Nellie you need to get in touch with your local allergy testing team to establish if you realy have developed an alergy and,if you have ,take steps to be de-sensitised.One of our local Ass'n members did exactly that and can now handle his bees confident that he's not going to collapse or worse.He also carries an epipen-but these have a limited shelf life so should be replaced regularly.

**Jon** · 02-07-2012, 05:33 PM

Gavin went through a desensitization process after developing a severe reaction and that sorted him out.

Was this just a routine sting on the hand?
Not all stings are equal and most of those I get a glancing stings through the nitrile glove or through trousers or a shirt sleeve.
If the bee gets proper contact it can pump a right bit of venom in.

As far as I can tell everyone is different with regard to sting reactions and a reaction can come out of the blue.

**Neils** · 03-07-2012, 09:36 AM

I will do, it's potentially very annoying I'm not, nor have ever been allergic to anything. I don't even get hayfever.

**GRIZZLY** · 03-07-2012, 09:43 AM

The problem with allergies is that they can pop up and start at any time and most unexpectedly.

**The Drone Ranger** · 03-07-2012, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Nellie

I will do, it's potentially very annoying I'm not, nor have ever been allergic to anything. I don't even get hayfever.

I saw a Warre hive in Thornes the other day I'd never heard of it until you mentioned them.

Looks like you would be guaranteed a good stinging if you had to open one

I would run down to the hives and get stung again the suspense would be killing me.