Stings

One of the concerns as a new beekeeper is stings. If you remember the epi pen story you know there was a sense of responsibility to have a general understanding of bee stings and what they could mean to any of us as a beekeeping family.

Thus far I have to report TWO STINGS. Yes, it happened. But not like you would think. Both stings came this summer. The first victim was our little beekeeper. His comment that summed it all up nicely was “how embarrassing, I’m a beekeeper and I get stung by a wasp”. Yes, a wasp. He was in the swimming pool floating on a raft when the wasp simply landed on him and stung him. He didn’t even swing at it or anything. Seems so wasp like – I don’t think a sweet honey bee would ever sting in such an uncalled for sort of manner. In the end, he took it like a champ and recovered just fine.

The second sting victim was our little four-legged family member. She was outside playing with our queen bee in the yard and suddenly yelped, ran away and drew up her front paw. It was obvious that she was in pain and from what we could see it appeared that she had maybe stepped on something that stung her. It was swollen and red but she allowed us to soak the paw in cold ice water which seemed to ease the pain. She sulked around for the rest of the day but thankfully no other care was needed and she was back to her vibrant self the next day.

Our master beekeeper shared some research indicating that it takes about 200 stings per year to better “ensure” (if you will) not having a serious reaction to bee stings. In other words…if I understood it all correctly…if you can get stung at least 200 times per year your chances of ever having a severe reaction to a bee sting drops off significantly. However, if you get stung more than 20 but less than 40 times per year (these exact numbers I do not remember) the research suggested that you might be more likely to have a significant reaction to bee stings. While I can’t remember the exact research and do not have a link to provide it left me drawing the conclusion that there is no way I am going to try to get stung more than 200 times per year and it might be best to simply minimize all stings in order to stay safe from severe allergic reactions! In listening to most beekeepers and their sting stories, many stings seem to happen when beekeepers rush or are a bit careless. I’m happy that I have been able to avoid stings thus far but I do try to be careful, take my time and always wear a full bee suit and gloves. So far this method has worked and I hope it will continue to keep us sting free!  

Bee venom has been discussed and studied for use in the medical field from allergy treatment therapies to uses with other diseases and autoimmune disorders. The scientist in me finds it all rather interesting as the immune system is sometimes hard to predict and figure out! But for now, my goal will be to avoid bee venom at all costs! 

As summer comes to a close, keep an eye out for the honey bees (and other meaner stinging insects). The bees are hopefully finishing up their summer work in an effort to best prepare the hive for winter. Remember, our sweet bees don’t want to sting – a sting will be uncomfortable for us humans and pets but it guarantees death for the poor little bee. Sting free we all hope to be – unless you are one of those crazy beekeepers looking to land 200 plus stings a year, craziness! 

-Worker Bee 2021