As I write this, my left foot is swollen, relentlessly itchy, and looks like a puff-pastry with toes. It’s all because of a bee sting that happened while I was walking in my backyard a few days ago. I had flip-flops on, but somehow a little bugger got my toe, causing me to release a host of profanities while the stinger released its venom. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that summer is here, and so are the bees.
While we usually find bees happily flying through the air and minding their own pollination agenda, unfortunately we sometimes have those chance encounters that don’t end well. The discomfort and sleep deprivation (it’s that itchy) of my bee sting have me wondering if I could’ve prevented some of the symptoms. Should I have put on a paste of baking soda and water like my grandma always did? Or rely on over-the-counter drugs? And how can I prevent this from happening again?
Bee Careful
Stinging insects are in the order Hymenoptera, which includes wasps (like yellowjackets), bumble bees, and honey bees, among others. The stinger originates in the egg-laying apparatus, so only females cause the pain. Bees, which have a barbed stinger that remains in the flesh, can only sting once in their life. Wasps, on the other hand, have a retractable stinger, so they can hit you multiple times.
Most bees and wasps don’t sting unless provoked, disturbed, or defending a nest. As social insects, some members of the group have the sole function to protect the hive, so they launch into attack mode when they think their home has been disturbed. This became evident to me when a friend and I were trail running and one of us accidentally stepped off trail and onto a wasp’s ground nest. Before we knew it, we were covered in wasps letting loose on our legs and arms. When the nest is disturbed, wasps can send out a pheromone alerting their peers, and the entire group goes into defense mode. Faced with a swarm, we ran faster that day than ever before.
While honey and bumble bees (distinguished from wasps by their soft hair covering) usually avoid humans, yellowjackets are another story. Especially during the summer months, these yellow and black carnivorous wasps aggressively attack food, disturbing barbecues and picnics, and are more likely to attack than other bees and wasps.
Stung. Now What?
Though small, stingers pack a wallop of venom that is very painful when injected into skin. The chemical responsible for the pain from a honey bee sting is melittin, and its release causes a sharp pain, followed by a dull ache. The pain doesn’t last too long—a few minutes—but the after effects do.
In response to the sting, our bodies try to flush the venom from the area. This causes swelling and redness in and around the area. The swelling might not show up for a few hours; mine took a whole day to show up and when it did, it consumed my entire foot. The swelling is uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the intense itching that is familiar to those who’ve ever had bad poison oak or poison ivy. The length of the symptoms depends on the severity of the reaction, but they usually subside within a week or so.
My symptoms are uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the more serious reactions some people have to stings. Only a tiny portion of population is allergic to wasp or bee stings, but they can be serious. Some signs of an allergic reaction are a large area of swelling, itching all over the body, and respiratory symptoms, such as chest tightness or shortness of breath. More severe reactions include lightheadedness or loss of consciousness, and gastrointestinal issues like nausea and diarrhea. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s possible to have a serious allergic reaction to a bee sting even if you’ve been stung in the past and only had a mild reaction.
