A bee sting is a common outdoor injury that can be painful, startling, and sometimes dangerous. Most stings cause a small area of redness, swelling, itching, and soreness that improves with simple first aid. Calm, quick care helps reduce pain and lowers the chance of infection.
Knowing the warning signs of a severe allergic reaction can also save a life.
Key Facts
- Remove the stinger as soon as possible by scraping it away with a fingernail, card, or clean flat edge.
- Wash the sting area with soap and water to lower the risk of infection.
- Use a cold pack for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, with cloth between the ice and skin.
- Time since sting = current time - time of sting, and tracking this helps you notice if symptoms are spreading or worsening.
- Call emergency services immediately for trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, dizziness, fainting, or widespread hives.
- Do not scratch the sting because broken skin can let germs enter and can make swelling worse.
Vocabulary
- Stinger
- A small sharp part left in the skin by some bees that can continue releasing venom for a short time.
- Venom
- A substance injected by an insect that can cause pain, swelling, and an immune response.
- Allergic reaction
- A body response in which the immune system overreacts to a substance such as bee venom.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, fast allergic reaction that can affect breathing, blood pressure, and consciousness.
- Cold compress
- A cool cloth or ice pack wrapped in fabric and placed on an injury to reduce pain and swelling.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pinching the stinger with tweezers, because squeezing it may push more venom into the skin.
- Putting ice directly on the skin, because it can cause cold injury or frostbite on irritated tissue.
- Ignoring symptoms far from the sting site, because hives, throat swelling, dizziness, or breathing trouble can signal anaphylaxis.
- Scratching the sting area, because it can break the skin, spread germs, and make itching and swelling worse.
Practice Questions
- 1 A student is stung at 2:10 p.m. and the nurse checks the sting at 2:45 p.m. How many minutes have passed since the sting?
- 2 A cold pack should be used for 15 minutes, then removed for 15 minutes before repeating. If a student starts the first cold pack at 3:00 p.m., at what time should the second 15 minute cold pack begin?
- 3 A student has a bee sting on the forearm and then develops swelling of the lips and trouble breathing. Explain what should happen next and why this is different from a normal local sting reaction.