# allergic but stubborn



## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I really really really want fresh honey and honey bees around but I'm allergic. Not to the point of anaphylaxis but I swell up badly where I'm stung. Last time was on the leg and my foot got huge so I couldn't walk for a week without crutches. How fool proof is a bee suit? I know I will get stung at some point but I"m concerned mostly about the head and neck area which could swell bad places. If I got stung in the neck I'd likely be dead before they got me to the er.

If I suit up and remove my titanium wedding ring every time just in case (standard cutters carried by EMTs do not cut titanium) my hand gets stung past the gloves is that safe enough? I have tachycardia so I cannot use benadryl and my doctor likely would not give me an epinephrine shot to have on hand unless we want to see just what it takes to make my heart explode (my resting pulse is 120bpm) but like I said I've never had anaphylaxis. Just local swelling.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

I too would love to have some bees. I feed the local wild ones. I have a small(pea) brown spot above an eyebrow where one tagged me last year. It felt like a finger poked into my eye.

I am dumb enough to feed them again this year. You might be suicidal.

Start asking around. Offer above market $. Like 2X 3X... You'll have honey.


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## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

" If I got stung in the neck I'd likely be dead before they got me to the er."

Come on buddy!! Your not stubborn just lacking major common sense here!!

I have a supposedly sting proof suit. If the zips arent closed tightly together and the velcro thoroughly covered over them the bees can wriggle inside. I've caught my hive tool on the suit and caused some small tears which i didnt know about but the bees sure found them. 


Go to an allergy doc and get a series of densensization shots which might help. But i gotta warn you if you get stung multiple times all at once after the allergy shots too much of the venom will kill you anyway. 

If your youngish the worst thing that can happen to you is permanent disability not death. People during anaphylactic shock get strokes, heart attacks from the low blood pressure and end up dealing with the after effects of permanent paralysis, brain damage, and becoming "cardiac cripples" after the heart attack who cant go back to work or do the physical activity they once did before. Some end up in a nursing home to be taken care of with residual damage from an anaphylactic shock. You wanna throw your life or your way of life away over a jar of honey?????


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Not lack of common sense, lack of knowledge of bee suits and how effective they are or aren't.


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## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

No bee suit is completely bee-proof. Beekeepers get stung. Period. I've got an UltraBreeze, which is about as bee-proof as they come, but on more than one occasion I've been stung after I'm done, when my suit is off and I'm putting it away.

I've also been stung when I've been extracting honey, because there are nearly always a few bees that refuse to leave the supers when you remove them from the hive. 

Find a local bee club. Make friends with a beekeeper and you'll always have honey. Don't risk your life.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

If your that allergic you may go into shock and your doc won't write a script *YOU NEED TO CHANGE DOCTORS. *

Why would you want to spend every day of your life in fear of a stray *HONEY BEE* stinging you and dieing?

 Al


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

[quoteIf your that allergic you may go into shock and your doc won't write a script *YOU NEED TO CHANGE DOCTORS. *][/quote]
My doctor wouldn't write the script because it would probably kill me as sure as a wrongly placed bee sting.




> Why would you want to spend every day of your life in fear of a stray *HONEY BEE* stinging you and dieing?


Do most people mess with their hives daily? cause otherwise it's only occasionally that I'd have to worry. The property is already coated in bumblebees and yellow jacket nests. I wouldn't be adding to the yard hazard. I spend everyday at risk of dying from working with horses. I've taken 100s of falls and kicks. In fact right now my shoulder is messed up. That's just life. There is no reward without risk.

The only place I can find raw honey without shipping it keeps the oddest hours and we've never managed to get there. So far we've been surviving on a yearly buy from a fair type event but we may not be able to go anymore.


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## Speckledpup (Dec 3, 2004)

akane
If you post a general description of your area, you never know someone on this site might be able to help you find local fresh honey.

I also have the ultra breeze suit and have taken a sting between the shoulder baldes with it. Suits are not sting proof.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

No most people don't mess with their hives daily unless they have several hundred scattered around a couple of counties. 
But people with bees in their back or front yard have honey bees flying about the area.

There is always that chance of getting stung just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 Al


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Much to my surprise, I learned that it was yellow jackets I am allergic to, and not honey bees. They look very similar, but the venom is very different!

Are you certain which you are allergic to? I had an allergy test done, and then I was cleared to keep bees.


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## KrisD (May 26, 2011)

I keep vinegar on hand because it reduces swelling immediately, the welt and pain are completely gone in less then 10 min. In 5 minutes the swelling is almost gone and the sting is greatly reduced. Might be handy if you can't take Benadryl. Or what about Benadryl cream that you rub on.

I don't yet have hives but here are constant bees in my yard all summer, there are no promises in life.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

My allergist looked at me like I was a nut job when I causally mentioned beekeeping despite my allergy (also only major swelling, no history of anaphylaxis, but affected by bees and wasps, but not hornets). That said, I wouldn't recommend it. We get local raw honey at our local food Co-op. Have you looked into that? It's not with the honey in the 'baking' aisle at ours, but stuck randomly throughout the store.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I've got a good friend that's been raising bees for years, and was the president of the local club for a few years.. 

I was just out with him last weekend working his hives with him... You'll be amazed at the places a bee can find to get in... I didn't get stung, but he got about 6 stings out of one hive.. I had a couple crawl up my pant leg... 

This was the first time I've ever really seen exactly what it takes when getting into the hives for the first time of the year.. 

He had over 20 hives going into the winter.. He lost almost half of them through the winter... He's been battling beetles and mites for a few years, as have many bee keepers... Some of the keepers in the area lost all or almost all of their bees over this past winter

I've wanted bees too, but after I've been around him with them, and after a few of the club meetings and seeing the costs.. It's MUCH easier to find someone to buy your honey from... I'm finding there is WAY too much to learn, know, and maintain considering how much free time I would have to devote.


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

I have friends who have orchards and keep bees. I'll mail you fresh honey at cost & postage. My kids were allergic and each sting was worse than the one before, until the Dr said my daughter had about 10 minutes to get help before she died. Fortunately, we moved and the venom seems to be different in Oregon than Alaska for some reason. Still, we're pretty darn careful.
I'd hate to see someone put their family through all that if they didn't have to. Again, please, ask around or let one of us here supply you with good honey.
Kit


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I agree, talk to your doctor. If you are outdoors, much--there is a risk of you being stung by a bee, wasp or hornet! And hornets and wasp can sting many, many times with out dying... SO, make an appointment..

I would just call my local Cooperative Extension agent and ask when the local Beekeepng club meet or who you can contact... They can provide you with honey


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

The property is already coated in bumblebees and yellow jacket nests. I wouldn't be adding to the yard hazard.

first thing is each kind of bee has its own venom , not likely your allergic to all ,most are only allergic to one maybe two , the first thing you have to do is find out what one you are allergic to .. as you say you were stung ,, did you find a stinger still there ?? if not a honey bee sting would have the stinger still in you ,, as they lose it when they sting and then die .. go find out what one your are allergic to


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

My hubby is allergic to stings, but he's never been tested to find out what bug he's actiually allergic to. His reaction isn't as severe as others, but we keep an epi-pen on hand just in case. We also keep a good supply of Benadryl in the house, the car and his closet at work. We used to buy the single serving spoons filled with the liquid, but then we couldn't find them anymore. We switched to the tablets that dissolve in your mouth. In the event of a serious problem, we wanted to make sure that we had something that could be easily swallowed if someone's throat was beginning to swell.

I've never been stung , so I don't know if I'm allergic or not. While the idea of fresh honey is tempting, I'd never raise bees on our property for fear of him getting stung. It just isn't worth it.


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

a bee keep should have a epi-pen,, just because you never know , when you will need it , not just for bee stings ,I carry one for my wife .. one time before I carried it she was on the line of needing one , she pull out ok but never again will it happen as she carry's one to .. my doc said she thinks they are a good thing for most to have , I just said that I was thinking of carrying one and she had the scrip wrote in 30 seconds ,,


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My doc did the same thing Tom when she heard I had taken up Bee keeping, just wrote the script for both Kare and I . Don't for get to reknew them every two years either.

I inject insulin twice a day every day so injecting and Epi Pen is no big deal You don't even need to measure the amount to inject.


 Al


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