# Bee Stings - Different from hive to hive?



## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

I've been stung a lot. Hands, face, neck, shoulders, you name it ... but up until recently I'd only been stung by two hives.

This year I split those two hives and made two NEW hives. One of them is thriving and the other one is doing poorly, but the thriving one has become quite aggressive. Not quite Africanized, I'd say, but they're certainly more unhappy about intrusion than any other hive I've got.

Another thing I noticed yesterday when I peeked inside to see if they were drawing on the wax foundation I put in their new brood box yet. I got stung one time on the back of my left hand. It hurt. It REALLY hurt. It didn't stop hurting for about an hour, and this morning the whole hand is swollen. Still hurts as well. I'm 100% positive it was a bee sting and not a wasp or hornet because after I was stung I had to remove the stinger. Yet I've never in my life had such a painful reaction to a bee sting.

Is it possible that the potency of the stings differs from hive to hive?


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Yes, and some hives are more aggressive than others. You might want to try requeening the aggressive hives.

As for the latest bee sting, you may have become sensitized to the venom and what you are experiencing is an allergic reaction. 

Do you have an epi-pen? It will be a good idea to get one.

Last fall while taking off honey, I got stung about 20 times on the head & neck. The epi-pen stayed off the anaphylatic shock so I could get to the hospital. Wonderful outcome though - I no longer swell when stung!


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Man, that was NOT what I wanted to hear. 

I know from my 4 hives that some are more aggressive, but I've never had one so bad that I felt like it had to be requeened. (I don't mind a little aggression since my hives are in an out of the way place.) But the reaction from yesterday's sting was just unbelievable.

Even with my suit I get stung on occasion. If I'm becoming allergic to the bee stings, then it's going to be a real problem maintaining my status as a beekeeper. And I LOVE beekeeping.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

pish post, I've been keeping bees for 5 years with a known allergy to bee venom. You just have to work more carefully.

I never go to the apiary if no one else is home.
I always let someone know that I'm there.
I keep my epi with me.
If stung, I call it a day, come in and elevate the sting and put an icepack on it.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Ok, I'm feeling better then. My understanding was that if stung you could die without prompt attention.

I was pretty upset about this. I really enjoy beekeeping and I would hate to give it up. It's a bit premature to worry about it. One sting does not mean that much, perhaps, but to be safe I should go buy an Epi-pen.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

You'll need to get a script from your doctor for an epi-pen


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## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

Sometimes I'll screw something up bad in the hive and get 10 stings. They all hurt right when it happens but then it goes away with in a few minutes and I'm fine. Other times, I'm just observing the hive from afar and a stray bee will run into me and sting. Happened last month. My arm swelled up to the point where I couldn't bend my elbow. Stings are just different every time for me. Sometimes they are practically nothing and other times they make me swell like a balloon and take nearly a week to heal.


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## Home Harvest (Oct 10, 2006)

I'm not so sure you've become allergic. Different people have different reactions, and your individual reaction can change over time. 

If the swelling was restricted to the hand that got stung, then this is still a localized reaction, not a systemic reaction. I happen to get bad local swelling when I get stung. I wil swell for 2-3 days. Really painful. But never more than 3-4 inches from site of the sting. I've never experienced any systemic reaction.

Then last week I got stung 3 times for being stupid. Practically no pain, and no swelling. Doesn't mean I'll stop wearing protection, but it was a pleasant surprise.

You should probably be more aware in the future, but I don't believe you have any major concern.


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