Stung by a honeybee, bumblebee, hornet, wasp, or yellow jacket
Over 95 percent of stings are from honey bees or yellow jackets
The main symptoms are pain and redness
Call or Return If
Trouble breathing or swallowing occurs (mainly during the 2 hours after the sting.) Call 911.
Sting starts to look infected
Redness gets larger after 2 days
Swelling becomes huge
You think your child needs to be seen
Your child becomes worse
About This Topic
Symptoms
The main symptoms are pain, itching, swelling and redness at the sting site.
Severe pain or burning at the site lasts 1 to 2 hours. Itching often follows the pain.
Swelling.
The bee sting may swell for 48 hours after the sting. The swelling can be small or large. Stings on the face can cause a lot of swelling around the eye. It looks bad, but this is not serious.
Redness.
Bee stings are often red. That doesn't mean they are infected. Infections rarely happen with stings.
The redness can last 3 days and the swelling 7 days.
Cause
The bee's stinger injects venom into the skin.
The venom is what causes the symptoms.
Prevention of Bee Stings
Don't go barefoot if bees are around.
Be careful in gardens and orchards.
Insect repellents do not work against these stinging insects.
After Care Advice
Overview:
Bee stings are common.
The main symptoms are pain and redness.
The swelling can be large. This does not mean it's an allergy.
Here is some care advice that should help.
Try to Remove the Stinger (if present):
Only honey bees leave a stinger.
The stinger looks like a tiny black dot in the sting.
Use a fingernail or credit card edge to scrape it off.
If the stinger is below the skin surface, leave it alone. It will come out with normal skin shedding.
Meat Tenderizer:
Make a meat tenderizer paste with a little water. Use a cotton ball to rub it on the sting. Do this once for 20 minutes. Reason: This may neutralize the venom and reduce the pain and swelling. Caution: Do not use near the eye.
If you don't have any, rub on an aluminum-based deodorant. You can also put a baking soda paste on the sting. Do this for 20 minutes.
Cold Pack:
If pain does not improve after using the meat tenderizer paste, rub with an ice cube.
Do this for 20 minutes.
Pain Medicine:
To help with the pain, give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen. Use as needed.
Steroid Cream:
For itching or swelling, put 1% hydrocortisone cream on the sting. No prescription is needed.
Use 3 times per day.
Allergy Medicine:
For hives or severe itching, give a dose of Benadryl by mouth.
What to Expect:
Severe pain or burning at the site lasts 1 to 2 hours.
Normal swelling from venom can increase for 48 hours after the sting.
