8 Bee Sting Remedies Plus Tips to Help Them Thrive

Oh no! You’ve been stung by a bee! Hurry down to the list of bee sting remedies below and once you’re feeling better come back to the top and read about how great bees are!

Honey bees are vital to our survival. Bees pollinate the plants which allows them to create food for us. Pollination allows plants to reproduce, which allows them to produce food for us instead of dying off. The importance of these bees are vastly underrated.

Without them, we would all starve. No bees= no food.

Okay, now that I feel I’ve made that as clear as possible(you would be amazed at the things people don’t know), I also just want to let you know that the wonderful little busy bees that we owe our lives to are dying off.

The exact reasons are still up for debate but the theme of them all is that it’s our fault with pesticides and fungicides and what not. Buy Organic!

Anyway, now that I’ve alerted you to this very real disaster that you should concern yourself with, let us talk about your boo-boo. Or better yet, my papa’s, since the reason for this post is his very swollen hand he’s sporting from a bee sting he got yesterday by tending to his honey bees.

First thing’s first, Remove the Stinger.

Remove the stinger by scraping with a card or something of the sort or plucking with tweezers from as close to the skin as possible. Avoid squeezing the stinger as this could allow more venom to seep into the wound. If you see a black dot where you were stung, a piece of the stinger is still present. If you can not get the remainder of the stinger, apply baking soda and vinegar or toothpaste which should draw it out.

Second, Treat the Symptoms

Assuming you haven’t gone into anaphylactic shock or anything like that(in which case you should take your butt to a professional medical facility instead of interneting remedies), I’ve composed a list of remedies in order of which is most likely to work. (My papa put gasoline on his because he’s a 73 year old farmer who won’t listen to anyone. Please don’t do this. Reasons.)

Bee Sting Remedies:

Baking Soda

We all know what baking soda mixed with vinegar does(If you don’t please go mix some together. You’re missing out on life). This should draw out the stinger. The compounds in baking soda and vinegar react with the venom and neutralize it. The neutralization causes the swelling to lessen and the pain to ease. It should cause almost instant relief.

Meat Tenderizer

Mix one part meat tenderizer with four parts water. Do not leave on for more than 30 minutes as this can cause skin irritation. Papain, a enzyme in meat tenderizer breaks down bee venom which also helps with pain and swelling.

Toothpaste

Most toothpaste contains glycerine which draws out the venom and neutralizes it. The mintiness in it also has a cooling effect which will help with the discomfort.

Tobacco

Even though there are no studies done on this one, it is a very popular old remedy that many think has merit. The nicotine in the tobacco is thought to neutralize the venom in the sting(Papa has always chewed some up and put it on ours growing up). It’s still to be debated on how to apply though as I couldn’t find anything about that part but I feel like it would need to be wet to draw out the nicotine (just an opinion).

Onion

Cut an onion and place it on the sting. This one seems to be a little touch and go. Some say it works while others don’t but there are properties in onions that reduce inflammation so I’d personally think there is some truth to it. It should relieve pain and discomfort.

Honey

How poetic. Honey is an antiseptic which basically means it’s good for everything.

Mud

This is another old remedy that no one has studied but seems to think works. Basically rub some on and let it dry. Let me know if this one helps you or if you have some personal experience with it. I’d love some feedback.

Ice

For swelling.

How epic was that last point? Your life may never be the same. Don’t forget to appreciate what the honey bees do for us and respect them and their space and generally they won’t bother you.

Our bees are so so important. Please treat them with respect. They don’t want to sting you.

If you would like to be more proactive in helping our friendly pollinators, check out this wonderful post, 10 Things You Can Do To Help The Bees.

Other Articles You May Enjoy

• 10 things you can do to save the bees
• 9 things I do to Live a Greener Life
• Save the world the easy way
• How to Eat Organic without Breaking the Bank

Author

S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water

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