First aid for bee stings

First aid for bee stings is fairly straight forward and not at all complicated, for the most part. There may be instances where it can get downright dangerous. Anaphylactic shock is not something to mess around with and you need to be prepared for it.

There are several steps to take in first aid for bee stings.
1.Immediately remove the stinger. You need to scrape the stinger out, not pull it out. Use your fingernail, knife blade or anything with a flat, straight surface on it. If you pull the stinger out with tweezers or your fingernails there is a chance of injecting more venom into the bloodstream. Scraping will help alleviate that.
2.If you are allergic to bee stings then make sure you have your kit with you.
3.Washing the area with soap and water will also lessen the chance of infection.

Note: That being said, it doesn't matter how you get the stinger out, just get it out. The reason is because it can create a secondary infection.

Treatment for bee stings in the wilderness:You can relieve the discomfort by several methods;
• Cold packs- if you have then in your first aid kit. I recommend saving these for more serious first aid problems if one of the other methods are available.
• A good paste of mud and ashes
• Sap from dandelions
• Coconut meat if your are lucky enough to be in that area of the world
• Crushed cloves of garlic
• An onion
• A thick paste of baking soda if you brought some with you
• An antihistamine such as Benadryl

First aid for bee stings: Allergic reaction to bees
The most common allergic reactions to bee stings are pain, swelling, itching and a mild redness in the sting area. Some of the more serious reactions that you need to look out for are an unusually hard time breathing, tightening in the throat and chest area, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, hives. There are a couple more signs that can lead to anaphylactic shock and other reactions. Please see Bug bites and stings for a detailed look at reactions to bee stings.

The information in this first aid for bee stings article is the same for bees, wasps and hornets. There are couple of other things that you should know. Get to know the different types of bees, these is covered in the animals section, since honey bees will only sting once. The lose part of their body when they sting and cannot survive afterwards. Other bees can sting multiple times. Fire ants and mosquitoes are covered in separate articles. We will also cover snakes and scorpions a little later.

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