There are various strains and species of bees but not all are aggressive and harmful. Honey bee is one the species of bees which may cause severe consequences if it bites a person. Honey bees generally do not bite people unless they are disturbed. A bee sting can be extremely painful and may cause severe consequences and even fatalities if you are allergic to it. Therefore, when you are stung by a bee, there are two things that must be done immediately:
- When a bee stings you, the stinger remains embedded in the skin. The first course of action is to remove the stinger from your skin. You can do this by using a pair of tweezers or even your fingers. Avoid squeezing the stinger as this may result in more venom being injected in your body.
- Certain people are allergic to the venom secreted in a bee sting and can go into an allergic shock. If you experience any breathlessness, hives, dizziness, or difficulty in breathing after being stung, you have to get to a doctor as soon as possible so that you can be injected with anti-allergic medication. These symptoms may manifest immediately or within a couple of minutes of being stung by a bee.
If you show no signs of an allergic reaction, you can breathe a sigh of relief. However, even then bee stings are nasty and painful, and will take some time to heal. There are a few home remedies that you can use to reduce the pain and swelling.
- First and foremost, you should wash the affected area with soap and water. You may also apply any antiseptic ointment or lotion on the bee sting to prevent septic infections.
- You are also recommended to use cold compresses in order to relieve the pain and itching caused by the bee sting.
- You may even place a loaf of bread on the area of a bee sting. A bread slice will absorb the poison or any other bee secretion like saliva injected during the sting.
- Make a paste of cabbage leaves by grinding the cabbage and then applying it over the affected area for immediate relief from pain and irritation caused by the bee sting.
- You can use garlic to treat bee stings due to its antiseptic properties. Place a slice of garlic on the wound.
- You may prepare a poultice of potatoes and apply it on the wound to relieve the inflammation and irritation caused by the bee sting.
- A paste made of snake root may also be applied on the affected area to speed up the healing process.
- You may apply turmeric in combination with olive oil over the bee sting. Turmeric and olive oil both have excellent medicinal and healing properties.
- Increase your consumption of foods rich in Vitamin C like orange, grapefruit, lemon, and guava to rapidly cure bee stings.
answered by G M