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15 Bee Sting Home Remedies & Tips
Bee Resting On Hand
Getting stung by a bee is no fun and the pain can last for a few hours, here are a bunch of home remedies for pain relief as well as some interesting tips and bits of info.
Bee Sting Relief Remedies & Treatments
First make sure the stinger is removed (look for a black spot in the bite area), do this immediately as it can reduce the amount of venom released into the body. At one time it was thought that you had to scrape the stinger out (with something like a blunt knife or plastic edge) but you can effectively use tweezers to pull it out.
Wash the stung area with soap and water then try a home remedy or treatment below for pain relief. Technically it’s a bee sting rather than a “bite”, but I used bite below to describe the injured area.
- Make a paste of meat tenderizer and water or baking soda and water–apply to bite area.
- Sprinkle the bite area generously with baking soda then drizzle some drops of vinegar over the baking soda to make it fizz. Leave on the bite until pain is gone.
- Cover the bite with a dot of mustard.
- Make a thick paste of meat tenderizer and vinegar, apply to bite area.
- Cover the bite with honey and reapply as needed for pain.
- Dab with a generous amount of toothpaste and leave on the bite area.
- Apply ice or an ice pack.
- Soak bite area in Epsom salt and water or make paste and apply to bite.
- Apply Aloe Vera.
- Chew a plantain leaf then apply the macerated leaf onto the bite.
- Crush fresh parsley and apply to bite area.
- Crush fresh basil leaves and apply to bite area.
- Drizzle apple cider vinegar over the bite.
- Apply a slice of fresh papaya to the bee sting.
- Dab a bit of deodorant on the bite.
Bee Sting Symptoms
A normal reaction to a bee sting is to experience pain and itchiness, redness and swelling. Pain will last for a few hours then should disappear.
If the following occurs after a bee sting, seek medical advice:
- The bee stung inside your nose or mouth (the swelling will affect breathing).
- If you were stung several times by many bees.
- If you have difficulty breathing or your breathing seems to have been affected.
- Your tongue begins to swell.
- You experience dizziness.
- You experience blurry vision.
- You feel nauseous.
- Your speech is slurred or you find it difficult to talk.
- Hives or a rash appears (especially in an area away from the bite).
- The stung area swells alarmingly large.
If the reaction seems severe (especially if breathing is affected), don’t hesitate to call medical emergency services as the victim of the sting may be experiencing an allergic reaction to the bee sting that can trigger anaphylactic shock.
Bee Quick Tip Bits
Bee On Daisy Flower
If you don’t appear to be aggressive or startle the bee–chances are it won’t sting you. If a bee lands on you or is near you, hold still until it loses interest and flies away. Rapid movement and swatting will signal the bee that you’re ready for a fight so if you’re going to scream with arms flailing–make sure you outrun it 
.
- Tip: If a bee lands on you, blowing gently on it will help convince the bee that it’s time to move along.
Did you know: Pickings are slim in the Fall when bees are busy looking for flowers, fruits and plants that haven’t yet died off or harvested for the season. When you’re wearing bright clothing and smelling pretty while much of the vegetation the bees depend on are gone, the bee might think he hit the jackpot with the largest, loveliest flower of all (you).
Why Do Bees Die After Stinging?
When a bee stings, the stinger is torn from its body and left in the victim’s skin (the stinger is the tool that releases the venom). It basically disembowels the poor bumble bee and it cannot survive. Because of this, bees will only sting when they feel a threat (to themselves, their hive or to the queen bee).
Even though bees can be intimidating, they are very much needed to help our plants and flowers flourish (and to make delicious honey for us to enjoy). Make sure to check out Plant A Sunflower & Help Bees Thrive for a great summer project.
Please Note: None of the information above is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it’s provided for general knowledge purposes only.
Updated: Originally published June 8, 2007 as “Quick Tip: Bee Sting Relief”, more information added.
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Does the mustard thing also work with mosquito bites…or just bee stings?
I’m not sure Kim :dunno:. The information I had on that just mentioned bees, sorry
.
Are you looking for something to help take the itch away for mosquito bites? I’m pretty sure I have some info for that, I’ll try digging it up and posting it this week
. UPDATE: I made a list of mosquito bite itch relief tips here.
I have also heard that if you put a cross on your itching insect bites it will stop itching
(i have tryed this and it has worked for me)
Mud!
It sounds weird, but when I was a kid, I got an unusual amount of bee stings, and my dad used to pack some mud on them. Leave it there for a few minutes, let it dry up and then wash it off.
It’s messy, but kids don’t mind (and I almost always stepped on them, so if the sting is on your foot it’s not so bad).
My grandma used to make a “paste” of meat tenderizer and water and apply to my bee stings when I was a kid. I heard it had something to do with the enzyms in the meat tenderizer would draw out the venom from the sting. I know it did help me feel better.
We have used a penny for bee stings for years…..Just tape them on….sting is gone. WORKS TOO!!!!!
I have also heard tobacco out of cigarettes will take the sting out. It used to work when I was a kid.
when i was in Army Ranger school and Special Forces training we would dab a band aid with mylanta and apply this has many other uses as well
The penny taped on, the mud, and tobacco mixed with your own saliva: these all work.
I can vouch for the mixture of bakind soda and water. When we would step on bees as children at the local pool, my mom would slather on a little bit of the mixture, cover with a bandaid, and lay us down for a nap. When we woke up, the stinger would be stuck to the bandaid and the pain would be gone. Also works with splinters!
Immediately after the sting, flick it with a credit card/debit card, etc. It easily removes the stinger. Then I hold a cut raw onion right on the sting. It’s suppose the draw out the poison. I’m allergic to bee stings and this always reduces the size of the bite if I do it right away. You’ll still have some itching afterwards. You can apply the onion as much as you want throughout the day and it does help a bit.
Thanks for the advice! Just came back from the emergency room after my husband had an allergic reaction to several bee stings. He got hives on his feet after being stung on his arm and ear several times. I was checking this site for home remedies, and went to check on him with baking soda and vinegar on a washcloth and saw hives on his feet and legs. I immediately took him to the ER. While on the way, his throat started to get tight, and by the time we got to the hospital he was having trouble breathing. Four hours later, after steroids and IV antihistamine, he is fine. Thank you!!!! Save my husband’s life.
Wow Susanna, that is so scary! I’m so glad your husband is ok!
Thanks TipNut!
I was told by a bee keeper the best thing for a bee sting is after removing the stinger apply honey. I have tried this and it relieves the pain immediatly.
Actually bees are not attracted to soda pop and will not drink it.
What you are seeing is most likely yellow jackets.