How to Treat a Bee Sting and Prevent Infection

Getting stung by a bee can be a scary experience, especially for a child. There are many types of bees such as honeybees, wasps, bumblebees, hornets and yellow jackets. The honeybee can only sting once, but the rest of the bees can sting multiple times, and won't lose their stingers. It's important to know how to treat a bee sting.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Remove the stinger if a honeybee was the culprit. Only the honeybee leaves its venom sac and stinger behind. Use a dull-edged object, such as a debit card, to take out the stinger. Do not use tweezers, because this may cause more venom to be injected into the affected area.

2. Watch for reactions to the sting such as vomiting, nausea, wheezing and dizziness. A bee sting can trigger an allergic reaction and require medical attention. Severe reactions could cause anaphylactic shock and hypotension.

3. Elevate the area of the sting, and put a cold compress on top of the sting.

4. Apply a topical lotion with equal parts meat tenderizer and water.

5. Administer an antihistamine to a person with an allergic reaction, in addition to the other treatments.

6. Give a shot of epinephrine to a person who has a severe allergic reaction. The shot should be given 3 times, waiting 20 minutes between each injection.

7. Prevent infection by using warm soapy water to wash the area. Mix a solution of 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup water to apply to the sting, and wash it off after 2 minutes. Use an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment on the affected area.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use an epinephrine shot on a sting victim unless it is prescribed by a doctor.