How to Relieve a Bee Sting

Series Summary

The term first aid refers to the immediate care that is provided to an injured or sick person. It is used to stabilize a patient until further medical treatment and assessment can be provided at a hospital or care facility. For most, a first-aid kit is used primarily to treat minor medical emergencies, like small cuts or burns. However, it is important to keep a first-aid kit stocked with supplies that are used regularly, as well as those items which might be used until EMS can help. In addition to a first-aid kit, knowing what to do in emergency situations is a key part of treating injuries. In this free video series, a street firefighter provides first-aid tips for treating a variety of injuries including stings, burns and other wounds. Find out how to soothe a burnt tongue, how to treat food poisoning and how to treat a conscious choking adult or child. Learn about treating heat exhaustion, blisters and frostbite as well. Minimize the long-term effects of medical emergencies by utilizing these first-aid tips.

Video Transcript

"Throughout the course of everyday life all of us performing some type of outdoor activity will encounter a sting from a bee. Hi, I'm Captain Joe Bruni, and what I want to talk about is how to treat the common bee sting. The common bee sting is usually a painful occurrence. Normally the bee will leave some type of stinger in the wound area where it has released it's toxic venom. You do not want to take that stinger and squeeze it or pinch it in any way because at the end of that stinger will be some type of venom sac that will continue to hold the poison from the bee. You want to take something like a stiff piece of card such as a credit card, drivers license, or anything else that can be used to scrape that skin surface area and try and remove that stinger in that fashion. Again, you do not want to squeeze it with your fingers or with a pair of tweezers or any other type of material. After the stinger is removed you can apply some type of cold compress, ice, or anything else to cool the area, along with washing the area with soap and water to cleanse the area. After cleansing and applying ice for a short period of time to reduce swelling, some type of aloe vera gel can be applied or even a home remedy of a paste made out of meat tenderizer and a few drops of water or even baking soda and a few drops of water and that paste applied to that wound or infected area. In this fashion it should relieve pain rather quickly and reduce swelling. I'm Captain Joe Bruni, stay safe and we'll see you next time."