A bee will sting to defend itself or its hive. All bees will do this.
If you swat a bee and crush it then the body of the bee produces a chemical that will incite other bees to attack in greater numbers.
The best thing to do if faced by attacking bees is to run away as fast as you can. Seek cover in a car or nearby building. Do not try to swat the bees away you are only likely to provoke a more severe attack
Honeybees will chase you for about fifty yards or so. African bees will chase you for up to one hundred and fifty yards.
African or Africanized bees have become the subject of several myths and faulty information about them is common.
The truth about Africanized bees is:
Africanized bees cannot kill you with a single sting unless you are allergic to bee stings. But in this sense they are no more deadly than any other kind of bee. They are not the killer bee that their press reports might have you believe
single sting from an African bee has less venom than a normal honeybee and is certainly no more painful
Unless you are allergic to the venom then a single bee sting is painful but not life threatening
Africanized bees do not actively seek out victims they will attack in defence of their hive but they are aggressive in defending their territory.
like all bees Africanized bees can only sting you once and then they die. It is a myth that they can sting you repeatedly.
Can bee stings kill you? Well, leaving allergy aside, it would take about 10 stings for each pound of body weight to cause a serious risk of death. This equates to about 1,500 stings at once for a 150-pound person. This is not likely except in exceptional circumstances.
Bee Sting Treatment - Why is a Bee Sting Painful
A bee sting has a barb on the end. When the bee stinger enters skin it is caught by the barb and torn away from the bee's body.
A little sac of venom is torn away from the bee along with the sting and this sac has small muscles that can continue to pump bee sting venom into the skin for up to ten minutes
The barbed ends of the sting also cause it to work its way deeper into the skin with passing minute
How to treat a Bee Sting Bee Sting Treatment Tips
If you are stung by a bee then follow these Bee Sting Treatment Tips
Remember that a bee can only sting once before it dies unlike a wasp, which might deliver multiple stings
The bee leaves the stinger in your skin so make sure that you remove it quickly. A stinger left in the skin after a bee sting can continue to pump venom for up to ten minutes making the bee sting more painful.
Remove the stinger by scraping it away sideways with your fingernail, a knife blade or the edge of a credit card. Try not to grab it with your nails or with tweezers.
Trying to pull it out a sting with tweezers or nails might only succeed in pumping more of the venom into your skin but remember it's the speed of removal that makes the difference to how painful the sting is. In reality any method of getting the sting out is effective as long as it's quick.
If you see a little black dot in the middle of the red area then you can be pretty sure that the stinger is still in the skin try harder to get it out.
Apply ice to the area and leave it on for up to ten minutes
Some say that a solution or a paste of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) rubbed into the skin can help to lessen the inflammation. Others claim that applying an aluminium chlorohydrate based antiperspirant can be soothing.
If you have it to hand then apply one of the many bee sting ointments or creams. Hydrocortisone cream or any cream with steroid in it is likely to help minimise any inflammation and lessen the pain of the sting.
Take some anti-inflammatory medication or a simple painkiller
Don't leave the stinger in the skin it will only lead to increased pain
Don't try to suck the wound or use meat tenderiser there's a risk of infection if you do
Bee Sting Treatment How to Avoid Being Stung
Remember that most bee stings happen in the autumn or fall.
Preventing bee stings should focus on not attracting bees and on not alarming them if they are present.
It sounds too obvious to mention - but remember that bees are naturally programmed to be attracted by bright colors and by strong scent (by things that look and smell like flowers in other words!)
Avoid attracting bees by avoiding fragrances including soap, shampoo and hair spray
Bright colours attract bees
Open food containers act like magnets to bees and wasps particularly sugar based foods. Keep food wrapped up and food containers closed. Be particularly careful with soft drinks in cans or bottles
What to do if a bee lands on you or your child
Keep still tell kids to be like a statue. Quick or sudden movements will startle bees and encourage stings
Blow gently on the bee and try to persuade it to move on
Wear a hat long hair seems to attract the anger of bees and may encourage them to sting
