Table of Contents
Bee Sting Cures
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"A bee sting strictly means a sting from a bee (honeybee, bumblebee, sweat bee etc). In the vernacular it can mean a sting of a bee, wasp, hornet, yellowjacket or sawfly. Some people may even call the bite of a horsefly a bee sting. The stings of most of these species can be quite painful, and are therefore an object of dread for many humans.
It is important to differentiate a bee sting from an insect bite. It is also important to recognize that the venom or toxin of stinging insects is quite different. Therefore, the body's reaction to a bee sting may differ significantly from one species to another.
The most aggressive stinging insects are wasps (including bald-faced hornets) but not in general hornets (the European hornet is gentle). All of these insects aggressively defend their nests, although they have not developed a sting targeted at mammals like the honeybees.
In people who are allergic to bee stings, a sting may trigger a dangerous anaphylactic reaction that is potentially deadly. All be stings, including all species of bees release pheromones." (Wikipedia)
DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
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| APPLE CIDER VINEGAR | 8 YEAS |
1 YEA
[YEA] 05/05/2008: Gean from Salina, Kansas writes: "I am very allergic to bee stings. I had gotten stung a few times during my childhood and teens, each time with more severe swelling. The last time I had gotten stung (stepped on a bee going barefoot), my leg swelled up like an elephant leg all the way to the thigh (the time before that it was just above the knee). So I knew it would be worse the next time, so I carried an Epi-pen around for a while until it expired. Then I carried nothing with me, but I knew if I got stung again esp. above the waist it would probably cut off my airway circulation. Well, lo and behold, about 20 years later I got stung again, right on my throat, so I yelled for my husband to call 911, thinking I was done for. Then a few seconds later I said, "Never mind! Hang up and help me mix up this charcoal!" So we took some powdered activated charcoal, mixed it with water, and applied it to the sting site. When the paramedics showed up a few minutes later (they had traced the call), we told them we were fine, since there was no swelling at all. I changed the charcoal poultice quite often during that first day, I don't remember exactly how often. Maybe every hour for a few hours. We also ground up some flax seed and mixed it with the charcoal and water. This makes it gelatinous and less runny. I kept the poultice on for about 3 days. Two days later I felt it itch and begin to swell, and then I realized the poultice had slipped off the sting site. So I knew I was still very allergic, and the charcoal had probably saved my life."
09/20/2008: Ruth from Dennisport, MA replies: "The symptoms you describe are a localized reaction to the bee sting, not an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions are systemic (through your whole body) like hives. Even though the reaction can be painful and scary, it is not an allergic one. Treatment includes elevating the affected part, steroids and antibiotics (main stream medicine). Don't worry about an epi-pen unless you have some kind of affected breathing."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/24/2007: GT from Vero beach, Florida writes: "Had a nasty bee sting recently. Used homeopathic Apis mel. low potency like 6C Immed. took the pain, sting, swelling away!"
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8 YEA
[YEA] 08/13/2010: Laurie from Saukville, Wi writes: "I was outside on the deck yesterday and got stung by a wasp. I rushed inside to see what Earthclinic viewers recommended. Took some ACV and applied it with a cotton ball, then held it there about two minutes. Pain gone and redness gone. It works!"
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[YEA] 05/20/2010: Jamie from San Jose, Ca, Usa writes: "My poor grandmother suffering from dementia was stung by a bee recently. She tried icing it for about 10 minutes and was still in pain so i checked this website and read that ACV was good for bee stings. We soaked a cotton ball with organic ACV and applied it directly to the sting and her pain was completely gone in 3 minutes!! I love ACV!!"
07/19/2010: Molly from Greenville, N.c Usa replies: "I raise ducks and geese as pets and my neighbors wanted two. So when they came over to pick them up, the ducklings jumped out and ran to a bush. Well, we didn't know that there was three yellowjacket nests there. Within minutes there were 30 or so on this one duckling (3 weeks old) and he was dark colored so it attracted them even more. I picked out all the YJ's and ran inside and got Dawn dishwasher detergent and washed the wounds. Then I picked out the stingers and drowned the wounds in ACV. When I taught a water safety course at school, I learned that putting ACV on a jellyfish wound would stop the pain, so I tried putting it on a YJ sting. It worked in a short period of time. Thanks! :))"
[YEA] 08/09/2010: Trevor from East Corinth, V.t. Usa replies: "The Apple Cider Vinegar remedy worked very well. My sting went away immediately."
08/09/2010: E.j. from Brevard, N.c., Usa replies: "Hi Trevor, Started to use last month and it helped lower my number. (I am a prediabetic). Would like to ask if anyone knows the different from blackstrap molasses and sorghum syrup? The reason I am asking is sorghum is grown local in my area of NC. And N. GA. It is also a grass! I have some in my shelves. Thank you for any answer! E.G."
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[YEA] 08/27/2009: Russell from Denton, Texas, Usa writes: "Hi,
I was stung on the toe (ouch!) by a nasty red wasp this morning while taking out the trash... my business partner referred me to this site and I read about Apple Cider Vinegar. Thankfully, I had just bought some last night for the first time, and quickly submerged my toe. Within 10 seconds, the pain was almost completely gone. 5 minutes ago I was unable to sit still because of all the pain, and now I feel great!
Thank you for the great advice.
Sincerely,
Russell"
[YEA] 11/21/2009: Turtlewalk from Santa Ana, Ca replies: "My daughter was saving a bee from the pool today (doubt she'll do that again) and got stung on her thumb. It began to swell immediately. We put baking soda on it and iced & elevated it. She kept asking for relief from the pain. I found this site and dunked her thumb in Apple Cider Vinegar a few minutes ago. She says the pain is almost gone."
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[YEA] 06/15/2008: Nick from Colorado, Colorado writes: "I was watering my plants and my finger touched a living bumblebee and it stung me and it hurt bad. So I put 4tbs. of apple cider vinegar on it and it worked in a minute!"
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[YEA] 08/17/2007: Mary from Dartmouth, Massachusetts writes: "I was doing some yard work and must have upset a hornets nest. The hornets were swarming around on the ground and I was stung on the leg and on my forearm before I realized what was going on. I was a bit frightened since the last time I was stung by a hornet, many years ago, my arm swelled up a lot and was very itchy so I was afraid of a more severe reaction. I had recently read how ACV worked on so many things, I immediately put ACV on the stings. Within a minute or two, the pain from the stings was gone! The next day there wasn't even a mark where I got stung. Amazing!"
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[YEA] 09/28/2006: Sandy from Caldwell, TX writes: "Apple Cider Vinegar will cure an allergic reaction to many stings by killer bees. An elderly woman who lives alone out in the country told me this story. She had a gentleman fixing fence for her in a pasture when he disturbed a nest of African killer bees. They swarmed him and he ran to his truck and drove to the womans house. He fell out of his truck and drug himself up to her gate and yelled at her to help him. She said by the time she got outside his eyes were rolling back in his head and all he said to her was some bees had stung him . She ran back into her house and got a shotglass of apple cider vinegar and took it out to him. She shook him and told him he had to drink the ACV so he opened his mouth and she poured a small amount in. He refused to drink anymore so she set it by him while she ran in to call 911. She said by the time she went back outside the man was sitting up and had drank the rest of the ACV. By the time the EMT's got there the man was up walking around. They checked him out and said he was fine. The man said he never goes anywhere without a bottle of ACV just in case because it saved his life. He swears by it."
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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA
[YEA] 03/28/2007: Sharon from Vinings, GA writes: "I was trying to put a wasp outside that had flown into my kitchen (not a believer in killing any wildlife)... unfortunately it stung me through the paper towel as I lifted it from the window. Ouch!! I immediately dunked my finger in apple cider vinegar and baking soda (2 TBLS ACV and a shake of Baking Sod). The pain subsided after about 30 seconds and never returned. FAST REMEDY!"
[YEA] 07/02/2008: Crystal from Liberty, KY replies: "My son was stung and we used this! It worked GREAT! THX"
09/18/2009: Valeria from Windsor, Sc replies: "umm my dad just got stung by like 5 yellowjackets should i just use 2tbls and a shake or more than that for my remedy??"
[YEA] 10/21/2009: Laurie from San Antonio, Tx replies: "I was stung by a bee or wasp earlier today. I put tea tree oil on it immediately, which helped a little, but I kept having shooting, stinging pains all day and by the evening the area around the sting was hot, red, and sore. I read your site and tried the apple cider vinegar and baking soda remedy and it worked instantly! All the pain is gone and it feels fine. Thank you!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/29/2009: Cathy from Pattonville, Tx writes: "Today while mowing by the bee hives, I was stung at least 20 times by my honey bees. Once I was able to get back into the house I quickly took 1 tablet of Turmeric and then grabbed the gallon bottle of Apple cider vinegar (ACV) and gauze pads. I checked all the stings and removed the remaining stingers, then soaked the gauze with the pure ACV and wiped all the stings. I was stung on my face, in my ear, on my arms and back. Within minutes I could feel subsidence of the stings except for a couple, so I also took 30 drops of white willow in water for pain. I began to feel woozy and tingly on my feet so I layed down and concentrated on lowering my heart rate. Within an hour of the stings, there was only some redness on most stings and small pain if I touched the sting sites. No swelling occurred at any of the sites and now I feel just fine. I believe my quick action noted above curbed the potential for a very serious reaction to the stings."
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3 YEA
[YEA] 07/19/2009: Stacy Edgar from Agoura Hills, CA writes: "I set my arm down on a bee this afternoon and was stung (for the first time). I remembered reading about baking soda and bee stings from this site so I mixed baking soda and water together (just enough water to make a nice, thick paste) and put it over the bee sting sight. I held it there by putting a bag over it to keep it from drying out too quickly. It immediately helped to take away the pain and within an hour or so, almost all of the pain was gone. Thanks!"
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[YEA] 07/11/2008: Robin from Walhalla, SC writes: "I recently had a bad burn from a lawn mower. I put burn medicine on it, but it didn't put out the fire at all. I read a post on here about baking soda, and decided to try it. I made a thick paste out of baking soda and water and put it all over the burn. It was amazing! The fire went out of the burn IMMEDIATELY. I few days later, my son was stung by a wasp. I made the same paste and put it on his sting and it took the pain away for him. It worked on a four year old who was screaming in pain."
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[YEA] 10/17/2007: Anna from Waxahachie, USA writes: "Whenever i get a bee sting, my mom always told me to mix baking soda and water together and put it on my bee sting. I works great! I do it all the time, and the stinger comes right out"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/08/2008: Lore from Walnut Creek, Ca 94595, U writes: "To stop yellow jacket attraction: "Bounce"sheets as repellents for yellow jackets, pieces tucked into golf shoes, belt and rubbed around ears and neck. It helps but smell is so bad."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/24/2008: Shannon from Tyler, TX writes: "We were at a Renaissance Festival far from anywhere civilized...and my 18 month old got stung by a bee. I did not have the requisite first aid kit in the vehicle, so my mother said to put expressed milk on his thumb. Before the application, the thumb was red, hot to the touch, and swollen. Thirty minutes later it was no longer swollen or hot, but it was still red. One hour later it was not even red with the exception of a small dot to show where the sting was."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/14/2009: Baldelune from Rainier, WA writes: "Bee/Hornet Sting Remedy:
While we welcome Spring, the bees and hornets (and their stings) can make for a bad day. IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO BEE/HONET STINGS AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT SUBJECT A LIFE-THREATENIG STING REACTION, try this very simple remedy for a bee or hornet sting: tape a copper penny directly over the site of the sting and leave it in place for several hours. UNLESS YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO STINGS, this simple remedy will reduce the effects of a or bee/hornet sting. It also helps reduce the swelling and soreness that follow a sting. I don't know why it works, nor do I care; it works. Once you have tied this remedy, I believe you will agree that a simple penny has great value.. If you ARE allergic to insect stings, however, disregard the above suggestion and promptly go to the nearest Emergancy Room for medical treatment."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/15/2009: Shirley from Yuma, Az. US writes: "After being stung by 2 bees, I imediately ran for the dairy cream, as I remembered a story I read many years ago about this. I put the cream on the stings, and the welts and pain were gone in 45 SECONDS. Amazing! I will always use this remedy, and spread the news everywhere I can."
EC: Dairy cream - aka heavy whipping cream
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2 YEA
[YEA] 09/28/2007: Sandy from Bethlehem, PA writes: "I have found that nothing works better for me for a bee sting than pure raw honey. Just dab a little bit on the sting and cover with a bandaid. The enzymes in the honey neutralize the bee venom and the pain from the sting will subside within 1-5 minutes. No lie! It also helps to draw out the stinger. Works for wasp and hornet stings as well."
[YEA] 07/18/2008: Anne from Rancho Cordova, California replies: "Bee Sting Remedies: Being English, this was my first inclination. So when checking this site I was pleased to see it listed. Following the instructions exactly, it really did work in 5mins. on a gentleman of 72 yrs of age and I felt very comfortable using it on a senior. Thanks Anne...
P.S. a dab and cover with a badaid. I barely put a little Honey on the tip of my finger, smeared it, then applied it to the yellowjacket sting, which was on the ear and quite a few hours old."
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2 YEA
[YEA] 10/05/2007: Jennifer from Guelph, Ontario, Canada writes: "My 3 year old daughter was stung by a bee for the first time. She didn't have a big reaction but it hurt, a lot. I tried Chickweed which helped for a minute, then breatmilk and that did nothing. But then I put pure Lavander oil on it and it took the pain away instantly."
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[YEA] 08/20/2007: Sarah from North Vancouver, Canada writes: "We were just away at a ranch, lots of horse flies, wasps etc. My 7 month old grabbed a wasp in mid area and was stung in the inside of his finger... Right away he was crying in pain and we saw the wasp dead beside him and we knew he had been stung, his little finger was as hard as a rock and i was getting worried of what type of reaction he was going to have...his hand and arm started to quickly get red and swell...The people we were with had pure essential Lavender oil and we rubbed it on the finger and hand, I would have to say within 5 minutes the pain was forgotten red gone and swelling completely gone... I was amazed... someone older was stung also and we did the same thing and he said the pain was gone right away... We have our own now and keep it with us."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/28/2007: Desiree from Putnam Valley, New York writes: "My daughter and her friends were playing in the yard when one of them was stung by a wasp right on her hand. I went into my home remedies book and they said that you should put lemon on it, thank god I had a lemon in the fridge. I washed the bite with ACV first and then had her hold a slice of fresh lemon on it for about 5 minutes and she said it felt much better and her crying stopped almost immediately. I know if you have small children and live in the woods like I do you should definately keep a lemon on hand at all times."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 03/28/2007: Tim from Houston, Texas writes: "ACV doesn't work on bee stings. But here what does... apply meat tenderizer (mixed until it becomes a paste) to sting for 3-5 minutes, then soak in ice water or ice pack for about 5 minutes, then apply aloe vera for a few minutes. Pain gone, swelling gone, and poison reduced."
09/02/2010: Robert from Martinez, Ca replies: "I wanted to expand a bit on the meat tenderizer whose prime ingredient is MSG. I was once told by a Pharmacist that MSG, (monosodium glutamate), is 'protiolytic', meaning it breaks down the protein bonds of the bee venom. So making a paste of this & applying to the affected area will work & is probably the only good use of MSG which was, as I understand, first used by the Japanese in WWII to keep their field rations fresh tasting. Some of these rations were taken back to the U. S. & analyzed whereupon the MSG was found. I was told by a Chinese chef that MSG is harmfully activated when heated & should be added after the food is cooked. I have had bad experiences ingesting Chinese foods heavily 'laced' with MSG & found a quick cure in using sudafed or other antihistamines. If you don't have MSG available for the sting, use a mud pack & you can get creative by mixing in vinegar, or good air dried salt. Homeopathics to have on the shelf are Apis, Arnica, Rhus Tox, or the poison oak/ivy combo. Homeopathic sting/insect bite gel works very well. Calamine w/Benadril works well in a pinch."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/04/2010: Paolo from Bloomington, In, Usa writes: "A few weeks ago when I was weeding I accidentally grabbed a bee in the process and got stung really hard on my palm near the thumb. I had listened to David Wolfe's lectures who once talked about how he got stung and cured it with MSM. He claimed to carry some in his pack whenever hiking. He said once when stung he poured some on his bite and took all the rest of the MSM he had. Well I decided to repeat this process by making a salve of MSM and water and taking about 10 pills. I suppose that's about 5000 mg worth. Though quite swollen at first the swelling did seem to subside quite a bit. After washing off the salve I put on the bentonite healing clay that the Native American's used as a topical remedy. Finally after letting this dry I washed this off too. I then used ACV soaked cotton ball which really helped with the pain. Long story short before I went to bed it was all but gone... And by morning not a trace was left that I had ever been stung. All this was done without the use of antihistamines. I call that quite a testament for the healing power of nature."
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3 YEA
[YEA] 09/21/2008: Anna from St Julians, Malta writes: "I want to thank you all for this website. I use it for every ailment any of my family might suffer from. It is always the first place I look. I have tried turmeric for boils, garlic for colds and many others and thank god they all worked, so thanks again. I am also allergic to bee stings and swell up straight away. Since I was a child when ever my brothers and sisters got stung which was often as we were always in the garden my father always made a mud pack and placed it on the bite. Just plain soil and water. Leave it on till it dries and then brush off. I have always used it on my kids and friends and it works every time. As the mud dries it draw out the poison and the swelling. Hope you find this useful."
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[YEA] 08/26/2008: Lin from Yellow Springs, Ohio writes: "Mud has cured my family's external bee stings for over 35 years. Wherever you are, there is mud, all you need is a little water. Just make a paste and slap it on. I've used it for a one year old baby whose piercing screams stopped within seconds, for a panic d customer in a store to our dog's paw just yesterday. The mud does it all, draws out the stinger and the poison - fast. Leave on from 2-20 min. Rinse off, then wash with soap and water. Relax and have a glass of water."
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