Ginger (Lethbridge, Alberta) on 01/14/2022

I am allergic to bee and wasp stings and a sting typically swells to the diameter of a plate, turning the area or limb into a burning ball of firey pain for days and days. I've tried nearly all the remedies listed here ( ACV, baking soda, clay, ammonia, ice packs, etc). Nothing helped.

While in Australia I witnessed lifeguards placing the limb of a stingray victim into the hottest water they could manage to neutralize the Venom from the sting, and I thought I would try the same technique with a wasp bite. It worked unbelievably well.

As soon as I got the sting I rushed into the shower, washed the sting with bar soap, (bar soap is alkaline, which also helps neutralize the Venom, ) and ran the hottest shower water over my leg but I could manage. I then microwaved a hot wheat bag to the hottest temperature I could endure and held it over the sting for about half an hour. The results were nothing short of a miracle for me.

A bite that normally would have made my whole thigh unbearably hot, swollen, and painful for the next week, turned out to be nothing less than an itchy swelling the size of a dime. I'd say this treatment works easily 99.9% better than anything I've ever tried before.

Tracy (Santa Cruz, CA) on 08/27/2021

Bad reaction to yellow jacket stings...drinking high PPM hydrogen water did the trick!

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Instant Bee Sting Fix

Arn (Kenmore, Wa.) on 05/16/2021

With 7 kids, and woods surrounding our house, we had plenty of experience with stings of all kinds. Fortunately, we found a quick fix.

Wet the site of the sting, saliva will do.

Then press a 9 volt battery with the poles on either side of the puncture.

It takes about 1 second and the kids are back out the door to play. The very mild current, which they won't even feel, disassociates components of the venom.

If you search remedies for snake bite on thus website, you can learn more about this treatment. It's possible the little 9V battery might even work on snake bites if applied before the venom spreads. No venomous snakes in Western Washington, so I haven't tried it.

I also have no idea if this works for those allergic to bee venom. Hope someone can give us more info. Meanwhile, keep a 9V close at hand. Cheap and effective.

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Pam E. (Southern California) on 09/20/2019

For bee & wasp stings, I just spray on 5% vinegar. The area around & near the sting always swelled terribly & stung & burned . . . before I began immediately spraying with 5% vinegar. Now, after spraying it & massaging it into my skin, the sting & any redness quickly disappears, and it never develops into anything more than the teensy hole where the stinger went in. I always have 5% vinegar in a spray bottle for household cleaning, so that's my 'go to'!

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Barbara (Long Island, NY) on 05/02/2020

Msg available as Accent meat tenderizer in the supermarket is the best. A little paste right on the bite usually works within a minute. Repeat if necessary later.

I also used this on an unknown crazy itchy burning bite and I did have to reapply about 4 hours later and after that it didn't bother me anymore.

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Terry (Missouri) on 05/02/2020

I am allergic to bees. My wife is allergic to mosquitoes. We both have found putting unscented ammonia on cotton ball and holding on sting bite until the other one makes a bentonite clay poultice to put on works miracles. Clay even took away a 2 day old brown recluse bite with no damage. A puss head was even forming which will then start eating into the flesh. All bites are acid and ammonia is very alkaline and absorbs into the body real fast. Your body also makes it. If you don't have bentonite clay, use clay mud from ground.

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Bentonite Clay for Red Wasp Sting

Mama To Many (Tn) on 08/25/2020

Well, I am all about Bentonite Clay today! I have been using it on my daughter's infected finger and last night I used it on my son's wasp sting.

My son was getting in to bed and got stung by a red wasp that had found its way into his covers! The sting was on his foot. Those stings are nasty and usually cause terrible swelling and pain.

I used my no holes barred approach to prevent swelling. Once the swelling sets in it is harder to get it down.

I gave him 2 Benadryl pills and 400 mg of Ibuprofen to prevent inflammation and swelling. I gave him 4 nettle leaf capsules to help with allergic reaction. I put a few drops on frankincense essential oil on his foot while I mixed up the clay. I applied a dollop of clay and a bandage. He woke up with no swelling today.

Sometimes with these types of stings, I have prevented swelling in the first 24 hours but then slack off on remedies and swelling begins to set it. I will be sure to give him nettle again tonight and other remedies if I see any sign of swelling at bedtime.

~Mama to Many~

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Baking Soda for Painful Sting

Deirdre (Ct) on 08/07/2020

I tried rescuing a big black flying insect from my kitchen screen the other day to put it back outside and managed to get stung on my finger in the process. It was searingly painful. I promptly made a paste of baking soda and water and applied to the area. I was expecting to be in pain for hours but I kid you not, the pain disappeared within two minutes. I kept the paste on for 10 minutes total. Rinsed it off and.... no pain, no redness, and no sign I had ever been stung. Wow! Just had to share. ❤️

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Multiple Remedies for Yellow Jacket Bee Stings Didn't Work, Help!!

Suzanne (Chattanooga, Tn) on 07/23/2018

Ambushed by yellow jackets! Can't see them all but think I have six stings, behind my knees and on my calves. Both legs. Since last night, I have tried Tecnu gel, lavender essential oil, internal and external ACV, crushed garlic, even took CBD oil. My muscles are really tight, hurts to walk. Ideas? Thanks!

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Baking Soda for Bee Sting

Mama To Many (Tn) on 06/25/2018

My daughter got stung by a bee on the bottom of her foot while playing frisbee while we were away from home over the weekend.

I thought about what I had with me that I could use. I had a headache blend of peppermint, lavender and birch oils in my hip pack so we applied that first.

I had baking soda with me, band aids and unsweet tea from lunch.

I put about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda on the bandage and used my straw to drop a few drops of tea onto the baking soda to make a paste. My daughter has used a lot of poultices over the years an was notably impressed with how much it helped. She was able to do everything else that day with no pain, including a lot of walking, an outdoor wedding and dancing.

Today, two days later, the sting was bothering her again. We are home with access to all sorts of stuff and she made herself another baking soda poultice.

For under a buck you can keep a box of baking soda in your car to be ready for this and many other little emergencies! (Including heartburn and forgetting your toothbrush/toothpaste - I have used baking soda on a finger to clean my teeth in a pinch.) I love cheap and easily available remedies that WORK!

~Mama to Many~

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Activated Charcoal for Bee Sting

Fluffy (Pa) on 07/21/2017

Charcoal saved my life

I am deadly allergic to bees, I have already been hospitalized and they make me carry an epiPen. The problem with that is there is no way in hell that I or anyone else is going to stab me with a needle so when I got stung yesterday the first thing I did was apply tea tree oil & camphor to the site . Then I took 2 Benadryl and about 7 min later I remembered I have activated charcoal and both capsule in powder form, I swallowed two of the capsules and made a charcoal, Teatree and Vicks vapor rub concoction for the infected site. Then I took a another tablespoon of charcoal. To my amazement I did not super swell up around the site I did not get any hives or rashes my tongue and throat did not swell like it usually does, just pain where I got stung 👍 I was so happy that I didn't have to go to the ER or stab myself in the leg. Today, however, I stupidly took a hot shower and opened up all my pores and broke out in hives all over my body. I immediately went to take the activated charcoal 2capsules &1 tablespoon of powder (diluted in water)about 20 minutes later the rash and hives started to go away I then took 1 Benadryl. It's been three hours and I'm completely fine.

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EC: More great charcoal cures can be found on this page.

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Colloidal Silver for a Bee Sting

Art (California ) on 05/25/2017

A friend of mine was stung by a bee today and the sting area started to swell and cause pain immediately. He went inside and pulled the stinger out and put a small amount (1/4 teaspoon) of 320 parts per million colloidal silver on the sting area and then rubbed it in. The swelling and pain started to reverse within about a minute and within 5 minutes you could no longer tell that he had been stung! No pain, no inflammation and no swelling......all gone. I looked at it after about an hour and could not tell where he had been stung. After 12 hours he said he could feel a very slight amount of pain where he was stung so he applied a little more colloidal silver and the pain went away. That leads me to believe that had he put a cotton ball wet with colloidal silver on it and taped it in place, that might have been a complete end to it right then.

If you are allergic to bee stings, you can not rely on this method and must go to the emergency room right away.......your life may depend on it!

Art

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Tobacco is a Healing Herb

Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 04/01/2017

My Tractor Driver now thinks I's a bright guy. With spring in the air we are leaving the doors open to soak in the fresh air. With that comes wasps. She just got stung on the finger and I told her that I had a 20 year old pack of cigs in the drawer just for this. She soaked one and made a pack with a paper towel. I wrapped this on the sting with Scotch tape and within minutes, she exclaimed, " Wow, this works".

The problem with tobacco is that it got polluted with Arsenic to kill the boll worms and the processors sprayed it with insecticides, fungicides, and pesticides. Is it any wonder this great herb now causes you grief? The American Indians used it in moderation for thousands of years. Us educated folks turned it into a death wish.

ATS====ORH======

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Apple Cider Vinegar for Wasp Sting

Maggie (Idaho) on 08/29/2016

Apple cider vinegar worked great for a wasp bite on the back of my hand. When first bit, I rubbed some fresh lavender leaves on the bite and the pain stopped. A few hours later I noticed that my hand had started to swell. Put some colloidal silver on the bite and the swelling went down some but a while later it started again, turned red and hot, started to itch, and was going up my fingers. Put some ACV on the bite several times that day and it healed.

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Charcoal, Turmeric, Vitamin C, Nettle for Red Wasp Sting

Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 09/03/2015

This afternoon, my 21 year old son called me from work. He had just been stung by a red wasp on his ear lobe. He was getting a charcoal poultice to put on it, but wanted to know what else he should do. (Several years ago he was stung by a red wasp. Even with charcoal poultices, he was stuck on the couch with a swollen arm for days. The charcoal worked, but slowly. As long as he had the poultice, he was not in pain.)

Providentially, I was getting into the car to take other children to piano lessons, very nearby to where he was working. I sped back into the house, grabbed a large, ready made charcoal/flax poultice with plastic wrap out of the refrigerator, a bandana, vitamin c, turmeric and nettle tincture. I dropped off piano students and stopped by his work. His earlobe was red and so was the skin on his head behind his ear.

I got the charcoal poultice centered over the sting and around his ear, covered it with plastic and secured it with a bandana. I told him to take 1,000mg of Vitamin C, 1 turmeric capsule, and 1 teaspoon of nettle tincture every hour. He did that for four hours. When he got home from work, his ear lobe looked fine.

The moral of the story for me is to deal aggressively when dealing with a potentially aggressive situation, within safe bounds of the natural remedies used.

~Mama to Many~

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Onion for Bee Stings

Mike (Missouri) on 12/09/2014

Onion does work very well for bee or wasp stings- simply cut in half, score the onion surface until juicy, and apply directly to skin/sting site.

It does not "draw out" the toxin, rather the onion juice/ phenolic compounds actually break down the proteins of the bee/wasp venom.

My 4 year old had a wasp sting on his back at one point- I held the onion to the site for 10 minutes, and swelling and pain were nearly gone... when I removed the onion, the redness and swelling visibly began to reappear (venom proteins were still present causing the reaction). I re-applied the onion again for 30-45 minutes, and pain and swelling reduced immediately, and permanently after that period of time. It's a great natural remedy... keep some on hand! :)

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Apple Cider Vinegar for Bee Stings

Cait (Oakland, California) on 06/16/2013

Stood on a bee at a friend's house 2 nights ago. I yelled VINEGAR very loudly as it was instant searing pain and my friend poured some cold ACV into a bowl and I put my foot into it... AHHH, instant relief. We got the stinger out with tweezers and I iced it and was walking around fine within half an hour. Yesterday it swelled up and is very itchy, so just soaked it again and it feels much better. My mom used white vinegar for bee stings when we were kids but I think the ACV is even better.

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