To Your Health: Bee stings common in warmer months

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I’ve been encouraging you to get outside recently, and I’m going to continue to recommend fresh air, healthy hobbies and exercise as we enjoy our spring and summer ahead.

Whether we’re mowing the lawn, planting vegetables or tending to our flowers, we’re sure to encounter the pollinators that allow our plants to fruit and flower – and that means we’re susceptible to bee stings.

When a bee stings, it injects venom below the surface of our skin, which can cause sharp, burning pain at the site; a red welt or swelling around the area, and itching. Honeybees tend to leave their barbed stingers lodged in our skin, but bumblebees and all kinds of wasps, including yellowjackets and hornets, keep their stingers and can sting multiple times if threatened.

If you’re not allergic to bee stings, treatment to reduce pain and swelling can be accomplished largely at home.

If you have a stinger in your skin, you’ll want to remove it as soon as possible, using a flat, rigid object like a credit card to scrape it out. Tweezers and even your fingers can help remove the stinger quickly if a rigid object isn’t available. Swift removal is more important than the method.

The next step is to clean the area with soap and water to remove residual venom and prevent infection.

Then, apply ice for 10 minutes at a time to reduce swelling and inflammation. You can use over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen if the sting hurts, and you can apply hydrocortisone cream or take antihistamines to treat itching and swelling.

For most, these at-home treatments will work and pain and swelling should only last a few days. But for others, a bee sting is an emergency. If you’re sensitive to bee venom, a sting could trigger a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, and symptoms can include:

• Difficulty breathing

• Coughing or wheezing

• Severe swelling or hives that extend beyond the sting site

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Dizziness or fainting

• Increased heart rate

An allergic reaction can begin within minutes of being stung or can occur up to a day after being stung.

Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at even greater risk than those who are allergic and don’t fall into those categories, but the reaction can be life threatening for anyone with sensitivity to venom.

If you suspect a severe allergic reaction, visit your nearest emergency room as soon as possible. If you know you’re allergic and have an epinephrine injector, keep it on hand when you’re outdoors. And if you suspect you’re allergic and don’t have epinephrine, make an appointment to see your primary care physician and discuss your history and symptoms.

Even if you’re not allergic to bee stings, multiple stings, especially around the eyes, nose and mouth can cause worrisome complications like trouble seeing or breathing. If you’re ever stung several times, visit an urgent care clinic to see if you need prescription-strength antihistamines or steroids.

While hornets and yellowjackets can be more aggressive, most bees are mild mannered. Don’t let fear of a sting keep you from getting outside, and when you do encounter bees, stay calm, move slowly and don’t swat them.

Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is chief medical officer for surgical services for Geisinger and chair of the Geisinger Heart and Vascular Institute. Readers may write to him via [email protected].