4 Simple Tips You Have To Read To Treat A Bee Sting

The bees and wasps are among us; and knowing how to avoid their nests and deal with their stings and bites is an important part of summer life in Ontario.

In a recent Examiner report, a pregnant mother of three, named Sarah Harkins, was in her back yard when she accidentally disturbed a wasp nest, and succumbed to a wasp attack that ultimately led to her tragic death. 

While rather uncommon, there was another wasp death this past July: Lucie Roussel, the Mayor of La Prairie, Quebec, died from 15 wasp bites after inadvertently stepping on a wasp nest at her cottage, according to CBC News. It is unclear from the story whether she was allergic to wasps, or had tragically died from the shock of the bites. While deaths by wasp and bee attacks are uncommon, it remains important to know what to do in the event of a sting or bite. If you have a terrible reaction to a sting or bite, you will need to consult your physician for any signs of allergies; he or she may prescribe you an epipen to keep with you in the event of any future run ins with bees or wasps. 

4 Tips for How to Treat a Bee Sting

1. Remove the stinger: If it is a honey bee, remove the stinger. Simply pinching and pulling it out with your fingers should work, otherwise find something else, like tweezers, to extract it.

2. Check for allergic reaction: If prolonged swelling in the face, mouth, or throat appear, wheezing or difficulty breathing or swallowing, or hives spread out beyond the sting, it is likely there is an allergic reaction. Take an antihistamine, or better yet an Epipen, and get to emergency immediately. 

3. Take ibuprofen, such as Advil, to treat the pain.

4. There are a number of home remedies to treat the bite or sting. You can simply ice the area, or apply a calamine or antihistamine cream. If you're more desperate, or adventurous, try applying toothpaste or honey to the wound. You can even try rubbing a slice of potato on the sting--but make sure it's raw.