The Best Treatment for a Bee Sting

The best treatment for a bee sting is one that you can simply gather from ingredients most likely in your kitchen right now. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you may want to take note of the ingredients needed for this bee sting remedy and pack up a little baggie of supplies to bring along with you when you take your kids to the park, go hiking or go camping. It's easy to be prepared with the best treatment for a bee sting, no matter where or when.

Bee Sting Symptoms
A bee sting is never fun. The following are common symptoms of a bee sting:

• Intense pain at the sting site
• Red raised bump at sting site
• Swelling around sting site

Bee Sting Treatment

If a bee stings you, follow these steps for minimization of pain:

1. Remove the stinger: You can do this by scraping with a credit card, key, nail file, or other hard, flat object; you can also pull the stinger out with your fingers. Because bees leave the venom sack inside the skin, experts debate over which way is the best way to remove the barbed stinger. It does not seem to matter which way you do this, but the quicker you remove the stinger, the better. Do not squeeze the skin around the stinger; this will irritate the stinger and cause the venom sack to burst under the skin.
2. Wash the affected area: If possible, get the site of the sting under cold water immediately.
3. Apply a paste to draw out the venom: Apply a layer of thick paste made either from baking soda and water or meat tenderizer and water. If you do not have either of these available, apply a paste of mud. Do not leave the paste on for longer than 30 minutes.
4. Apply ice: Hold a bag of ice over the paste on the area. The ice will reduce the pain and inflammation.
5. Medicate: Take one dose of Benadryl (antihistamine) and one dose of a pain killer (acetaminophen).
6. After 20 minutes, wash again: Remove the paste and ice and wash the affected area with soap and cold water.
7. Protect from infection: Apply a layer of anti-biotic ointment such as Neosporin.
8. Ice as needed: Keep applying ice until pain is tolerable.  You may experience pain for any length of time between a few hours to a couple days.

Watch for Allergic Reaction
An allergic reaction can occur within seconds or hours. About 3 percent of the population is allergic to be bee stings, and less than 1 percent are seriously allergic, requiring an epinephrine pen to ward off anaphylactic shock, which can result in death. If you notice any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical care by calling 911:

• Swelling of the face, throat, eyes or lips
• Difficulty breathing
• Blue-tinged skin
• Nausea
• Disorientation

If You Have an Allergic Reaction
If the person who was stung carries an epinephrine pen, call 911 and let the emergency personnel guide you through using the pen while you wait for the emergency crew to arrive. If you cannot call 911, use the pen immediately. If you are alone when stung, use your epinephrine pen immediately, then get help.

Items to Pack for a Bee Sting Treatment Package
It is always wise to have a bee sting treatment package on hand for any outdoor excursions. Be sure to pack the following:

• A baggie with 1 tablespoon of either baking soda or powdered meat tenderizer
• One dose of Benadryl
• One dose of acetaminophen

All three of these items are small enough to fit into a wallet, purse, knapsack or first aid kit.