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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffBee sting symptoms include:
- Instant, sharp burning pain at the sting site
- A red welt at the sting area
- A small, white spot where the stinger punctured the skin
- Slight swelling around the sting area
In most people, swelling and pain go away within a few hours and only cause minor discomfort.
Allergic reactions
If you're allergic to bee stings, you'll have a more serious reaction. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Most severe allergic reactions to bee stings develop within minutes of the sting, but in some cases, serious reactions around the bee sting area can take hours or even a few days to develop. Even if you've only had a minor reaction to bee stings in the past, it's possible to have a more serious allergic reaction the next time you get stung.
Signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction to bee stings can include:
- A large area of swelling (edema) at the sting site
- Itching or hives all over your body
- Cough, chest tightness, wheezing or shortness of breath
A severe allergic reaction to bee stings can cause:
- Lightheadedness
- Loss of consciousness
- Upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or other digestive issues
Anaphylaxis
A medical emergency, anaphylaxis is a full-blown allergy attack that can be life-threatening. If you have symptoms of anaphylaxis following a bee sting, seek emergency treatment immediately. Signs and symptoms include:
- Skin reactions in parts of the body other than the sting area, including hives and itching and flushed or pale skin (almost always present with anaphylaxis)
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of the throat and tongue or other areas of the body
- A weak and rapid pulse
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Dizziness or fainting
- Loss of consciousness
Multiple bee stings
Most honeybees or bumblebees aren't aggressive and only sting in self-defense. In most cases, this results in one or perhaps a few bee stings. However, in some cases a person will disrupt a hive or swarm of bees and get stung multiple times. Some types of bees — such as Africanized honeybees — are more likely than are other bees to swarm, stinging in a group.
Bee stings are rarely fatal, in spite of dramatic movie scenes that might make you believe otherwise. But if you get stung more than a dozen stings, you may feel quite sick. Multiple stings can be a medical emergency in children, older adults, and people who have heart or breathing problems.
When to see a doctor
In most cases, bee stings are a minor problem that gets better quickly with home treatment. However, if you have a serious reaction, you'll need medical attention.
- Call 911 or other emergency services if you're having a serious reaction to a bee sting that includes dizziness, lightheadedness, loss of consciousness, trouble breathing, swelling of the throat or hives. If you were prescribed an emergency epinephrine autoinjector (EpiPen, Twinject), use it right away as your doctor directed.
- Make an appointment to see your doctor if bee sting symptoms don't go away within a few days, or if you've had other symptoms of an allergic response following a bee sting.
- Felisa WA. What's eating you? Bees, part 1: Characteristics, reactions and management. Cutis. 2007;79:439.
- Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters. The diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis: An updated practice parameter. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;115(3)(suppl 2):S483.
- Bee and wasp stings. University of California Davis. UC IPM Online. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7449.html. Accessed Aug. 25, 2008.
- Felisa WA. What's eating you? Bees, part 2: Venom immunotherapy and mastocytosis. Cutis. 2007;80:33.
- Bilo BM, et al. Diagnosis of hymenoptera venom allergy. Allergy. 2005;60:1339-1349.
- Visscher PK, et al. Removing bee stings. The Lancet. 1996;348:301.
- Cyr DL, et al. First aid for bee and insect stings. University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Maine Farm Safety Program. http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/PDFpubs/2345.pdf. Accessed Aug. 25, 2008.
