Greg Zujus questions how much he should be concerned about bee stings.
 
I have been getting stung since 1960, sometimes many times each year.  In
my contact with beekeepers all these years I have only known about three
who have developed a severe reaction to bee venom.  They were usually
persons who had only kept bees for a few years.  I can't even estimate how
many beekeepers I've known all these years but it has doubtless been
several thousand.  That is a pretty low percentage of allergic beekeepers.
Given the percentage I'd say that you shouldn't get concerned about whether
you are allergic or not.
 
From the several talks I've heard from allergists, and my reading of
publications from the American Apitherapy Society it seems that the
suseptibility of persons to developing allergic reactions to bee venom
can't be predicted.  I'd say that you should be prepared with knowledge
about reactions to bee venom because there are several stages of severity.
And knowledge will prepare you so that you don't get overly excited if you
do develop some low level of reaction.  Some persons are prone to emotionly
respond in a manner which will raise their heart beat rate.  This may
further increase the impact of the allergic response and can even result in
a state of shock.
 
James C. Bach
1503 Perry Loop #2
Yakima WA 98902-6108
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