Hi All

An interesting thread, all in all.

Eric: 
> .... and broke out in hives (not bee hives, unfortunately) within 1 minute
> after being stung in the elbow.  That is a bad sign .....

Sure is!  You might be lucky and have no further trouble, or you might not be.  The problem is that your Benadryl and cell phone might not be effective enough or fast enough.  Slight chance of it happening, but the possibility of serious consequences if it does.  Your local hospital should be able to organise a RAST test for the wrong kind of antibody, and perhaps if necessary you can find a place willing to do desensitisation if you need it?  Having been through the treatment - injections of vanishingly small doses of venom building up to two stings worth over 12 weeks, then a maintenance dose - it sure gives you confidence if nothing else that you can cope with the next bee sting to come along. 

Dee:
> and by the way the research was for the most part published in the UK fwiw.

Unfortunately not a guarantee of excellence in research!  I'll go with Aaron and assume that this is an internet myth.

Me (some time ago now): 
> Inhaling venom is thought by some to have a role in precipitating later
> allergies.

Having read some interesting posts from Eric and others, and Googled, I have to say that I might have been propagating an internet myth too.  The idea came from an experienced commercial bee guy who has described the experiences of himself and his family to some of us on another forum.  His experiences suggested that inhalation may sensitise and injection desensitise, but this doesn't seem to be the orthodox view amongst immunologists.

And yes, I was speculating that the spraying of alarm pheromone *might* be associated with the release of some venom.  They can certainly deposit venom on glass plates when given an electric shock by a sadistic beekeeper intent on collecting venom for profit, so perhaps they can do so when intent on stinging a veil? 

all the best

Gavin

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