On 15 May 97 at 6:34, Judy Spradley wrote: BEES:how to treat beestings?
 
> understand the part about scraping the stinger out.  My question is how do
> you cope with/treat the swelling/itching that goes on for 3 or 4 days after
> the fact?  The itching is AWFUL.  I tried an over the counter antihistamine
> last time and that helped some.  Is there any topical ointment that is
> effective?  My bee books don't address the subject.  (must be some macho
> beekeeper thing).
 
I have found the best, cheapest and easiest stuff to use is Bicarbonate of
Soda. It's the stuff made by Arm and Hammer to put in the fridge to keep
smells down.
        A few years ago, I had a hole in my veil, at the back of my head. Dealing
with a nasty angry hive I got loads of bees in my veil. To cut a long
story short, Bicarb was wetted to make a paste and plastered on the 30+
stings around my ears and neck. It really helped to cool things down,
including my temper!!!!!
 
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The Bee Works, 9 Progress Drive Unit 2, Orillia,
Ontario, Canada. L3V 6H1
David Eyre, Owner. Phone/Fax 705 326 7171
Dealers for E.H.Thorne & B.J.Sherriff UK
http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks
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