> ...I am now having to rethink my beekeeping situation. I would be
> interested to know if anybody on the list has had a similer experience
> to my son's and how have you coped with  the allergy. Can one who has
> developed an allergy to bee stings become  desensitized?
 
My son showed a genereal allergic reaction when he was about five and we
had to rush him to the hospital.  When we got there he seemed to be
getting better, so we waited a while outside and did not go in.
 
He went through a series of shots and later became as immune as anyone.  I
don't know if the shots worked or whether it was his habit of walking
barefoot through the honey house and getting tiny stings on the thick skin
of his feet that cured him.
 
He's now 25 and works with us full time on the bees.
 
Allen