Sorry to hop into every discussion, but I have strong feelings about
epipens. My friend JR and I have had this discussion many times. He
carries an epipen and I do not. We both have worked with bees from
the early 70s. We both have novices with us at various times. His
philosophy is that the epipen might save a life some day (hah, if it
isn't expired from riding around in his glove box).

Mine is: I am not allergic to bees and it is the other person's
responsibility to look after their own health care needs. I do not
want to be in a position of administering medicine to a stranger.
Medics and paramedics presumably have malpractice insurance to
protect them; if I am involved in a death where I played doctor, I am
open to a major lawsuit.

Right now, the only risk I am taking is that after almost 30 years of
getting stung, I will suddenly go into anaphylaxis. That doesn't
worry me; I am more worried about cholesterol (which I take medicine
for). I do carry a cell phone, but I realize that if I have a heart
attack or whatever, I may die before help comes. That's one of the
risks of working alone in remote spots. (The plus side is I work in
beautiful spots with nobody standing over me telling me what to do.)

But I tell anyone who works for me or with me that it is their
responsibility to determine whether they can tolerate stings. In the
case of actual bee allergies, I recommend avoiding bees altogether.

--

Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>