James! I like your approach to both bee venom and single-malt...

One of my newbees beekept successfully for a couple of years but did not share with me that every time she was stung her reactions (swelling, pain, itching) were getting worse. Privately I was wondering why in spite of good skills she persisted in wearing full battle gear...gloves, full suit and veil, boots. I can't take overheating so just keep the veil and suit at hand.

Last summer we did a new queen hunt together and as we closed up the hive, walked away and she took off her bee gear, a bee tangled in her hair at the nape of her neck and stung her before we could squish it. We laughed, I went home...only to get a text the next morning with a photo of her in a hospital bed: she got to her front door and went into full anaphylaxis, thank heaven her husband was home and is a doctor (she's a nurse, btw). She spent the night in Emerg.

Because beekeeping was part of her self-care and spiritual regeneration plan (she supports and advocates for children facing critical care hospital stays, tough stuff), she elected to do desensitization therapy. It did not go well. Her allergist suggested it was not worth risking her life, she is that sensitive now. Such a shame as she is a lovely person and a talented beekeeper.

I have always recommended to my Apprentice Beekeepers that they carry with them at all times liquid Benadryl, a charged cell phone to call 911 in case of emergency, and a FRESH epipen. And to keep the old epipens at hand as in a delayed rescue, a weakly effective shot of old epinephrine is better than none at all. Most new beekeepers do not realize it may take a few shots of epi between the time you go into anaphylaxis and the time you get to the Emerg, depending on where you are.

The epipen saves your life, the cell phone gets you rescued, the Benadryl, as James said, buys you time. 

May you never need any of them.

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