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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Jerry Bromenshenk <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 6 Feb 2003 08:49:04 -0700
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George, nice summary of bees and allergies.  One of our local allergist
worked with beekeeper families, so he's up to speed.  He turned around one
of my students who began to react badly and she went on to graduate work
with bees. Overall, I agree with you.  Most emergency room staff also think
that a normal reaction means that people should give up beekeeping.
Somewhere I have a book on the topic.  It warns that shortness of breath,
racing heart beats, or swelling involving TWO major joints (e.g. extending
from hand past the elbow) should be attended to immediately.  Don't know
about you, but I've never had that degree of swelling, although I saw it in
my father many years ago when he got stung on the finger from a wasp on the
steering wheel of a tractor.  The swelling puffed up his hand and stopped
at his wrist watch (leather band).  When he removed the watch, the swelling
rolled up his arm like a wave to his shoulder.  Naturally, we took him to
the emergency room.

All in all, better safe than sorry.  But be sure the person attending you
knows something about bee venom and what's truly an allergic reaction.

Finally, you said "The pain of a bee sting which is intense for perhaps 1
minute is just as bad when you have been stung thousands of times as the
first sting, but that is a small price to pay for all the hours of pleasure
that I receive".  Like you, my stings rarely swell, never itch.  If the
stinger hits a nerve ending, it still hurts (especially on the ear lobes).
However, I often don't feel stings in my hands or arms, or only feel a
small prick.  Its not unusual for me to look down at the end of a day and
see a stinger or two in my fore arms and can't remember having been stung.
Wonder if that's true of others?

Jerry
Jerry J. Bromenshenk
[log in to unmask]
http://www.umt.edu/biology/bees

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