I had a similar experience over the Summer where, like you, 100+ Deg.
temperatures had me in shorts and T-shirt with a tie on veil. Got all the
way down into the bottom box of a large colony and took perhaps 10 stings on
my bare shins & calves. I quickly retreated to my truck and put on my full
suit - in my haste though I neglected to take out the stingers and got the
full venom load from each of the stings I'm sure. I finished the hive and
perhaps 30 minutes later was relaxing in the shade when I noticed myself
feeling funny. For the first time in my life I suffered a episode of heat
stroke. Fortunately the hive I was checking was at my folk's house and they
called an ambulance as I lost consciousness. After I got in the air
conditioning and cooled myself off I started feeling much better. No trip to
the hospital and the EMTs assured me it was heat stroke and not a reaction
to the venom. My blood pressure checked normal. I'm no doctor but it seems
to me that a sting can exacerbate the conditions that lead to heat stoke.
Especially if the stinger is left in and gives the full dose of venom. Now
it's water, water, water, when I'm in the bee yard on a hot day. I also make
sure I get the stingers out ASAP.

Billy Smart
Rock, KS




I have often wondered if the heat was the  problem or the bee sting directly
into a artery. Comments?  Similar experience?

Bob