Are Hudson Valley Bees Evil? You’ve Been Stung, Now What?

Are you afraid of bees? Ever been stung by one? It is not fun. I am not allergic, but both of my parents are, and several of my friends are. I know all about the epi-pen from them. If you are allergic, then you need to know that none of this tips apply to you. You need to get your epi-pen and get treated as soon as possible by medical professionals.

For the rest of us, here are a few tips, a HT to MensHealth for some of the info:

• Remove the stinger as soon as possible. 90% of a honey bee's venom is delivered in the first 20 seconds. Removing the stinger quickly, will reduce the amount of venom that is in your system. To do this you can use the side of a credit card, tweezers, even your finger nail. Be gentle, you want to get the stinger out, and at the same time you are trying to not get any more venom into your system.
• Wash the site of the sting. Yes, wash it. Yes, this sounds pretty basic, but since you now have a break in your skin you are opening yourself up to infection. Washing will help to reduce infection risk and will help remove any remaining bee venom.
• Apply a cold compress or an ice pack to reduce swelling and inflammation. I have found that it helps if you also do this a few times over the course of the following days.
• Also another good tip, take the time to apply an over the counter hydro-cortisone cream to further limit itching, swelling and infection. If you are a scratcher, like myself, do whatever you can to keep yourself from scratching. Scratching ultimately leads to more issues, like infection and scarring.

What do you do when you get stung? Do you have any 'family remedies' that have worked in the past? Feel free to share them with us. Thanks!