Road Cycling - Problems with bees, anyone?

I was out on a great ride today until I collided with a bee who gave me a doozy of a sting in the lower lip. It hurt so much I almost lost control of my bike. The swelling came fast and my face became grotesque--too bad it wasn't Hallowe'en yet. I spent the rest of the day on ice and Benadryl.

So what's the big deal? This is my sixth sting while riding in the past 12 months. The advice nurse in the ER said that the bees are probably attracted to the carbon dioxide in my sweat. She suggested I use Avon Skin So Soft as a repellent. For the last two months, I had been sting free--until today.

Does any one else have such regular run-ins with bees? I'm especially interested if people from central and northern California are experiencing this.

Rich

It was bee sting that got me to wear bicycle shorts many years ago. One of the little guys got up the leg of my shorts and stung me on the butt. I've also been stung in the chest a few times. They get into my jersey through the unzipped zipper. Fortunately, the stings don't seem to bother me too much. I just look for the stinger, pull it out and ride on. I've had a few bugs get in the vents of my helmet, but no bees yet. I also don't think that the bees were attracted to me, it's just that I collided with them while riding.

While we are on the subject of bees, this past summer I upset a nest of bumblebees when I mowed over their nest. I was subsquently chased around the yard by a large number of bumblebees. I thought I had lost them, when about 10 minutes later one stings me on the leg. I guess he remembered what I smelled like. Until then I didn't even know bumblebees could sting. I do have/had a lot of flowers in my yard, so there are plenty of bees, and now I know they prefered not to be mowed over.:)

Have the reactions from the stings gotten more severe? The venom builds up in the body and can get serious. You might want to talk to your doctor about an epi-pen. Could save your life.

Originally posted by Dirtgrinder
Have the reactions from the stings gotten more severe? The venom builds up in the body and can get serious. You might want to talk to your doctor about an epi-pen. Could save your life.

FOR REAL!!! As a kid i got stung all the time with no problems but over the years i have developed sensitivity to them and it is now life threading. I do not ride without my helmet nor my epi-pen.

I used to have Bee problems when I lived in Davis and then Sacramento. They definately seemed drawn to me... I'd be with 2 or 3 other people and I would be swatting and jumping and running and they would just stand there laughing! I think I had my biggest run ins on golf courses though, not on the trails so much... But, since I've moved back to the Bay Area I haven't had much trouble, been a couple years since my last sting (shouldn't have said that). They must really like the way you smell, or look! What color jersey are you wearing??? Try very hard NOT to LOOK like a FLOWER... (seriously)!

Originally posted by Stinger9oh
The advice nurse in the ER said that the bees are probably attracted to the carbon dioxide in my sweat.
Rich

It is hard for me to imagine that the bees are chasing you down because they are attacted to you. I would think you are just running into them, and it is happening often because you happen to ride through areas where there are numerous bees. I haven't been stung yet, but I have had bees and wasps bounce off of me and one wasp happened to get blown up inside my sunglasses. THAT was interesting.

Originally posted by RainmanP

one wasp happened to get blown up inside my sunglasses. THAT was interesting.

and you didn't crash?
I'd have been all over the road screaming and acting like
a madman.

Marty

About a month ago a jellow jacket flew into my jersey zipper and found his way to my back. Left me a nice welt of a sting. I hate those bees. Yellow jackets are unpredictable, aggressive and easy to anger. I think they are originally from the middle east!

During my high school years, I had a back-packing buddy who was deathly allergic to bee stings.

He would never carry anti-toxin (I guess it is actually anti-hystimine) with him.

Realizing that if he got stung when we were deep in the wilderness, it would be more MY problem than his, so I carried the anti-toxin with me. At my suggestion, his mother thoughtfully provided it to me. I never really knew how much or where to give the injection - lucky for allergic Steve.

On my last cross-country race I got stung 3 times within only a few seconds. For some reason the wasps built a nest in the ground right on our course, so everyone would ride over the swarm and get stung.

As I was going through I felt this sting on my arm, and while I was looking down to see what it was I got stung in the butt and leg at the same time!

For some reason, right around the sting on my leg the hair fell out and is only now slowly growing back almost two months later. :eek:

I got stung by SOMETHING while on a ride. I've never been allergic, but this sting developed some weird hives and took forever go to away. I have no idea what it was. I still have a bump on my arm.

Last month a yellow jacket flew into my helmet vents. I could feel him crawling around, so I started slapping myself in the helmet to jar him out. I must have looked like a wacko to the passing cars.

Anyway, it didn't work and I got stung. By then I was coasting no hands furiously trying to get the helmet off. Now I'm cruising down a hill no hands, no helmet and a welt on the front of my bald head. It all seems funny now, but at the moment I was not laughing.

In retrospect, I probably should have stopped the bike first, but it never really entered my mind.

Rich -

I ride in the Bay area and have have only been stung once in the 6 yrs I've lived here. The only bee sting I have had was about a month ago on a descent over near Mt. Hamilton. Since I was doing 30-40 mph at the time I do not think the bee was attracted to my B.O. :D In fact, I was kinda' surprised that he was able to sting me so quickly! He got me right over my left eye between my sunglasses and the helmet.

Thanks for all the feedback and information. What is epi-pen? So far, all my reactions have been pain and swelling which are reduced by ice and benadryl. I've decided to carry a strip of benadryl capsules in the little bag that contains my ID and money when I ride.

Most of the time, I ride locally in an area where strawberries, raspberries, and flowers are grown commercially most of the year. It's funny that on one road I ride, where commercial beehives flank the road, I never have a problem. In fact, once I once went into a pear orchard out that way to pee. I had to go so bad, I didn't notice that there was a beehive above me in the tree.

So maybe the sweat attractant theory is not right. I ride about 7,000 miles a year in this area, so maybe it's just coincidence that I collide with bees. Also, I have never been stung in the local mountains or populated areas--only in the ag areas. Just my luck, I guess. A small price to pay to live in such a great cycling area--unless my reactions to the venom increase. :confused:

An epi-pen is an epinephrin auto-injector. You just jab your thigh with it.
http://www.buyemp.com/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=1092301

Originally posted by mike

I never really knew how much or where to give the injection - lucky for allergic Steve.

The Epi-pen is an "auto" injector so there is no measuring. You just stick it in the outer thigh and it takes care of the rest.

Originally posted by Dirtgrinder
An epi-pen is an epinephrin auto-injector. You just jab your thigh with it.
http://www.buyemp.com/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=1092301

Or you do what he said:)

A couple of months ago I ran into a yellow jacket while riding. Before I could knock him off my upper lip, he had stung me, causing much pain and swelling and cursing.

Last summer a yellow jacket slammed into a vent in my helmet, and before I could stop and take the helmet off, he had stung me.

Yeah, they're a pain all right, but I guess I've been lucky -- only one sting per season.

I had one of those epipens once because I'm allergic to cashews and pistachios. However, the reaction I get isn't that serious- it's not like some people whose throats close up. My mouth itches. It expired and I never got a new one because they're so expensive! It's just easier to avoid cashews and pistachios, which I've managed to do. However, if I was really seriously allergic, I'd get one.

Originally posted by Stinger9oh
I was out on a great ride today until I collided with a bee who gave me a doozy of a sting in the lower lip. It hurt so much I almost lost control of my bike. The swelling came fast and my face became grotesque--too bad it wasn't Hallowe'en yet. I spent the rest of the day on ice and Benadryl.

So what's the big deal? This is my sixth sting while riding in the past 12 months. The advice nurse in the ER said that the bees are probably attracted to the carbon dioxide in my sweat. She suggested I use Avon Skin So Soft as a repellent. For the last two months, I had been sting free--until today.

Does any one else have such regular run-ins with bees? I'm especially interested if people from central and northern California are experiencing this.

Rich

I get stung every so often. I think it works out to 2-3 times per year. But I live in Florida where the hymenoptera, like the cyclists, are active year round.

The nurse is wrong on the CO2. Bloodfeeding insects locate their victims, in part, by CO2, but hymenoptera are not interested in a blood meal. Hymenoptera sting only in self defense or nest defense. What happens is you ride along and plow into a bee or wasp and it gets mad (well wouldn't you if this huge clod ran into you?) and stings you. I think you were probably stung by a wasp. Wasp have smooth stingers which allows them to sting multiple times. Honey Bees have barbed stingers that stick into the flesh of the victim (stinging a person is fatal to the honey bee). Another thing is unless you are a very very slow rider, you ride faster than a bee or wasp can fly. I know that deer flies have a max speed of about 12 mph and most bees are probably not much faster. By the way, you can tell a bee from a wasp rather easily. A bee has split hairs on its thorax and a wasp does not have split ends.

You may check your route. If your route has bee hives say on one side of the road and flowering plants on the other, well you are clobbering the bees whilst they are crossing the road.

The lip is just about the worst place to get stung. You have more nerve endings there so the ability to detect pain in that part of the body is considerable.

Bee and wasp stings can be life threatening. In facts bees and wasps kill more people in the USA then Lions, tigers, bears, sharks, poisonous snakes and alligators all put together. The cause of death is anaphylectic shock. Basically, your wind pipe swells up and you can't breath. If you noticed breathing problems with the sting, you should carry epinephrine.

By the way, virtually every member of the hymenoptera is a "beneficial" insect. Bees do all sorts of extremely valuable pollination. Without bees you dont have apples, oranges, beans, squash, cherries, water melons, etc etc etc. Most wasps are predatory on insect pests so they are beneficial too. Of course, it is hard to appreciate that fact whilst your lip is throbbing in pain and swelling up.

Originally posted by Stinger9oh
The advice nurse in the ER said that the bees are probably attracted to the carbon dioxide in my sweat.

bees hate carbon dioxide when when working with bees blow on them and they all move out of that area. I work with bees so i know all about the joys of getting stung

I have an epipen because of my allergy to wasp stings. My doc told me to hold that big fat sucker in place for 10 seconds. It's not just a quick jab. Ever seen the needle in those things?? Geeze...I stabbed an expired one through a cardboard box once. Wish I hadn't :p

Some of my rides are up in the hills where there are lots of citrus groves.. Bees everywhere. We breeze down the hills with them flying everywhere...Fast enough, maybe they can't catch us..
Has not everyone had them fly into your helmet? I have, but somehow was not stung.. It was a mild descent. I stopped really fast. The helmet is a Giro with lots of vents...

i think bright flower like colours initialy attract bee,s , especialy yellow.(look out Lance):D

Originally posted by WoodyUpstate
Last month a yellow jacket flew into my helmet vents. I could feel him crawling around, so I started slapping myself in the helmet to jar him out. I must have looked like a wacko to the passing cars.

Anyway, it didn't work and I got stung. By then I was coasting no hands furiously trying to get the helmet off. Now I'm cruising down a hill no hands, no helmet and a welt on the front of my bald head. It all seems funny now, but at the moment I was not laughing.

In retrospect, I probably should have stopped the bike first, but it never really entered my mind.

Woody:

I've had multiple incidents of bugs getting into my helmet and other items - like my camelbak. When the latter happened I reached up with my left hand as my right hand turned the handlebar slightly to the right. Consequently the front tire hit the curb and I flipped over the bike, landing on my back.

In my mind bugs are nothing to get excited about in most cases, but since then I've had a few occasions when they hit me in the helmet. The easiest remedy is to reach up with one hand, disconnect the chin strap, and remove the helmet until you can slow down and regroup. Don't wait till it's too late.

I had a sting last summer, and it was as someone pointed out, a collision rather than a deliberate attack. The bee or wasp (I didn't have time to check it's split ends!) was flying across the road and got me in the hand, somehow missing my clycling glove.

A few days later I was driving my car and a bee (or wasp) flew in through the window into my hair (what's left of it), and I knocked it off, but it went down the back of my shirt and stung me in the back.

I don't have to worry any more this year, the temperature has been hovering around freezing for the last month.:D