Southern California - Bee Stings

I was descending a hill near De Luz when a bee struck my thigh, leaving its gut plug stuck in my leg pulsing. Not a good spot for losing control – I’m at 40mph, cars are at 60mph.
I fish-tailed to a stop and brushed the tool of torment away. Agony.
I get to the bottom of the hill and ANOTHER bee stings me inches from the first one. This was through the shorts, so it didn’t leave its stinger.
But still, agonizing AGONY!

Ouch, good job with mindfulness I'd say.

ouch!

I had a bee land on my nose and sting it while I was riding, and my wife wonders why I insist on riding with some sort of eye wear.

Good fun.
Two people have told me that bee stings have a cumulative effect, that that stings will get progressively worse. But I get at least 3 a year and seem to be building an immunity to them.
My most recent one was on my junk when the bee flew into my jersey and then down into my bibs, but the five before that were all on my left earlobe.
The best is when a yellowjacket flies into your motorcycle jacket--you get a nice row of stings that looks like your arm got stuck in an industrial sewing machine. That's happened twice so far, and the first one was pretty hilarious. I'm doing between 50 & 60, my arm is on fire, and I fishtail into the grass on the side of the road, throw the motorcycle down, strip my jacket off... and the gawddam thing flies off, apparently unharmed. :rolleyes:

I was stung on the belly descending a fast swithback on GRR! Geeze! At 30 mph, you have to take the pain long enough (maybe 30 seconds) to come to a safe stop. Dam that hurts!:D

HTFU. Bee stings are the lulz. I worked for a local bee keeper one summer operating extractor equipment. My record was 26 in one day. Ear lobes and arm pits hurt the most. I've been stung once while riding. Found it to be quite stimulating. Mostly they just land on me or the bike and hitch a ride for a bit.

HTFU. Bee stings are the lulz.

I don't know what "lulz" means but the initial sting isn't what bothers me. It's the swelling and poison like pouch that I carry around for 2 weeks that worries me.

One year I got stung 4 times within 3 months, each time with the same results. Last time on GRR. Stung on the neck then developed a pouch extending from my neck to my heart/chest area. Late night at the pharmacy a lady suggested I use cortisone 1% cream. It worked, swelling went down by morning but each time I get stung, it seems to affect me more.

Lady also suggested that I place a Baggy filled with ice cubes on immediately after the sting. Where am I going to find a baggy full of ice 15 miles up GMR/GRR midsummer? :D

each time I get stung, it seems to affect me more.

Many people develop increasing sensitivity to bee stings (the poison) while others remain the same and yet others become more immune. The same goes for poison oak afaik. You have a very good reason for trying to avoid bee stings with as much zeal as you do. You don't want to end up with it swelling to the point that it causes permanent damage or death.

Also, my mother (health clerk at a school) says that meat tenderizer helps as well.

Also, my mother (health clerk at a school) says that meat tenderizer helps as well.

Meat tenderizer looks more painful than the bee sting!:eek:................:roflmao2:


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/5843192455_89b5394807.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/64166896@N07/5843192455/)
meattenderizer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/64166896@N07/5843192455/) by GeatRealPics (http://www.flickr.com/people/64166896@N07/), on Flickr

The powder, silly!!!

The powder, silly!!!



:D............Do you rub the powder directly on the sting dry or add water to a paste?

Many people develop increasing sensitivity to bee stings (the poison) while others remain the same and yet others become more immune. The same goes for poison oak afaik. You have a very good reason for trying to avoid bee stings with as much zeal as you do. You don't want to end up with it swelling to the point that it causes permanent damage or death.

Also, my mother (health clerk at a school) says that meat tenderizer helps as well.

I'm one of the people who developed an increasing sensitivity. I used to get stung all the time when I was a kid mowing lawns, working in the orchards, and playing baseball on clover fields. Found out the hard way (on a bike ride, coincidentally) that I'm now allergic to bee toxin and a good sting will send me into full anaphlaxis. So now I carry an Epi-Pen on every ride and put "bee sting allergy" on my Road ID.

Beanz: FWIW, the sting before the anaphlactic episode was on my toe and it swelled my whole leg for a week. The ER doc said that was a sign that I'd reaced the tipping point. So, bee careful. (Get it?)

Beanz: FWIW, the sting before the anaphlactic episode was on my toe and it swelled my whole leg for a week. The ER doc said that was a sign that I'd reaced the tipping point. So, bee careful. (Get it?)

:roflmao2:...........Yeah, I figure I'm growing sensitive from what I've read and heard. As a kid, I got stung, bit and never phased. Now I'm old and delicate.:D Thanks!:thumb:

:D............Do you rub the powder directly on the sting dry or add water to a paste?
Good question. I'll have to ask her the next time I talk with her. I have a mild reaction to bee stings... and have only been stung twice since hearing this tidbit, both far away from any kitchen products... so I've never been that concerned.

I've also trampled in poison oak 2 or 3 times, and never broke out. *knock on wood*

Good fun.
Two people have told me that bee stings have a cumulative effect, that that stings will get progressively worse. But I get at least 3 a year and seem to be building an immunity to them.
My most recent one was on my junk when the bee flew into my jersey and then down into my bibs, but the five before that were all on my left earlobe.
The best is when a yellowjacket flies into your motorcycle jacket--you get a nice row of stings that looks like your arm got stuck in an industrial sewing machine. That's happened twice so far, and the first one was pretty hilarious. I'm doing between 50 & 60, my arm is on fire, and I fishtail into the grass on the side of the road, throw the motorcycle down, strip my jacket off... and the gawddam thing flies off, apparently unharmed. :rolleyes:


Those two were stings 2 and 3 for me (There's a Dr Suess joke in there somewhere). First was a couple years ago when (just a few miles from where I was yesterday) a bee was caught between my glasses and my temple. Sucka was like a dentist's drill buzzing. I felt fluttering in my face for a couple weeks as the venom dissipated.

Got a wasp caught in my jersey before. It stung me just below the sternum. Another wasp got me in the thigh last year.

Bringing that bike to a stop must've been a sight to see.

I'm one of the people who developed an increasing sensitivity. I used to get stung all the time when I was a kid mowing lawns, working in the orchards, and playing baseball on clover fields. Found out the hard way (on a bike ride, coincidentally) that I'm now allergic to bee toxin and a good sting will send me into full anaphlaxis. So now I carry an Epi-Pen on every ride and put "bee sting allergy" on my Road ID.

Beanz: FWIW, the sting before the anaphlactic episode was on my toe and it swelled my whole leg for a week. The ER doc said that was a sign that I'd reaced the tipping point. So, bee careful. (Get it?)

There was minor swelling the first 10-20 minutes, but it went away. I'll be mindful of swelling for subsequent stings.

Thing was, whenever I coasted or eased up, it hurt like a mother. I had to hammer home to keep the agony at bay.

Thing was, whenever I coasted or eased up, it hurt like a mother. I had to hammer home to keep the agony at bay.
When I got it on the nose, I just kept riding. The endorphins and concentration on my riding made the pain seem nonexistent.

I don't know what "lulz" means but the initial sting isn't what bothers me... :D

Slurred speech is another unfortunate symptom of progressive accumulation of bee venom in the bloodstream. :p

Had one fly into my helmet and sting me on the top of my head when I was riding slowly through my suburban neighborhood. As I pulled over, threw my helmet on the ground, and starting slapping the top of my head, my first thought was, "hmmm, I probably look pretty ridiculous right now!"

Had a similar feeling last month when trying to kill the bee in my bib shorts. I was beating my groin unmerciful like a road-side Michael Jackson impersonator; three ladies rode by staring; I shouted "Bee." and they smiled and kept going, apparently satisfied with my explanation.

In retrospect, wish I'd shouted "BEE-HEEE!" and moonwalked a little.

Little sucker stung me right on the genital and now I have an ugly scar that won't come off no matter how much skin creme I rub into it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8f0sg2dzcU

Had a similar feeling last month when trying to kill the bee in my bib shorts. I was beating my groin unmerciful like a road-side Michael Jackson impersonator; three ladies rode by staring; I shouted "Bee." and they smiled and kept going, apparently satisfied with my explanation.

In retrospect, wish I'd shouted "BEE-HEEE!" and moonwalked a little.

Little sucker stung me right on the genital and now I have an ugly scar that won't come off no matter how much skin creme I rub into it.

Your post is full of win.

There was minor swelling the first 10-20 minutes, but it went away. I'll be mindful of swelling for subsequent stings.

Thing was, whenever I coasted or eased up, it hurt like a mother. I had to hammer home to keep the agony at bay.

Lucky Dawg. When I was stung on the neck, I kept riding as it was in the middle of a hammer fest and the other riders weren't slowing down.:eek:
At the end of the ride, the dried stinger was still in my neck. In my case, it only gets worse over the following 2 days. I had a pouch of poison from my throat down to my chest, ick!

Had one fly into my helmet and sting me on the top of my head when I was riding slowly through my suburban neighborhood. As I pulled over, threw my helmet on the ground, and starting slapping the top of my head, my first thought was, "hmmm, I probably look pretty ridiculous right now!"
Especially since a bee can only sting you once anyway.

I rode into a swarm of bees on my commute home from work a couple weeks ago. One of my worst nightmares. Fortunately I did not get stung.

I don't even stop anymore. I have been stung on my arm, thigh, ankle and back of my neck. I just reach down and pull out the stinger and keep going. The worse one was the back of my neck. The pain is not that bad now as i seem to be building immunity to the venom. The one on my thigh was a look at that moment, pull out the stinger, almost no pain during or after when i got home. I have pulled a few wasps out of my helmet while still riding but was not stung by them. Just a part of riding i guess. I might add baking soda to my kit that i carry as it can be mixed with water to make a paste to sooth a sting.

I had a bee fly into my mouth and in the time it took to spit the bee out, it was trying to stink my tongue! The bee did manage to puncture my tongue but no stinger. It all happened in a split second. It wasn't as gross as it was bizarre. I find it amazing at how many near misses I've had and it's not like I ride with my mouth in full flap. :)

I had a bee fly into my mouth and in the time it took to spit the bee out, it was trying to stink my tongue! The bee did manage to puncture my tongue but no stinger. It all happened in a split second. It wasn't as gross as it was bizarre. I find it amazing at how many near misses I've had and it's not like I ride with my mouth in full flap. :)
The thought of that has freaked me out ever since I heard the story of a motorcycle racer who swallowed a live wasp and died from the swelling closing off his wind pipe. I keep my teeth closed when descending now.

Are you sure that story about the motorcycle racer isn't an urban myth?

I've inhaled and bee and it stung my throat. It hurt like h311 and I was coughing up leg and wing particles for the rest of the day, but it never impaired my breathing.

Come to think of it, I've had two insects get trapped in my eye socket that lived; I could feel them in there kicking and fighting to get out. Not pretty, but I still have 20/15.

It was told by an announcer during coverage of a race, and I don't know if 1 bee sting would be enough, but a wasp can sting you as many times as it wants until it is dead or incapacitated.

Wow. There's probably a festooned martyr's portrait of that hero back at the wasp nest.
That would be like one of us defeating an oil tanker in hand-to-hand combat.
I had a kamikaze ant crawl up a breather tube and bring my motorcycle to a stop by wedging his body into the carburetor jet orifice once. That was an entire weekend wasted trouble-shooting in the garage.

Are you sure that story about the motorcycle racer isn't an urban myth?

I've inhaled and bee and it stung my throat. It hurt like h311 and I was coughing up leg and wing particles for the rest of the day, but it never impaired my breathing.

Come to think of it, I've had two insects get trapped in my eye socket that lived; I could feel them in there kicking and fighting to get out. Not pretty, but I still have 20/15.

OK. You definitely take the cake with this story! Coughing up insect parts! And live bugs trapped in your eyes! Awesome. Hope you're wearing sunglasses now. :)

I got a yellow jacket stuck in my helmet while riding last night. I couldn't stop (descending, riding fixed gear), and tried to get my helmet off with one hand, rubbed my hair, put the helmet back on, but the wasp kept stinging. Finally I got the helmet off again and he fell out. Three stings later...

Annoying, but the discomfort was gone after about an hour of continued riding.

My mom (when I was a boy) would make a paste of baking soda and water - it seemed to lessen the effects of stings. That, and ice. I've read that a paste of meat tenderizer does leech out some of the bee venom.

PG

My mom used the baking soda and water trick when I was a kid as well.

The thought of that has freaked me out ever since I heard the story of a motorcycle racer who swallowed a live wasp and died from the swelling closing off his wind pipe. I keep my teeth closed when descending now.
About 15 years ago my brother was working at a warehouse. He grabbed his can of root beer and took a swig, only to discover that a couple of bees had crawled into the can and were now busy stinging his throat.

When he dropped the can and grabbed his throat, his coworker looked over and thought he was choking from some food. He grabbed my brother and started doing the heimlich maneuver, which only made the situation worse for my brother. Because of the bee stings my brother couldn't tell the guy he wasn't choking on food and basically had to try and punch the guy to get him to let go. My brother wound up spending the afternoon in the ER with them working to keep his windpipe open.

Years later, we laugh at the whole mistaken heimlich thing, but it wasn't very funny at the time.

Haha--just reminded me of another one! I was laying in grassy shade of the park with my dog, eating sunflower seeds and reading the unabridged "Count of Monte Cristo".
I'd just noted the famous line, "on what slender threads do life and fortune hang" and continued down the page when I suddenly had a mouthful of molten steel!
I choked and spat, and a crumpled black widow spider came out in my spit! The spider had crawled into my bag of seeds, and I'd poured it into my mouth, and it bit the blue vein underneath my tongue. The sting hurt like hell, but I didn't have any symptoms, so I just went home and went to bed. Then high-fived myself for waking up the next morning.

On what slender threads do life and fortune hang...
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/004/cache/black-widow-spider_469_600x450.jpg