MediaCreations 

After finishing another day at the best job in the world I was on my way home to the best family in the world on Friday when it happened.

I was about a kilometre from home, enjoying the perfect, Perth, Spring weather when I spotted some kind of flying bug heading in my direction. With me travelling at around 35 kilometres per hour in one direction and the bug heading fairly quickly in the other it was impossible to identify what kind of bug it was.

It hit my helmet and I assumed it would do what 99.9% of bugs do upon coming face to face with my helmet - bounce off. A second or two later I accomplished two things simultaneously. Without even seeing it I knew instantly that the bug hadn't bounced off and at the same time I positively identified the bug as a bee.

After becoming lodged in one of the plentiful air vents of my helmet, the bee panicked and decided that I was a bad person who should be punished. It forcefully shoved it's rear end into my forehead. OUCH!

I've never understood that mentality. I would have gladly taken off my helmet and let it fly off yet it sacrificed its life on the assumption that I was an aggressor. By assuming the worst, we both lost out.

Meanwhile, back on the bike, as the pain started ramping up, I said a number of words under my breath and pulled my bike up in super quick time, thus shredding a small patch on my back tyre. I unclipped my helmet, yanked it from my head and threw it down onto the grass by the side of the road. The bee also fell to the ground and started writhing around as its life slipped away. I knew that by stinging me the bee would surely die but I must admit that my right shoe helped speed up the process.

I wiped the sting from my forehead then calmly picked up my helmet, glasses and my iPod mini headphones. I reassembled myself and headed home with a throbbing, stinging pain in my forehead.

I ended up with a red blotch surrounding the area of impact for a while and it was sore for a couple of hours. Not a great overall result but considering I've cycled tens of thousands of kilometres and this is the first (and hopefully last) time it's happened, I reckon I'm doing OK.

mechBgon

Got a bee in your bonnet, eh? Good thing you wear glasses, just in case it had been a bit lower.

ollo_ollo

Last May, I received a sting on the side of my neck: one day of pain followed by a week of intense itching. Got through the Summer unscathed until last week when I took one on the left shinbone. Pesky little critters.

mister

On my first commute ever, I had a similar experience. Only the bee latched onto my lower lip, crawled into my mouth, and stung the inside of my mouth right below the corner of my lips. I must've looked like a complete nut slapping at my mouth like I was.

jyossarian

Haven't had a bee get caught in my helmet yet, but I did have a few bugs of unknown origin hit me in the face while moving somewhat quickly.

Metaluna

The same exact thing happened to me as I was finishing up a century today (actually yesterday at this point). I was within 10mi of home, cruising along at a good clip, feeling great, when I hear a a tick of impact on my helmet. A few seconds later I feel a really sharp pain on the right side of my head (a few inches above the forehead). It took me a few seconds to realize what had probably happened, so, with the pain steadily increasing I pulled over, swearing, and took my helmet off. Sure enough, there was a bee lodged in one of the vent holes (I think it was a yellow jacket). Stung me right through my Headsweat. Anyway I flicked him off and went on my way (was going to squish him but then felt bad about it!). I quickly developed a splitting headache, but was otherwise ok. The area is still a little red but fortunately no swelling (so far).

TrevorInSoCal

I've had two rolling bee encounters this summer. One was a couple months ago, bee flew in my helmet. I couldn't get it off in time to prevent being stung (having a shaved head probably doesn't help any in that respect).

2nd time was last Wednesday. The little bugger somehow got himself lodged between my glasses and the side of my head and stung me right on the temple before I could yank the glasses off. That one was slightly sore and itchy for three days. There's still a slight red mark visible.

sherpa93

I was bee butted this summer. might have been a wasp.
I still dont know how it happened. I did have to pull a stinger
and 2 little legs from my posterior. Couldnt sit down without pain for
2 weeks. Also the occasional june bug or cicada bouncing off the side
the head. Bad year for bugs.

ryanparrish

Same experience, not as bad sorry to all the guys that got injured

mwrobe1

The week or 2 of summer changing over to fall is really bad. I did a 20 mile jaunt on Sunday to a family members house who lives in a woodsy area. Bees/yellowjackets were swarming everywhere.

acapybara

Very sympathetic. There's no reasoning with bees. About a month ago I had a bee land on the side of my mouth and hold on for dear life, and while i frantically tried to wave him off while keeping the bike upright, he decided life wasn't worth living and STUNG THE INSIDE OF MY LIP.
First ever sting. I guess that's the best possible way to find out if you're allergic! I had a very mild reaction (with bountiful swelling). I felt like the guy from Mask.

ItsJustMe

I've never had one sting me from the helmet, they just wander around in there until I release them. However, last year I got yellow jackets down my jersey on two separate occasions. Luckily the stings don't bother me that much, I just grabbed it through the jersey, squished it, coasted to the side and ejected it from the shirt. Had a quarter-sized red patch on my chest for an hour or so.

Friday was bug-swarm day though. I ate a lot of the suckers.

howieb

A couple of months ago I was riding home, and a guy I work with who rides all the time passed me on his fixed gear. About a hundred yards up I saw him pull over, yell, yank his shirt over his head and start swearing. Turns out a bee stung him on his neck, then proceeded down his shirt and stung him about six times total. So much for bees losing their stinger on the first try.

jeff-o

Only bumble bees (the fluffy ones) lose their stinger and die. Other bees, wasps and hornets can sting multiple times.

Novakane 

Ack! I've hit a bee at a decent clip before and it just made a loud *thwack* sound as it pegged off the helmet. I spent all weekend stripping and rebuilding my bike with some replacement parts I picked up, so I didn't do any riding - but the wasps sure where plentiful while I was outside working. Guess it's that time of year.

It never occured to me that one might sting me while riding but it sounds (from all the stories) that it's a fairly common occurance.

Falkon 

Had one get in my helmet once. I immediately stopped while pulling my helmet off and frantically raking my fingers through my hair to get the bugger out. I got lucky that time.

betes

Your first mistake was letting the bee hit your helmet. You can avoid future stings by launching a preemptive strike against any insect in your airspace. I usually just punch them in the face and that's that.

ItsJustMe

No, AFAIK all bees which have stingers lose their stingers and poison sacs when they sting.
https://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il...honbeefax.html

In fact:
https://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2076.html
"Only the honey bee leaves her stinger (with its venom sac attached) in the skin of its victim"

gbcb

That is one of the funniest/most unpleasant-sounding things I've heard in a while. Hope it's better now!

ryanparrish

i would imagine as bad as road rash

mister

I didn't have a bad reaction. It left a nasty taste in my mouth, and felt like I got punched. An hour or so later it just felt sore. It was pretty funny though.

slagjumper

The last time I got stung while biking, I was stupidly brushing my right hand against some vegitation as I pedaled down a trail. Bam I got stung in the finger! Thankfully no one here was hurt badly, but if you are with someone who is alergic to bee stings, facial and neck stings could be especially bad, because of the possiblity of quickly closing off the airway as anaphylaxis sets in. Should have 2 epi pens and benadryl if your alergic.

The epi pen woman-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OPbzTflo5Q
https://www.epipen.com/howtouse_high.aspx

Anyone wearing the yellow jersey? Looks like bees are fond of bright colors.
https://aafa_al.healthology.com/focus...lergy_beesting

here and there

Last week I was out riding and around mile 6 I noticed a bee on my left shoulder. I shook my shirt repeatedly and it wouldn't let go so I decided to leave it alone. 14 miles later I get home and swipe it off my shoulder. I head inside and am doing my post-ride stretching when I feel something on the side of my shirt. I pick it off my shirt and look to see what it is when I feel a sharp sting. Turns out that thing on the side of my shirt was another bee. First time I had been stung since I was 5-6 yrs old (I'm 24). Itched like crazy for a couple days but that was it. I blame my alert shirts for this incident, those things are insect magnets.

unkchunk

Cheer up people. In some cultures bee stings are signs of good fortune.

toddw

I took one up the leg of a pair of baggy cycling shorts. That was fun. I'm not sure which did more damage the bee or me slapping my tender bits trying to kill it.