For most people a sting from a honeybee is not very serious.  It will be painful for a few minutes and may swell up a little bit or turn red.  Usually the effects will not last long.  Stings on the face usually hurt the most, especially on the nose.  They may swell more than stings on other parts of the body.  A few people are allergic to bee stings and for them a sting can be quite serious.  If you are allergic to stings, you should not keep bees.

When a bee stings, it pushes its barbed, pointed stinger into your skin. The venom sac starts pumping the venom into you.  When you feel the sting, it is all right to kill the bee, but smashing it might just push more of the poison into you.  It is better to brush the bee off sideways. Try not to push the stinger in deeper. Try not to squeeze more of the poison out of the sac into your body. When the bee tries to pull away after stinging you, the barbs on the stinger keep it stuck in your skin. The stinger, venom sac, and other organs are ripped out of the bees’ abdomen.  The bee dies.  To remove the stinger, brush it sideways or scrape it off with a fingernail.  Do not try to pick it off with your fingers if the venom sac is still attached. This will squeeze all of the poison into you.  After you remove the stinger, you can put a little juice from a banana leaf on the sting to take the pain away.

When bees sting, a strong smell is given off.  Other bees sense the special smell and may sting the same place. It is good to put soot from your smoker or a bit of honey on the sting to cover up this smell.  You can also spray your hands with the smoke. If bees have stung your clothing, it is a good idea to wash your clothes before wearing them in the bee yard again.

If you do happen to get stung just remember: The bee died and you did not.