Anyone who works with bee colonies inevitably makes the acquaintance of the pointed buttocks of the occasionally bitchy ladies. The garden beekeeper recently followed an interesting discussion on this topic in a forum:

 

In general, the following immediate measures should be taken after a sting:

• remove the sting quickly, if possible "push" it out of the skin with the fingernail "with the stroke" (avoid pressure on the poison blister!)
• if possible, suck the poison out of the puncture site with your mouth
• if possible, wash the stinging area extensively and remove the scents (pheromones) so that no more bees are alerted

However, relaxed work with bees also includes actively avoiding bee stings:

• learn to assess the mood of the bees
• adapt your own behaviour (pay close attention to the bees, make slow movements, avoid foreign smells such as deodorant and perfume)
• if necessary wear work protection (beekeeper hat with veil, gloves, long clothes, bee-proof overall)
• consistently replace queen of stubborn colonies with a queen of gentle genetics

The question remains whether and how bee stings can be treated. Among the beekeeper colleagues essentially 2 strategies are recognizable:

1. Manfully enduring bee stings and pretending it doesn't hurt. Many beekeepers report from own experience that this succeeds with the time ever better, because obviously the human immune system learns that small quantities of bee poison belong to the life of a beekeeper, accordingly the body reactions with the time decrease.
2. Treat stings. For this numerous Tipps circulate:

• Treatment with natural household remedies such as onion, ribwort plantain, Franzbranntwein, tiger balm, rub soil with spit or also the internal application of 0.5 - 1 liter of beer (the garden beekeeper's favorite method)
• Treatment with drugs such as cortisone ointment
• Treatment with sting healing devices that are designed to denature the bee venom at the stinging site through local heat

It is also interesting to note that stings are painful in different ways depending on the age of the bee: Young bees have only little poison in the sting, besides their sting is still so soft that it cannot easily penetrate e.g. the fingertip. Old aunts, on the other hand, inject large amounts of poison and can therefore sting really painfully.