Sweat Bee Sting: 7 Symptoms and 5 Home Remedies
The thought of a sweat bee sting can be dreadful. We all remember our schoolboy or schoolgirl days where we went poking around in all the wrong places only to encounter a swarm of angry bees.
This kind of experience sticks with you as a youngster and is probably the reason most adults’ today flinch at the sight of a bee hovering around. Sweat Bee sting trauma is not only confined to childhood memories though; these awful moments can be relived all through adulthood as well.
Imagine a hot summer afternoon after you have finally secured a well-deserved break from your day job. A tropical-like environment characterised by a soothing breeze, refreshingly hot sunshine and a bevvy of festivities, can be ruined by little crawling or flying insects one of which being the sweat bee.
For a lot of people, bee stings can be termed as a nag to be avoided by simply swatting away the bee as soon as it approaches.
For other people though, the very thought of a bee sting can conjure up memories of some of the most painful and agonizing moments of their life. A bee hovering around could also be a matter of life and death for those whom a sweat bee sting could trigger a deadly and fatal allergic attack.
If you do suffer from this allergic reaction, then you need to seek immediate medical attention the minute the bee sting occurs. Pain from the sweat bee sting could make the last feeling you ever experience if you delay in seeking medical assistance.
In order to possibly avert or significantly reduce the risk of being stung by a sweat bee, it is important to learn how it looks so that you can tell it apart from other flying insects. The sweat bee is tiny flying creatures ranging from 4mm to 8mm.
Sweat bees reside underground during dry seasons, so if you see a bug that even remotely resembles a bee on the ground, then that is your creature of interest. It is of worthy note that female sweat bees do all the harassing and stinging. Sweat bees also carry pollen and nectar and store them in their nest.
There is no mincing of words regarding the damage this little flying creature can cause. Seeking immediate medical assistance is the most sensible cause of action to take if the sting is serious; this will ward off long-term adverse health effects while also preserving the lives of those with preexisting medical conditions that may be exacerbated by the sweat bee sting.
While medical assistance may seem like the only plausible way to combat the effects of a sweat bee sting, there are various home or natural remedies that have been known to curb the effects of the sting. Before we look at the home remedies, it is important to note the symptoms that will let you know that the sting is serious.
Sweat bee sting Symptoms:
Image source: mdc.mo.gov
This may come as a shock but believe it or not; there are a lot of people who get stung by a bee and not even know it until the effects of the sweat bee sting begin to manifest and fester. Some of these flying insects have a natural way of masking their dirty deeds by having very tiny stingers that are barely felt on your skin.
The timing of the sting could also play a role in masking the occurrence of the sting. The sting may be harder to detect if it occurs during periods of intense body strain such as workouts as opposed to if it happens during periods of relaxation. Here are some of the symptoms that let you know that the sweat bee sting is serious.
Body Itchiness:
The affected individual may experience intense to moderate itchiness around the area of the sting. A tingling sensation may also manifest soon after the sting. The urge to scratch the affected area may also be strong, but it is advisable that you desist from scratching.
Repeated scratching may cause further irritation and pain. Constant scratching will also tear open the surface of the skin around the sting area, opening it up to all manner of bacterial and fungal infections.
Swelling:
The area affected by the sweat bee sting may begin to swell soon after the sting happens. This happens when the tissues surrounding the inflamed area of the sting get irritated, causing a visible swelling.
This swell area may also be very tender when pressed or felt through by a finger. This swelling may last a few days; so if the sting occurred on your face, you might want to call in sick at work and remain indoors for a couple of days
Bad Allergic Reaction:
Sweat bees are attracted to the salt present in human sweat during perspiration. These bees end up stinging people while pursuing human sweat. When the sweat bee’s stinger has been lodged in your skin, the bee’s venom begins to flow from its body into your body. This continuous flow of venom can only be stopped by removing the stinger lodged inside the skin.
Discolouration:
The affected area may turn red or pinkish after some time. This skin colour discolouration is exacerbated by scratching. Excessive scratching breaks the skin, opening it up to germs that bring about all manner of infections. Constant scratching may also lead to excessive swelling that may take a few days to subside.
Nausea:
The stinger from the sweat bee sting transfers venom into your body. This venom may have harmful effects on your body if it remains unchecked. The venom may cause body weakness, nausea and eventually cases of vomiting.
Fever:
Multiple sweat bee stings may bring about further complications causing your body to burn up with a high fever. The venom from one stinger may cause health problems to an individual such as a conspicuous rash all over the affected area of the body, but venom from multiple stingers becomes highly potent and dangerous.
Multiple bee stings can be fatal for children whose immune system is not strong enough to fight off the venom.
Severe Allergic Reaction:
The venom from a sweat bee sting can cause a severe allergic reaction for some individuals. The allergic reaction may become even more serious in the case of multiple sweat bee stings.
A patient who suffers from this may experience respiratory problems leading to a difficulty in breathing coupled with a whistling sound coming from the chest known as wheezing in medical terms.
The same patient may also experience a spike in body temperature leading to high fever and also a sudden drop in the patient’s blood pressure. Severe allergic reactions like this may have disastrous implications especially for children, whose immune system is not strong enough. The severity of the allergic reactions may also lead to fatalities in both children and adults.
Sweat bee sting Home Remedies:
Now that we know all the symptoms a sweat bee sting can bring; it is time we look at some of the remedies applicable to combat the effects of the bee sting. A lot of people may rush to apply medical remedies to quell their discomfort.
These medical remedies include; taking of painkillers such as acetaminophen and aspirin, oral antihistamines or applied antihistamines to reduce the swelling and also sprays and creams containing an anaesthetic to reduce the risk of infection.
There are proven home remedies that can bring relief to people who have been affected by sweat bee stings, some of which are;
Remove the Stinger:
The first cause of action is to remove the stinger using tweezers or clean nails, inorder to stop the transfer of the venom into your body. A cold compress on the sting area after the stinger is removed will help ease the discomfort and the swelling. Alkaline substances such as baking soda mixed with some water can also help alleviate the pain and swelling.
Add Some Apple Cider Vinegar:
Apple cider vinegar mixed with some toothpaste creates the alkalinity required to neutralise the bee venom, which helps alleviate swelling, pain, and itching.
Honey:
Honey contains useful properties that quell inflammation, alleviate discomfort and stop the itching. One or two teaspoons of honey mixed in water can take of the problem if taken twice a day.
Desist from Scratching:
The urge to scratch the affected area may be strong, but patients must desist from doing so. Instead of scratching, apply a cold compress which will go a long way in reducing the burning sensation in the affected area.
Use Ammonia:
If you happen to have ammonia in your house, gently apply some on the affected area. It will diminish the inflammation caused by the sweat bee sting. You may want to desist from using too much ammonia. Mixing ammonia with other solutions is also not advised, since this may cause negative chemical reactions.
