Buzz, buzz!
On a more serious note; we think one of our staff members may have been stung/bitten by one of these usually placid critters. Wearing a loose neck type fleece top she thought she saw something small and black, then felt something trapped inside her sleeve, she felt a sting and there were 3 small puncture marks on her arm.

I just wondered if anyone has had any experience with bumble bee stings? We thought it might have been a spider bite too, but this young lady wears a fair bit of perfume which would account for the bumble bee theory rather than spider, the bees being attracted to sweet smells.

2 days later the area of her arm is still itchy, she contacted the emergency dept of our local hospital, but the staff there didn't think it warranted a visit.

We were not present when this took place, and her immediate reaction was to put dettol(spray) on the puncture wounds, otherwise colloidal silver is our usual first aid call.

Personally, I don't have a problem with spiders or bees of any kind, we run a business that requires both inside and outside work, and this is the first instance of something like this happening. Appreciate your thoughts ladies!
jen

I remember as a child getting a bumble bee sting on my foot, whilst on my way home from school. After limping home, and being smacked for not having my shoes on, Mum put a blue bag on it. Do you remember the thing that women used to whiten the whites in the rinse water? Fixed me up straight away. Don't know what modern Mums use.
If it was a bumble bee, they are mad creatures, they are attracted to perfume and anything Blue. But don't Bees only sting once? Wasps do a multi sting. Vinegar for a wasp sting.
Regardless what it was I would recommend that she talks to her GP about the possibility of having some phenegan tablets and cream on hand, incase this sort of thing happens again. I think phenegan is a anti-histimene, which I have had for something biting me on the face and horrendous swelling occured. I did have an injection at the A+E department on the first occassion.
It's a frightening experience and I can appreciate your concern

There's an antihistaminic cream on pharmacy shelves called Anthisan Cream. It's fabulous for negating the effects of stings, mosquito/sandfly bites, etc. The sooner you put the cream on, the better it works.

It may well have been a bumble bee. They do not lose their sting and can sting repeatedly. I was stung on the forehead last year and had quite a swelling and a lot of itchiness for at least a week. I used an antihistamine pill (polaramine) for the symptoms.

Thanks for that, I will get some Anthisan cream and have it on hand. Glad it wasn't a white tail spider bite, have heard some horrific stories about them.
jen

My children are allergic to bee stings, they swell so much and they have trouble breathing, we go to A & E for an injection.

I have an unpleasant reaction to all insect stings, be it bee, wasp or mosquito, etc. The localised swelling lasts for anything up to 10 days, together with intense itching, which I control with witchhazel. I don't take medication for any but the severest sting as I believe I could be desensitizing myself to the medication and it will be useless when really needed. I keep some anti-histamine tablets on hand just in case.

Lorna

Just read on http:frugalliving.about.com that a paste of baking soda and water will relieve a sting or bite. Handy to know I thought.
Raewyn G:-o

Lorna, do try Anthisan cream. I react to bites and stings in the same way as you. I used to use the dumb and useless things likes calamine lotion and others mentioned. I've been using Anthisan cream for years now and it brings total relief. You don't desensitize to it. I recently bought a tube of it for my mum because, even though I had suggested it to her every time she complained about itchy mosquito bites and such, she never bought any. Now she's wondering why she ignored my suggestion for so many years when such an elegant, simple solution was at hand. Do try it. I have no shares in the company whatsoever.

I thought bumble bees only stung once & that the sting came out of their bodies & they died afterwards. So if that being so maybe it was not a bumble bee!!! Food for thought

No, Lyn, see my post above. Bumblebees do not lose their sting and can sting repeatedly.

I don't know about bumblebee stings but I do know that over many years I've successfully treated wasp stings on small feet and fingers with a dab of methylated spirits - I should add that this was the medical meths bought in a small bottle from the chemist - don't know if this makes a difference. I can still see my 3-year-old youngest of five, screaming blue murder with what we were sure was a wasp sting under his bare toes while we were camping, and then, only a few seconds after we dabbed the meths on it, he was off, laughing and still barefoot before we could stop him, back into the fields again! The effect was practically miraculous. (He's now 23, has a serious career, a lovely partner, a house and a mortgage.) Also, aloe vera squeezed fresh from the plant on the windowsill has relieved innumerable sandfly and insect bites (we don't tend to get mosquitoe bites in Dunedin) and of course, small kitchen burns.

Easy way to remember:

Baking soda for Bees: B = B

Vinegar for Wasps: V = W

(But I tend to use Anthisan cream as well!)

mmm

serious career......or.......laughing, running barefoot through the fields?

It's adrenalin for me if I get sting by a bee - wasps no problem. Comes from a very traumatic experience I had once involving myself, a horse, a swarm of bees and a toffee apple!

Lynley, don't you dear leave the story there! We want all the details please - the mind boggles. Bernadette

And by the way, in case you think I'm getting overly affectionate - that "dear" in my previous message should, of course, have been "dare"!