Category: Bees

Understanding Localized Vs. Systemic Reactions: My Journey

There is a distinction between an allergic reaction to a bee sting and being allergic to bee venom. It sounds like a minor semantic difference.

It is not.

Back when honeybees were an integral part of our farm, many people would respond, “I’m allergic to bees.” What they meant was, that when stung, the area around the sting would swell, itch, and probably hurt. Depending on the location of the sting and how much swelling would result, they may have required medical treatment, for example, if an eye swelled shut.

Most people can treat a honeybee sting at home with ice and a topical anti-itch cream.

I found out the hard way what 3% of adults mean when they say they are allergic to bees.

First, let me say that over my lifetime, I’ve been stung many times by many insects. Wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, and honeybees. While working in honeybee hives, I would get stung once or twice a year.

Always with the same reaction—an apology to the honeybee who just lost her life trying to protect her colony, remove the stinger, ice the area, and take an anti-histamine for itching if necessary. Most of the time, I didn’t even need the ice or drugs.

Everything changed on July 21, 2023.

We needed a new queen for one of our colonies and found one immediately available three hours away. One benefit of retired life is the flexibility to take off on a moment’s notice to run such an errand. Along the way, we stopped for a nice big breakfast, then headed on to the bee farm.

Arriving at the farm, we had to walk past a couple of beehives to access the store. I wasn’t afraid. I just didn’t linger in the bee flight path.

What I didn’t know was one critical piece of information.

The owners had just completed a full inspection of these hives, which agitated the bees. Guard bees were on high alert for further intruders.

They interpreted our stroll past their door as an unacceptable act of aggression. Bees came after both of us and we walked in separate directions away from the hive trying to put enough distance between us and them, to diminish their perception of the threat.

The bee following me was relentless.

She kept buzzing my head and landing on my hair. My mistake was what I intended to be a gentle brushing of the bee away from my hair, Miss Honeybee thought was swatting at her. She dug in, rear-end first, and let go with a full dose of venom into my scalp. I saw her tumble to the ground.

Well, shoot.

Donna removed the stinger from my head and I went back to the shop to pay for the queen. That was the entire purpose of the trip, after all.

While waiting for the owner to swipe my credit card, I noticed my palms and the tops of my feet were itching. Odd, I remember thinking.

Within ten minutes, we were back on the road, heading for the interstate and the 3-hour drive home. I recall saying I didn’t feel very good. My stomach was upset, and I was beginning to sweat. Donna handed me a dissolving allergy tablet.

Looking back, there are so many things I wish I would have done differently.

I wish I would not have swatted the bee.

I wish I would have stopped before getting on the interstate.

I wish I would not have been three hours from home.

I wish I would have pushed the little red SOS button in the new vehicle.

Within a mile of entering the freeway, I had to pull over. We were on a slight curve about to enter a construction zone and the shoulder was littered with debris. Semi-trucks whipped by and I could not get out of the car.

None of that mattered.

Donna tried to find whatever she could to contain the onslaught. Violent vomiting threw breakfast all over me and the new car. A couple of our new, tidy, pretty-patterned, reusable, and packable grocery bags were sacrificed. I pity the person who picked up litter on that stretch of highway.

Feeling somewhat better, although now sporting red hives from head to toe, along with the remains of breakfast, we headed home.

Donna tried to find a change of shirt for me at a couple of gas stations (the first stop had an apparent drug deal happening behind us, so we hurried on to another station). All she could find was wet wipes and water. There were no clean shirts to be had at the gas stations. Her conclusion: “That’s the last time I shop for clothes at BP.”

We discussed finding a hospital and a truck stop where I could shower. Hospitals were an option on our route, but not the shower. I just wanted to be home.

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew I needed medical attention, but I wanted a shower more than anything, and it felt like the crisis had passed. I was filthy; the car was filthy, and the queen needed to get into her hive.

After three long hours, we arrived home and did all the things—shower, clean the car, and install the bee.

When I finally went to the walk-in clinic, I learned that any future stings would likely cause an even worse reaction. Donna had Googled anaphylaxis on the drive home—my symptoms already reached “severe” status. Worse than that was horrifying to contemplate.

I credit the bit of antihistamine from the dissolving allergy tablet for reaching my system enough to keep my airway open. Sitting in the clinic was when I truly appreciated the seriousness of what had happened.

Life changed for us that day.

We are out of the beekeeping business. We both have a keen awareness of the ability to summon anytime and anywhere through On Star if we only push that little red SOS button. The car is now loaded with wet wipes and an emesis bag for emergencies.

And I carry an EpiPen.

Do Honeybees Hibernate?

One of the most frequently asked questions about Five Feline Farm is about the honeybees. This year has been a start over year. We presently have two thriving hives and are determined to keep these colonies alive if at all possible. Our goal is to avoid the tragedy we experienced last year in losing colonies and increase the number of colonies in the spring.

We did harvest a very small amount of honey this year from one colony. Although the bees did produce a fair amount of honey, we made the decision to prioritze the health of the bees and leave this additional honey for their winter food supply. This will increase their likelihood of making it through the forecasted harsh winter and is more important than any profit potential we might realize by removing more honey.

What do honeybees do in the winter?

This is a common question. People often assume that honeybees hibernate in the winter. The reality is that honeybees do not hibernate, they cluster.

When temperatures drop, the colony huddles together in a ball with the queen and her attendants in the middle. The bees on the outer edge form an insulating layer. The inner layers of bees vibrate their abdominal muscles to generate heat for warmth. Periodically, one of the inner bees will move to the outer layer and push her cold sister into the middle of the ball to allow her time to warm up.

The bees also pass food from one to the other and to the queen. The entire cluster moves throughout the hive over the winter to where the honey reserves are stored. It is important for the beekeeper to leave enough honey for the bees. Yes, we can and do supplement with dry granulated sugar as needed to ensure they have plenty to eat before the spring nectar flow begins.

If all goes as planned, our colonies will overwinter.

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Treating Honeybee Stings

Honeybee stings happen. Being prepared with a quick treatment will reduce pain, itch and swelling.

But I’m allergic to honeybees!

This is something we hear all the time. There is allergic and then there’s ALLERGIC. Be sure to know the difference in a localized allergic reaction and an allergy to bee venom that causes a systemic involvement of your airway.

An allergic reaction will cause localized swelling, warmth and itching around the sting. This will last 2 or 3 days and cause relatively minor discomfort. The amount of swelling will vary from person to person, but can be treated with home remedies. 

A systemic allergic reaction is quite a different matter. This type of full body involvement may cause a person’s airway to swell and impede the ability to breathe. Anyone who has this type of reaction to a bee sting must receive immediate medical treatment. Home remedies are not for you. You likely already carry an Epi-pen (a portable means of injecting epinephrine in an emergency) and for use immediately after a sting. This is a serious medical emergency and should be treated in an emergency room even after the use of an Epi-pen.

Sting Kit

Home Remedies

Here’s what we do for the occasional bee sting. 

First, don’t panic. This will alarm the other bees and you may end up being stung more than once. Walk away from the hive and remove the stinger. Your goal is to scrape the stinger out against the direction of the sting. When the bee leaves her stinger in you, there is a small bulb of venom at the end of the stinger. Place the edge of a credit card (in a pinch you could use the edge of your hive tool) between the venom bulb and the insertion point of the stinger. Scrape toward the bulb end of the stinger with a firm flick of the card. This should remove the stinger from your skin and stop the flow of venom. It is beneficial to do this as quickly as possible after being stung.

After removing the stinger, apply an ice pack to the affected area. This will help reduce swelling and offer immediate relief. We also add a smear of honey to the affected area. Honey has antiseptic properties and seems to reduce the itch. You can take an antihistamine such as Benadryl if necessary.  

Remember honeybees will rarely sting while foraging away from the hive. They are focused on gathering pollen and nectar with no concern about much else. Foraging bees are not in a position to defend the hive or the queen. Unless aggravated, squeezed or stepped on, they are not likely to sting.

For more information about avoiding stings in the first place, check out this blog post on the Mother Earth News website: How To Not Get Stung

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Bought the Farm, Now What?

Have you ever had a vision so big, you didn’t know what to think?

Have you ever had a dream so big it was nearly impossible to conceive? Something that you really wanted but others looked at you funny when you talked about it?

This is where we found ourselves in 2002. Looking for a piece of land we could call our own. A place to do as we wished, no covenants to drive the structure of our dwelling, no close neighbors watching every move.

Finally we found it. A neglected five acre and a half acre rectangle. The house had burned years before leaving a weed filled pit. The old garage housed ragged appliances, broken glass, mice and who knows what else. The land came complete with a leaning two seater outhouse.

But the barn sang a different song. Hand hewn beams pegged together. Leaning a bit and in poor repair, it held promise. Could this be rehabilitated? Converted into a home? We dreamed large. Until we found the dry-rot and termites. The barn salvage is a story for another time.

So there we stood. Looking at this wild property wondering with excitement what possessed us to have this vision. The first step was obvious. Get rid of the junk. So we cleaned and mowed and hauled and picked up trash.

In 2008, the time was right to begin building. A two story yellow farmhouse sprang up and we moved in. Now we had more time to devote to gardens and landscaping and food. The land has transformed under our stewardship.

Our vision has grown and evolved since those early days. We find ourselves part of the growing movement to know the provenance of our food. Expanding the gardens to produce not only food for ourselves but enough to start a business.

Now our goal is to keep improving, expanding and moving toward the vision of being as self-sufficient as possible. Our focus is on food. Wholesome natural food that doesn’t come with a long list of chemical ingredients.

The plan also includes honeybees. As the honeybee population has been threatened, we have joined the preservation effort. These valuable insects pollinate many garden plants thereby increasing yields. We harvest honey and use the wax by-product to create skin creams and lip balms. It is a symbiotic relationship that benefits both us and the bees.

Here on our blog and throughout the Five Feline Farm business, you will find us promoting good food and fine products. We share tips, pointers, recipes, ideas and the occasional fail. We also hope to encourage you, our followers and fans, to reach for your own vision whether it be food, honeybees or something entirely different.

 
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