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An insect sting should be treated immediately, not only to relieve pain, redness and swelling, but also to prevent symptoms from becoming more severe.

The first action to take is to move away from the area where the sting was experienced to avoid being stung again.

With a Honey Bee sting, the next action to take is scraping the stinger out of the wound by scraping sideways with a knife blade or finger nail. The objective is to pull the stinger out of the wound without crushing the poison sac which would only inject more venom into the wound.

Apply a cloth soaked in cool water to the area of the wound to reduce swelling and reduce the chance of the venom spreading. Do not scratch, rub or massage the area of the sting as this may spread the venom.

Take an antihistamine to reduce the body’s allergic reaction to the sting. A good choice is diphenhydramine hydrochloride. This drug may cause drowsiness, so avoid activities like driving, where failure to be alert could be dangerous.

Apply a soothing lotion (calamine, baking soda, corticosteroid) to the skin in the area of the bite to reduce swelling and itchiness.

If the person who has been stung exhibits any of the signs of anaphylactic shock (wheezing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or swallowing, hives), seek medical help immediately. First aid measures include the use of a rescue inhaler and injection of adrenalin with an epi-pen. Note that both rescue inhalers and epi-pens are usually available by prescription only.

Honey Bee stinger left in wound, showing local swelling.

Antihistamine tablets.