How do I treat a bee or wasp sting?

Most stings are painful and unimportant. The two things that matter are removing a bee's sting quickly without squeezing more venom in, and recognising the small number of reactions that are genuinely dangerous.

Safety

What you'll need

• Cold pack or cloth
• Antihistamine (optional)
• A card or fingernail (optional)

Step by step

1. Check for signs of a severe reaction first.Difficulty breathing, swelling of face, mouth or throat, dizziness, widespread rash or collapse. Any of these means call emergency services immediately.
2. Remove a bee sting by scraping sideways.With a fingernail, a card or the edge of a knife. Do not pinch or use tweezers — squeezing the sac pushes more venom in.
3. Know that wasps do not leave a sting.Only honeybees do. If it was a wasp there is nothing to remove, and searching for one wastes time.
4. Wash the area with soap and water.It reduces the chance of infection, which is the main complication of an ordinary sting.
5. Apply something cold for ten minutes.A cold pack or a cloth wrung out in cold water. It reduces pain and swelling more effectively than anything you can apply topically.
6. Raise the affected area if it is swelling.Particularly a limb. Elevation reduces swelling noticeably over the following hours.
7. Take an antihistamine if the reaction is uncomfortable.For local itching and swelling, if it is suitable for you. A painkiller helps with the pain.
8. Watch it over the following days.Some local swelling and redness for a day or two is normal. Spreading redness, increasing pain, pus or fever indicates infection and needs assessment.

Tips

• A large local reaction — significant swelling around the site over a day or two — is uncomfortable but not the same as anaphylaxis, which involves the whole body and comes on fast.
• Multiple stings, or a sting in the mouth or throat, should always be assessed regardless of the person's allergy status.
• Anyone who has had a severe reaction before should carry their auto-injector and use it without hesitation. Waiting to see is the dangerous choice.

Common mistakes

• Pinching or using tweezers on a bee sting — It squeezes the venom sac and injects more venom. Scrape it out sideways instead.
• Searching for a sting after a wasp sting — Wasps do not leave one behind. Only honeybees do, and the time is better spent cooling the area.
• Waiting to see with breathing difficulty or facial swelling — Anaphylaxis develops rapidly and is life-threatening. Call emergency services and use an auto-injector immediately if one is available.

Questions people ask