Bee Sting Remedies?

Hello! I got stung by a bee last week and soaked it in ice water and waited for it to heal and it did after a few hours. Now a week later my foot is suddenly swollen and itchy again like I had a delayed reaction. I tried icing it again but it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. So I am wanting to try rubbing some different things on it to see what helps. I’ve been wanting to start learning about herbs and home remedies and I thought this could be a good place to start. I have a limited amount of typical kitchen things to choose from, plus a small number of plants growing in the yard and in my garden.

I am wondering:

1. What should I try putting on my bee sting?
2. What are some essential home remedy items to keep on hand?
3. What are some good beginner-level resources I can look at to learn more about natual medicine and home remedies (i.e. what do these words mean: tincture, salve, etc.)

Any advice is welcome. This is my first time starting a thread. Thank you!

Hal Schmidt wrote:

1. What should I try putting on my bee sting?


Any advice is welcome. This is my first time starting a thread. Thank you!

Directly after a sting, dab a little wet toothpaste on the area.  The baking soda in toothpaste seems to do a good job of neutralizing the venom.  

I agree that toothpaste works quite well if used immediately after a sting. Never heard of a week long delayed reaction so have no input about that. Unless you're having trouble breathing or your eyelids swell up or something severe. An extreme reaction like that would probably require a doctor & an epi-pen. A common over the counter pharmaceutical that works good is diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Toothpaste is faster but not quite as effective.

Are you sure it's last week's bee sting that is causing this problem?

I hope it will never happen again for you, but if it does, here are some things I tried with success, right after the sting:

- honey

- which hazel extract

- baking soda

Not sure if any of them would work after some time, though…

I wonder if perhaps what you are experiencing is a secondary infection at the site of the sting? That could cause it to be itchy and swollen. Probably red and some heat as well. It's possible it's a delayed reaction, but I don't know. I'd guess infection. Did you clean the spot you were stung with soap and water or anything like that?

Either way, my first recommendation for stings and skin infections is plantain. This is a common weed in most yards and usually easy to find. There are several species. Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata are common. It is very drawing and I've used it with great success for skin infections. Some more info to help with identification here:Plantain nature's band aid
The easiest way to use plantain is a spit poultice. Simply harvest a leaf, chew very lightly, just enough to soften up the leaf, not tear it. Then place on the wound and leave as long as you can. This can be incredibly effective. You could also make a tea of the leaves, then soak a cloth in it and put that on the wound. A salve would be another option, though much more involved. I always have plantain salve and dried leaves at the ready and use them frequently. It's one of the most useful plants I can think of.

Another option would be to soak your foot in some warm water with epsom salt. This can help reduce the swelling and work against possible infection. I really like having epsom salt around, as it's great for muscle aches/injuries. Also quite good for keeping infection down. Magnesium is essential for something like 300 functions in the body and most folks don't get enough, so I consider it part of my first aid kid.

Yet another thing you could try would be an activated charcoal poultice. Just make a paste of activated charcoal powder, put on a gauze pad or bandaid and secure it over the wound. The charcoal is amazing at drawing out toxins and infection. Another item I'll be keeping in my first aid kit from now on.

Any of these suggestions would likely help now and would also help at the time of a sting.

As for resources, I would highly recommend is Richo Cech's book Making Plant Medicine. It is a great guide for making your own tinctures, salves, etc. I also really enjoy learning from Jim McDonald, Susun Weed and 7Song. All amazing herbalists.

I hope your foot feels better soon! Injuries to the foot can be rough.

If it came up again after a week it's probably infected.
Not sure I'd home doctor it if you are new to this, infections can run amok.

My go-to remedy (thanks to Nicole) is to crack open a benadryl capsule, wet the sting area, and put about half the capsule onto the sting and rub it around lightly. The pain and swelling go away within 10 minutes and I don't get the huge swelling and days of pain like I normally get from a sting. Of course this doesn't do anything for the toxin or any possible infection, but it does stop my body overreacting to the sting, which is most of my problem.

I agree with others that a delayed reaction is likely an infection. I have read that there is a low (but not zero!) chance of getting tetanus from a bee sting. Since stingers are not sterile, there could be any kind of microbe in the wound. Some home remedies may work, but I would be cautious if it doesn't get better with treatment or if it gets worse at all. Any sign of a red streak up the leg means a fast trip to the doctor is warranted.

My favorite treatment of suspected skin infections is lavender oil. They say to dilute it, but I don't. It is strongly antimicrobial and will be absorbed into the skin.

It sounds like bee sting cellulitis (secondary infection in the skin). Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine, and anti infection. So if I get stung I always make up a big glass of water with sodium ascorbate (neutral form of vitamin C) and drink it down. Like 10,000 mg. I have also cured bee sting cellulitis that way. Vitamin C can give you diarrhea in high doses, but it's not harmful.

Also use topicals that are antibacterial. You have some good suggestions. I've used coconut oil on cellulitis with success. Rub it in frequently. You can treat it naturally, but it is an infection, so keep an eye on it and go to the doctor if it starts looking worse.

Good luck.

I had once where I was stung by the bee, and after 3 days it was getting even more red and itchy and swollen than on the first day. I put bentonite clay paste on it, but it kept drying, so I had to rewet it, and then I went to my friend, and clay rubbed off and I asked her if she has some clay. She said she has homeopathic Apis and homeopathic ointment from bug stings. I took both (one internally and one rubbed on), and was shocked to see half an hour later -no itch and no redness. That was it, only one application. Homeopathic Apis is easy to get, but they stopped making that ointment, when I looked for it to buy. I wasn't stung again since then, but I do have Apis in my first aid kit.

Chew up some plantain leaves and squish them on. Having a jar of plantain salve is handy.

JudyJ Johnston wrote:Chew up some plantain leaves and squish them on. Having a jar of plantain salve is handy.

Plaintain has always been my 2nd choice; don't know why I'm not seeing anyone else suggest it but my first remedy is to find some mud, or spit onto dry dirt.  It seems to 'draw' as it dries.  That's worked for over half a century for me...

Haven't tried plantain salve, but I can vouch for a plantain spit poultice for bee stings.  Used it twice before, and it will take the pain away almost instantaneously.

As for swelling, I would try a baking soda/water, or clay/water paste poultice.

Or I always have two concoctions I make:  Herbal Liniment from Jethro Kloss's book, Back to Eden.  It's cayenne, myrrh, and goldenseal, tinctured.

(Goldenseal is endangered and very expensive, but a batch of this stuff lasts for years, and I've used it for headaches, rashes, a bad machete infected injury in the jungle, other minor cuts/scrapes, my mother's infected crotch burn from spilled coffee, and gargle/swallow for sore throat/cold--used vodka or apple cider vinegar as the base.)  All externally, topically applied, except the gargle/swallow.

The other concoction is witch hazel, aloe, some herbs--chamomile, lavender and tea tree essential oil.  Use that for insect bites, rashes, hives.  Put it on, it makes it itch more (don't scratch!)...then add a second time, and that usually stops the itching...usually.  Not always effective for heat rashes, though, at least for me.

I put that second one in a glass roll-on bottle for application.  There used to be a roll-on commercial product like that for pimples, I think; so I riffed on it, for my personal use.

Other than that, I'd try stuff...I bet there are multiple things you have on hand that will help...on your hand.  haha

 Nature is amazing!

How's the foot, Hal? Hopefully everything cleared up!

Pearl Sutton wrote:If it came up again after a week it's probably infected.
Not sure I'd home doctor it if you are new to this, infections can run amok.

Skin infections can be gnarly. For example, Staphylococcus aureus is common and can be really, really bad if left untended or improperly cared for. Sometimes they can be quite easy to treat. It can be hard to know which is which when you start taking your health more into your own hands. Perhaps one of the most important skills of home doctoring is to be able to recognize when something is beyond your skill level and seek professional help. Familiarizing yourself with signs of infection and healing is essential to be able to do that. When doctoring myself and my animals, I generally set a time limit during which I need to see improvement of the problem and if I don't, it's time to go to the doctor or other appropriate professional. Depending on the severity of the condition, this might be hours or it might be a few days. Again, this takes some knowledge and understanding of the condition you're working with. That way you can know what the risks are and decide if self care is safe and appropriate.

I agree with the plantain spit poultice, and coconut oil is always good too.  But one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is peppermint essential oil.  I just dab a drop onto a fresh sting, and it takes care of most of the pain.  It doesn't take long to completely heal either.  (can't tell you exactly how long since it has been many years since I have been stung.)

But like others have said, if you are having issues after a week, it could be infected and that is a whole different problem.  Drawing salves can help, as can coconut oil and maybe Manuka honey ("wound honey".)  Good luck!

HAIR is a great remedy. Last year we got some bees for our farm, and when unpacking the nook into the hive, one of them got me in the ankle.

My wife is from India, so she has some great ancient remedies for all sorts of things. She rubbed her hair on the sting, the relief was INSTANT and lasting. No further pain.

If I ever get stung again, I'll surely try that first. But not wanting to experiment further, I can only give this advice from a single incident. My wife says it always works, pulls the stinger out and also oils and enzymes in the hair neutralizes the toxins. Best if it is done immediately.

I had bees get inside my suit's hood and luckily I had my water hose out near the hive and shut off with a valve. I was able to stop the bees and went to the house to take my suit off.

I then called a friend who is a retired nurse and she came over and used a credit card to remove the stingers just by scraping them out. She counted over 30 stingers. The only one she did not get was in my left ear lobe and that swelled a bit. I showered and washed my hair and there was no swelling or pain except that ear lobe the next day.

Joy Oasis wrote:I had once where I was stung by the bee, and after 3 days it was getting even more red and itchy and swollen than on the first day....

Based on my experience and that of others, bee and wasp stings smart like heck the first couple of hours and are always followed with itching, sometimes for more than two days. Swelling varies, probably according to the specific venom, individual sensitivity, and location, but is also a normal part of the sting experience.

Back on the farm, I kept a few hives of honeybees and once got a sting on my spine. That's the only time I've had a systemic reaction, and it mirrored what I've read about allergic reactions. In addition to the normal pain, I got light-headed and tingly all over. (I don't think I experienced serious breathing difficulty though.) I don't clearly recall now 40 years later, but I'm sure my back was itchy near the sting site for the next couple of days.

I can't recall what my wife applied to it, but my go-to sting remedy now is After Bite, which is ammonia-based and largely neutralizes the venom if applied soon after the sting. If the swelling is more than minor, an antihistamine is helpful. I just noticed that there's now After Bite Plus (https://afterbite.com/after-bite-plus.html) that includes an antihistamine.

For immediate relief put a dab or drop of water on the sting and shake some salt onto the water and rub it over the sting. You can also make a paste of salt and water and apply it.

There’s a lot of good suggestions here. I hope you are able to find a solution and you heal completely

Plantain at time or soon after sting.  My go to would be Calendula salve later. Soaking in strong 'tea' of vulnerary and astringent herbs (words to learn), such as Bee balm, sage, calendula, yarrow.  Best hands down go to herb book, beginner friendly,  is Body Into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self care by Marie Noel Groves.

We've kept bees for a while now and I get stung a couple of times each year.  Essential oil of lavender does the trick. One drop on the sting and any discomfort is usually gone in about 10 minutes.  It does depend a bit on where you are stung.

Lavender works for all insect bites but it's also very effective on burns.  It's the only essential that is safe to put on your skin without diluting.

I second the suggestion of mud, but it must be clay mud, and the sooner you apply it the better. Once I got stung while standing near a creek with clay banks. I put a wad of clay on the sting withing a second or two and never got any reaction at all. I think the clay pulls the venom out, if it's still near the sting site. The other thing I've used if there's no clay nearby is baking soda, but usually it takes too long to get the water mixed in to the right consistency...but there's plantain all around my house, so maybe I'll try that next time.
Long ago I was a tree planter for awhile, and got a poison oak reaction on my arms. But I was reaching into soil all day and as I suspected, bathing my arm in dirt neutralized the reaction.

Honey
Ozinated olive oil
Apisgel

I have started using goldenrod tincture to rub on bites that burn or sting and it not only stops the immediate burn but the swelling and sometimes little pustules (like fire and bites) from forming later. I’m currently healing from a bite from something that I wasn’t aware of but it caused a huge reaction and a secondary infection at the site. I used a horse nettle tincture poultice alternating with slices of potato on the wound and sweet gum ball tincture by mouth for the infection with excellent effect. Prior to the treatment it had been steadily getting worse but 10 hours of the topical treatment and it was vastly improved.  

I have a small apiary and from time to time I get stung. I have been trying many of the remedies listed above, from plantain, thorough baking soda, poultrices and tictures, and also professional antihistamine creams, etc.  The results were very poor. One thing that helps me is quite drastic, but what the heck, I will share it. The bee venom is a protein, it decomposes in high temperature. When a bee stings me, I remove the sting and as soon as possible I place a hot object on the sting spot. Te temperature should be above 60 degrees Celsius, the higher te better, and it should stay there for at least 10 seconds, the longer the better. If you do that quickly after being stung, majority of the venom disintegrates and you will not swell.  I was using the knife warmed in hot water, as well as hair dryer. The key is to use this trick very soon after being stung. When the venom has already spread, this trick is useless.

I was in a trade all of oil is a must for any first-aid kit! Kills the horrible list of infections.

Richard Gorny wrote:I... The bee venom is a protein, it decomposes in high temperature. When a bee stings me, I remove the sting and as soon as possible I place a hot object on the sting spot. Te temperature should be above 60 degrees Celsius, the higher te better, and it should stay there for at least 10 seconds, the longer the better. If you do that quickly after being stung, majority of the venom disintegrates and you will not swell.  I was using the knife warmed in hot water, as well as hair dryer. The key is to use this trick very soon after being stung. When the venom has already spread, this trick is useless.

I didn't mention this in my earlier comment, but I have used the same principle with a Therapik (https://therapik.com/products/therapik). As you noted, it has to be used before the venom spreads.

Will quickly chime in with my own experience having tried quite a few things, being stung off and on all my life (just got hit with a yellow jacket in the chicken run last week - 4th sting this year), and finally settling on what really works.

Like others have said - clay. Our property is mostly clay, so that makes it easy, but if you don't have clay readily available, get some. Carry it in a little canister in a pocket if you're out where you might get stung. Most any clay will do as far as I can tell. Wet it up good with spit, puddle water, a hose, ... whatever, then apply a layer (or better, a gob) over the sting. Do that as soon as possible after the sting. As the clay dries, it pulls out the venom. A thin layer will dry quickly, but also pulls less venom out, so you might need to reapply.

I've tried plantain and that works for treating the pain and swelling some, and will draw out the venom, but not as well or as quickly. I'd say that's a good second choice if you don't have clay available.

Also have tried baking soda, and that, too, works...much like plantain in my experience.

Even when drawing the venom out quickly after the sting, you can expect some pain and swelling...that's the nature of the game. The little guys can pack quite a punch

Some caffeine (coffee or even soda in a pinch) is fast acting and goes a long way toward reducing allergic reactions if you're worried about swelling or woosiness. If you're not allergic to ragweed, keep chamomile tea on hand as a ready-to-go mild antihistamine to help if the reaction is stronger.

Diphenhydramine (benadryl, etc) is good if you're expecting a bigger reaction.

And, of course, if you already know that you're deadly allergic to stings, keep an epi pen ready at all times. No sense in dying (or arguably worse, having tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses!) for no good reason. Be smart about it

New wrinkle in the brain thanks to this thread - "bee sting cellulitis". Had never heard of this before, but thinking I might have a touch of this on the back of my calf from the little hornet last week - it's been itchy the last two nights for apparently no reason

Apis 30C homeopathic remedy -- it's good to have on hand for allergic reactions to insect bites...

Ledum 30c is also good - best for ticks (lyme disease) and dog bites...

Wow! Thanks everyone for the awesome suggestions! My foot is doing a lot better, I think in this case the best remedy was time because I missed my chance to treat it immediately after the sting. I tried a few things I had available (ice, soak with epsom salt and lavender oil, coconut oil) but the redness, itching and swelling didn’t change much so I think it was some of the venom hanging out under the skin? I kept a close eye on it to see if it got worse but it only got worse it I tried wearing shoes or socks, so I avoided those and the swelling slowly went down. I also tried getting lots of vitamin C and I had some herbal tea from my acupuncturist that she calls “herbal ibuprofen.” I am definitely going to do some more research and start stocking up a bee sting first aid kit and I’ll be ready to immediately treat it next time.

I experimented with the goo scraped from a comfrey leaf stem. Could not find the plantain when I needed it. Had good results last two attacks (after scraping the stinger as described above)       Realized I looked hideous with the goo on my forehead. Grand daughters horrified look was priceless when he saw me.

Richard Cleaver wrote:We've kept bees for a while now and I get stung a couple of times each year.  Essential oil of lavender does the trick. One drop on the sting and any discomfort is usually gone in about 10 minutes.  It does depend a bit on where you are stung.

Lavender works for all insect bites but it's also very effective on burns.  It's the only essential that is safe to put on your skin without diluting.

Yes!!! Thank You, Richard! I was reading all the comments and surprised I hadn't seen lavender mentioned in them. I was going to mention if needed, I love lavender I keep it in a kitchen cabinet next to the stove. ( hot glue gun burns too, I have avoided many blisters) I have it in the medicine cabinet for burns and stings, bites. Works well for itchy bites too, like mosquitos. Not to long ago, I got stung by a hornet in the back of my knee right in the vein or something because boy was it swollen! I washed it and put lavender on it right away, I continued to put the oil on as needed. Less than an hour maybe 30 min pain was gone. Next time I will try plantain spit poultice though sounds interesting and then some lavender essential oil. :-)  

It sounds like this post has gotten a plethora of good answers but for future reference, I will add that tobacco has always been the most effective bee sting remedy for me. I don't use tobacco myself but would keep some around if I was in a place with a lot of potential for bee or wasp stings because it works SO WELL. It's similar to the plantain leaf poultice technique where you apply it damp to the sting area and it (for me) took away all the pain and swelling in minutes. I get huge welts, hot and hard and itchy that last for a long time from even mosquito bites so it's great to have a really effective option for these situations.

Apparently a salve can be made from goldenrod for bee stings. Which is convenient since bees love the nectar so beekeepers often have goldenrod.

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solidago/

Raw, organic apple cider vinegar &/or Chickweed also works well.

Lisa Sture wrote:I was in a trade all of oil is a must for any first-aid kit! Kills the horrible list of infections.

I think that was supposed to be 'ozonated olive oil'!

Another thing I've remembered my folks doing, that I've also done, to draw out both stingers and their toxins, is the lining of an eggshell, wet side down. Just pull it out of the egg shell, and lay it over the sting, and leave it there, until it dries.

Putting a little Clorox bleach on a wasp or bee sting has always worked for us and worked fast.

That's interesting. Bleach is very effective for jellyfish stings too.

I thought I had replied to this before, but apparently not.

What you are experiencing is not a reaction to bee venom, which is comparatively short lived. It is probably a form of cellulitis - and infection around the injury site. It is relatively common with bee stings. One of my beekeeping friends is rather prone to it, and has needed anti-biotics a few times over the years for bad cases.

Given that it is a secondary infection, treatments aimed at reducing allergic responses and the venom itself are unlikely to be effective.

In my experience cellulitis is more likely if you have had a large initial swelling. I think the swelling and itchiness makes you more likely to scratch, and the wound site to have delayed healing, increasing chance of infection. So my advice is to treat the initial sting as you would other wounds - dress it, keep it clean and sterile as much as possible. Apply ice and compression to reduce swelling. And in a bad case of secondary cellulitis seek prompt medical help and get anti-biotics.