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Bee sting allergy
On our allotment site one gardener wanted to start keeping bees. Our Council
who rent out the plots wrote to everyone and asked if they minded the keeping of bees on the site. Needless to say all the "old " gardeners said yes, with some enthusiasm, we could see a significant increase in crops due to better pollination. Let alone the availability of local honey. Unfortunately one of the "new" plot holders has objected saying he is allergic to bee stings. Our Council have therefore refused permission for bees to be kept on our site. (no democracy there!) My understanding is that when a child he was stung by a bee on the hand and eventually, after a couple of days or so, he got a dark line running up his arm and had to have medical treatment. I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. So, is what he experienced an allergy to stings or blood poisoning? -- Regards Bob Hobden |
Bee sting allergy
On 11 Jul, 18:08, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
On our allotment site one gardener wanted to start keeping bees. Our Council who rent out the plots wrote to everyone and asked if they minded the keeping of bees on the site. Needless to say all the "old " gardeners said yes, with some enthusiasm, we could see a significant increase in crops due to better pollination. Let alone the availability of local honey. Unfortunately one of the "new" plot holders has objected saying he is allergic to bee stings. Our Council have therefore refused permission for bees to be kept on our site. (no democracy there!) My understanding is that when a child he was stung by a bee on the hand and eventually, after a couple of days or so, he got a dark line running up his arm and had to have medical treatment. I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. So, is what he experienced an allergy to stings or blood poisoning? -- Regards Bob Hobden Sounds more like blood poisoning to me - the symptoms just don't match up. In any case, the allergy is very rare though the number of people claiming to be allergic is quite high. A painful inflamed swollen area around the sting - even quite a large swelling is in the spectrum of normal symptoms, it is not an allergic reaction. The allergy is extremely serious and sufferers will know about it. As I understand it the first episode is not usually fatal but subsequent ones can be. |
Bee sting allergy
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... On our allotment site one gardener wanted to start keeping bees. Our Council who rent out the plots wrote to everyone and asked if they minded the keeping of bees on the site. Needless to say all the "old " gardeners said yes, with some enthusiasm, we could see a significant increase in crops due to better pollination. Let alone the availability of local honey. Unfortunately one of the "new" plot holders has objected saying he is allergic to bee stings. Our Council have therefore refused permission for bees to be kept on our site. (no democracy there!) My understanding is that when a child he was stung by a bee on the hand and eventually, after a couple of days or so, he got a dark line running up his arm and had to have medical treatment. That's not an allergy, it's an infection causing cellulitis. I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. Some do. I never did. I rarely had an allergic reaction, just a 'local' reaction, which is painful swelling and hives. So, is what he experienced an allergy to stings or blood poisoning? Neither. Cellulitis :-) I have to be careful of that now if I damage my right arm, becuse I have no lymph nodes in that axilla, to help fight infections. If cellulitis develops it needs treatment with antibiotics. Allergic responses need a different treatment, usually with adrenalin. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
"Rod" wrote in message ... [...] Sounds more like blood poisoning to me - the symptoms just don't match up. In any case, the allergy is very rare though the number of people claiming to be allergic is quite high. A painful inflamed swollen area around the sting - even quite a large swelling is in the spectrum of normal symptoms, it is not an allergic reaction. The allergy is extremely serious and sufferers will know about it. As I understand it the first episode is not usually fatal but subsequent ones can be. This is true. Lots of people claim an allergy when they don't have one but bee stings can be very unpleasant and quite dangerous for anybody. Also in the vicinity of a hive you are far far more likely to receive multiple stings because they have something of a mob mentality. Bees these days are very much more liable to be bad tempered too, so old gardeners who have memories of docile bees should not be relied upon. Beekeepers have more or less totally mongrelised or destroyed native wild bees so that bees now show all kinds of odd behaviours, the most obvious of which is aggression, often made worse by the stress caused by the large numbers of parasites that have been introduced. IOW say a clear no to hives on the allotments. Beware of anything a beekeeper tells you. Tim w |
Bee sting allergy
"Tim W" wrote in message om... This is true. Lots of people claim an allergy when they don't have one but bee stings can be very unpleasant and quite dangerous for anybody. Also in the vicinity of a hive you are far far more likely to receive multiple stings because they have something of a mob mentality. No they don't. When they sting or are damaged an alarm pheromone is released which can - CAN - cause others to go to the spot and sting. Bees these days are very much more liable to be bad tempered too, so old gardeners who have memories of docile bees should not be relied upon. Beekeepers have more or less totally mongrelised or destroyed native wild bees so that bees now show all kinds of odd behaviours, the most obvious of which is aggression, That's not true. often made worse by the stress caused by the large numbers of parasites that have been introduced. It's true that stress can affect the behaviour of bees - or any animal. That stres can be caused by human behaviour. IOW say a clear no to hives on the allotments. Beware of anything a beekeeper tells you. It's not sensible to have hives on allotments for various reasons - including that of vandalism and theft. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
Mary Fisher wrote:
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... On our allotment site one gardener wanted to start keeping bees. Our Council who rent out the plots wrote to everyone and asked if they minded the keeping of bees on the site. Needless to say all the "old " gardeners said yes, with some enthusiasm, we could see a significant increase in crops due to better pollination. Let alone the availability of local honey. Unfortunately one of the "new" plot holders has objected saying he is allergic to bee stings. Our Council have therefore refused permission for bees to be kept on our site. (no democracy there!) My understanding is that when a child he was stung by a bee on the hand and eventually, after a couple of days or so, he got a dark line running up his arm and had to have medical treatment. That's not an allergy, it's an infection causing cellulitis. I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. Some do. I never did. I rarely had an allergic reaction, just a 'local' reaction, which is painful swelling and hives. So, is what he experienced an allergy to stings or blood poisoning? Neither. Cellulitis :-) I have to be careful of that now if I damage my right arm, becuse I have no lymph nodes in that axilla, to help fight infections. If cellulitis develops it needs treatment with antibiotics. Allergic responses need a different treatment, usually with adrenalin. Mary I am allergic to wasp stings, don't know about bees, but much the same I guess. Instead of the usual small swelling ans irritation the area around the stings swells like a balloon, very unpleasant, luckily it was the back of my hand, though the swelling reached up past my elbow, just glad it was not my face! |
Bee sting allergy
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. If he has a allergy to bee stings he will carry an EpiPen. As someone who has a severe allergy (not to bee stings) and has experienced two admissions to intensive care I am paranoid about carrying 2 EpiPens let alone 1. If he has an allery he will have one - ask him. If he doesn't then all he is allergic to is the pain of a bee sting! |
Bee sting allergy
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... On our allotment site one gardener wanted to start keeping bees. Our Council who rent out the plots wrote to everyone and asked if they minded the keeping of bees on the site. Needless to say all the "old " gardeners said yes, with some enthusiasm, we could see a significant increase in crops due to better pollination. Let alone the availability of local honey. Unfortunately one of the "new" plot holders has objected saying he is allergic to bee stings. Our Council have therefore refused permission for bees to be kept on our site. (no democracy there!) My understanding is that when a child he was stung by a bee on the hand and eventually, after a couple of days or so, he got a dark line running up his arm and had to have medical treatment. I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. So, is what he experienced an allergy to stings or blood poisoning? The trouble with bee sting allergies is that they develop and get worse with repeated contact. Some keepers have had to give up because a family member had the allergy and it got worse due to him taking his venom-laden bee suit into the house. Graham I'm one of those fortunate people who can't tell exactly where he was stung some 30 minutes later. |
Bee sting allergy
"Mary Fisher" wrote It's not sensible to have hives on allotments for various reasons - including that of vandalism and theft. Mary, before I went to this allotment site one of the gardeners did keep bees there and I'm told the crops of things that depend on pollination, like Runner Beans, increased enormously. This site does not appear to suffer from vandalism and there is only crops to steal, nobody keeps tools on their plots much. So what other reasons are there for not having bees on the site. Being the Rep for the site I need to be able to form a considered opinion. -- Regards Bob Hobden |
Bee sting allergy
In message , Bob Hobden
wrote On our allotment site one gardener wanted to start keeping bees. Our Council who rent out the plots wrote to everyone and asked if they minded the keeping of bees on the site. Needless to say all the "old " gardeners said yes, with some enthusiasm, we could see a significant increase in crops due to better pollination. Let alone the availability of local honey. Unfortunately one of the "new" plot holders has objected saying he is allergic to bee stings. Our Council have therefore refused permission for bees to be kept on our site. (no democracy there!) My understanding is that when a child he was stung by a bee on the hand and eventually, after a couple of days or so, he got a dark line running up his arm and had to have medical treatment. I thought that if one had an allergy to bee stings, once stung, the situation was serious and needed immediate medical help and also that sufferers carried a special pack around with them just in case. So, is what he experienced an allergy to stings or blood poisoning? For spring/early summer pollination why not just put up some tubes to attract Red Mason bees to 'nest'. This year I had a couple of hundred buzzing around for a few months although it's taken a few years for the numbers to build up. http://www.amac.f2s.com/bee/ quote The Red Mason Bee is not at all aggressive. The male does not have a sting, a female will sting only if very roughly handled between the fingers and even then, the sting is a puny thing compared to a wasp or honeybee. /quote http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/Mason_Bees.html http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/Mason_Bee_FAQ.html http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/Index_Pollination_Bees_27.html -- Alan news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com |
Bee sting allergy
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... "Mary Fisher" wrote It's not sensible to have hives on allotments for various reasons - including that of vandalism and theft. Mary, before I went to this allotment site one of the gardeners did keep bees there and I'm told the crops of things that depend on pollination, like Runner Beans, increased enormously. This site does not appear to suffer from vandalism and there is only crops to steal, nobody keeps tools on their plots much. So what other reasons are there for not having bees on the site. Being the Rep for the site I need to be able to form a considered opinion. Runner beans usually develop even without insect pollination but honey bees aren't heavy enough to get into runner bean flowers anyway, they're exploited by bumble beas. But you don't need a close source of pollinating insects, honey bees will fly (it's said) up to three miles radius from their hive or wild nest, that's a very large area. I wouldn't rely on three miles though :-) Other insects, especially the ubiquitous wild bumble bees, are also pollinaters. The crops might increase because of a nearby hive but it's not guaranteed. You're lucky that you don't have vandalism! The only reason I can think of for not having a hive on the site is that the beekeeper will have to visit it to take swarm prevention action, to manage diseases, to add space for honey and to remove the honey. S/he might also have to feed if it's been a poor season or if too much honey is removed. In the season - which is also the growing season - say from April to September - this (approximate) weekly disruption to the hive will cause a lot of bee activity in the air. The beekeeper will be protected by veil and gloves, as a rule, the gardeners won't be. If the beekeeper is clumsy and makes the bees defensive someone might suffer. There's also the potential problem of vibration caused by machinery. That too can cause bees to become defensive. There might be no machinery used near the hive so it might be irrelevant but it's something to consider. HTH Mary -- Regards Bob Hobden |
Bee sting allergy
"Broadback" wrote in message ... I am allergic to wasp stings, don't know about bees, but much the same I guess. Not necessarily. Instead of the usual small swelling ans irritation the area around the stings swells like a balloon, very unpleasant, luckily it was the back of my hand, though the swelling reached up past my elbow, just glad it was not my face! That's not an allergy. It's a local reaction, I know it's more than unpleasant though! Mary |
Bee sting allergy
"Graham" wrote in message news:P6Qdk.92331$gc5.33388@pd7urf2no... The trouble with bee sting allergies is that they develop and get worse with repeated contact. not necessarily. In fact some people think that the reaction lessens by repeatd stings. I don't think that's necessarily true either. Some keepers have had to give up because a family member had the allergy and it got worse due to him taking his venom-laden bee suit into the house. That's probably more to do with the propolis on the suit rather than venom. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
"Alan" wrote in message ... For spring/early summer pollination why not just put up some tubes to attract Red Mason bees to 'nest'. This year I had a couple of hundred buzzing around for a few months although it's taken a few years for the numbers to build up. That's an excellent idea, thanks, I'd forgotten about making habitations for solitary bees. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
In message , Alan
wrote http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/Index_Pollination_Bees_27.html Followup. The Oxford Bee Company is no longer trading (hence the discontinued note on their tubes/nesting boxes in the above link) . However, the products are still available from http://www.birdfood.co.uk/search.php?srch=bee I purchased some replacement tubes from CJ Wildlife earlier in the year. I have no connection with this company other than as a customer. -- Alan news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com |
Bee sting allergy
"Alan" wrote in message ... In message , Alan wrote http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/Index_Pollination_Bees_27.html Followup. The Oxford Bee Company is no longer trading (hence the discontinued note on their tubes/nesting boxes in the above link) . However, the products are still available from http://www.birdfood.co.uk/search.php?srch=bee I purchased some replacement tubes from CJ Wildlife earlier in the year. I have no connection with this company other than as a customer. Youcan use cut up bamboo canes and tie them together or just get a chunk of wood - about 6" deep minimum - and drill holes in it with long 3/8" bit. It's not critical. Hang the result from a branch. Mary -- Alan news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com |
Bee sting allergy
"Mary Fisher" wrote in message . net... "Graham" wrote in message news:P6Qdk.92331$gc5.33388@pd7urf2no... The trouble with bee sting allergies is that they develop and get worse with repeated contact. not necessarily. In fact some people think that the reaction lessens by repeatd stings. I don't think that's necessarily true either. Some keepers have had to give up because a family member had the allergy and it got worse due to him taking his venom-laden bee suit into the house. That's probably more to do with the propolis on the suit rather than venom. Apparently not. It has been studied here where bee-keeping is a big business. Propolis is just a mix of resins. Graham |
Bee sting allergy
"Graham" wrote in message news:TG2ek.64487$kx.5465@pd7urf3no... "Mary Fisher" wrote in message . net... "Graham" wrote in message news:P6Qdk.92331$gc5.33388@pd7urf2no... The trouble with bee sting allergies is that they develop and get worse with repeated contact. not necessarily. In fact some people think that the reaction lessens by repeatd stings. I don't think that's necessarily true either. Some keepers have had to give up because a family member had the allergy and it got worse due to him taking his venom-laden bee suit into the house. That's probably more to do with the propolis on the suit rather than venom. Apparently not. It has been studied here where bee-keeping is a big business. Propolis is just a mix of resins. Yes but it causes allergies and skin reactions. My husband's hands used to suffer badly when he was cleaning hive parts of propolis and there have been authenticated reports of death caused by reactions when propolis has been taken orally 'for health reasons'. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
"Mary Fisher" wrote in message t... "Graham" wrote in message news:TG2ek.64487$kx.5465@pd7urf3no... "Mary Fisher" wrote in message . net... "Graham" wrote in message news:P6Qdk.92331$gc5.33388@pd7urf2no... The trouble with bee sting allergies is that they develop and get worse with repeated contact. not necessarily. In fact some people think that the reaction lessens by repeatd stings. I don't think that's necessarily true either. Some keepers have had to give up because a family member had the allergy and it got worse due to him taking his venom-laden bee suit into the house. That's probably more to do with the propolis on the suit rather than venom. Apparently not. It has been studied here where bee-keeping is a big business. Propolis is just a mix of resins. Yes but it causes allergies and skin reactions. My husband's hands used to suffer badly when he was cleaning hive parts of propolis and there have been authenticated reports of death caused by reactions when propolis has been taken orally 'for health reasons'. I suppose it depends on the source. I would imagine that most of the propolis on our hives (when we kept bees) had a pine and spruce origin, with minor amounts from poplars early in the season. Graham |
Bee sting allergy
"Graham" wrote in message news:PD3ek.64652$kx.39452@pd7urf3no... "Mary Fisher" wrote in message t... "Graham" wrote in message news:TG2ek.64487$kx.5465@pd7urf3no... "Mary Fisher" wrote in message . net... "Graham" wrote in message news:P6Qdk.92331$gc5.33388@pd7urf2no... The trouble with bee sting allergies is that they develop and get worse with repeated contact. not necessarily. In fact some people think that the reaction lessens by repeatd stings. I don't think that's necessarily true either. Some keepers have had to give up because a family member had the allergy and it got worse due to him taking his venom-laden bee suit into the house. That's probably more to do with the propolis on the suit rather than venom. Apparently not. It has been studied here where bee-keeping is a big business. Propolis is just a mix of resins. Yes but it causes allergies and skin reactions. My husband's hands used to suffer badly when he was cleaning hive parts of propolis and there have been authenticated reports of death caused by reactions when propolis has been taken orally 'for health reasons'. I suppose it depends on the source. I would imagine that most of the propolis on our hives (when we kept bees) had a pine and spruce origin, with minor amounts from poplars early in the season. Graham I've been thinking the same. But it's a widespread phenomenon. Our propolois must have been from a wide variety of deciduous trees. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
"Mary Fisher"wrote after "Bob Hobden" asked Mary, before I went to this allotment site one of the gardeners did keep bees there and I'm told the crops of things that depend on pollination, like Runner Beans, increased enormously. This site does not appear to suffer from vandalism and there is only crops to steal, nobody keeps tools on their plots much. So what other reasons are there for not having bees on the site. Being the Rep for the site I need to be able to form a considered opinion. Runner beans usually develop even without insect pollination but honey bees aren't heavy enough to get into runner bean flowers anyway, they're exploited by bumble beas. But you don't need a close source of pollinating insects, honey bees will fly (it's said) up to three miles radius from their hive or wild nest, that's a very large area. I wouldn't rely on three miles though :-) Other insects, especially the ubiquitous wild bumble bees, are also pollinaters. The crops might increase because of a nearby hive but it's not guaranteed. You're lucky that you don't have vandalism! The only reason I can think of for not having a hive on the site is that the beekeeper will have to visit it to take swarm prevention action, to manage diseases, to add space for honey and to remove the honey. S/he might also have to feed if it's been a poor season or if too much honey is removed. In the season - which is also the growing season - say from April to September - this (approximate) weekly disruption to the hive will cause a lot of bee activity in the air. The beekeeper will be protected by veil and gloves, as a rule, the gardeners won't be. If the beekeeper is clumsy and makes the bees defensive someone might suffer. There's also the potential problem of vibration caused by machinery. That too can cause bees to become defensive. There might be no machinery used near the hive so it might be irrelevant but it's something to consider. On this site I haven't yet seen or heard of any vandalism, unlike our previous site where every time we went there we wondered what we would find, not a pleasant experience. This site has open land on two sides. The beekeeper lives very locally so could visit as often as needed. The bit about vibration may be relevant as we have a sewage pumping station next to the site and the tanker lorries that sometimes visit it have to drive through the site. They do that very seldom though. -- Regards Bob Hobden |
Bee sting allergy
"Mary Fisher" wrote Youcan use cut up bamboo canes and tie them together or just get a chunk of wood - about 6" deep minimum - and drill holes in it with long 3/8" bit. It's not critical. Hang the result from a branch. Excellent suggestion. That would screw nicely onto the top of the rabbit fencing posts we all have around out plots. -- Regards Bob Hobden |
Bee sting allergy
An eminent apiarist told me that honey bees especially, can't stand the
colour blue. Whilst out walking in the country, I was stung by bees quite badly. All down to me wearing a blue shirt and sun hat that apparently made the bees very angry indeed. The beekeeper said that no sensible apiarist would dream of wearing any blue clothing near their hives. The stings could have been a lot worse as luckily I wasn't wearing denims. You have been warned! Mike Derby |
Bee sting allergy
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... .... The beekeeper lives very locally so could visit as often as needed. I should have said that when s/he visits might well be the times other allotment workers are there. Mary |
Bee sting allergy
"Mike Derby" wrote in message ... An eminent apiarist told me that honey bees especially, can't stand the colour blue. Whilst out walking in the country, I was stung by bees quite badly. All down to me wearing a blue shirt and sun hat that apparently made the bees very angry indeed. The beekeeper said that no sensible apiarist would dream of wearing any blue clothing near their hives. The stings could have been a lot worse as luckily I wasn't wearing denims. You have been warned! Mike Derby I'm not saying you weren't stung but the colour blue is irrelevant. Blue denim, however, can be a problem, apparently. Bees communicate by chemical odors and genuine indigo dye is thought to be 'offensive' to them. I think that very little denim is now dyed with indigo, I've never had a problem wearing my jeans in an apiary. Or anything blue, come to that. It's the colour I wear most often. I've heard beekeepers say that red makes them angry ... :-) Mary |
Bee sting allergy
In article , "Mary Fisher" writes: | | I'm not saying you weren't stung but the colour blue is irrelevant. | | I've heard beekeepers say that red makes them angry ... :-) My understanding is that they are colour-blind, though sensitive to a different range of the spectrum to us. And any beekeepers whose clothes get a lot of venom on them needs to learn how to handle bees. Bees die when they sting, and that means a lot of dead bees and a disturbed hive. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Bee sting allergy
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , "Mary Fisher" writes: | | I'm not saying you weren't stung but the colour blue is irrelevant. | | I've heard beekeepers say that red makes them angry ... :-) My understanding is that they are colour-blind, though sensitive to a different range of the spectrum to us. Colour blind in our terms. They don't see the red end of the spectrum but they do see the uv end. And any beekeepers whose clothes get a lot of venom on them needs to learn how to handle bees. Bees die when they sting, and that means a lot of dead bees and a disturbed hive. I couldn't agree more. Make the most of it :-) Mary |
Bee sting allergy
In article , "Mary Fisher" writes: | | | My understanding is that they are colour-blind, though sensitive to | a different range of the spectrum to us. | | Colour blind in our terms. They don't see the red end of the spectrum but | they do see the uv end. I should have said monochrome vision :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Bee sting allergy
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , "Mary Fisher" writes: | | I'm not saying you weren't stung but the colour blue is irrelevant. | | I've heard beekeepers say that red makes them angry ... :-) My understanding is that they are colour-blind, though sensitive to a different range of the spectrum to us. And any beekeepers whose clothes get a lot of venom on them needs to learn how to handle bees. Bees die when they sting, and that means a lot of dead bees and a disturbed hive. That's true if you have a couple of hives. However, my neighbour has about 500 and there are several 1000+ operations going strong! A couple of guard bees per hive attacking won't affect the hives but the suit sure will be contaminated. Graham |
Bee sting allergy
In message , Mary
Fisher writes I'm not saying you weren't stung but the colour blue is irrelevant. Blue denim, however, can be a problem, apparently. Bees communicate by chemical odors and genuine indigo dye is thought to be 'offensive' to them. [....] Harrummph! This is political correctness gone mad! ;-) -- Gordon H |
Bee sting allergy
Graham wrote:
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , "Mary Fisher" writes: | | I'm not saying you weren't stung but the colour blue is irrelevant. | | I've heard beekeepers say that red makes them angry ... :-) My understanding is that they are colour-blind, though sensitive to a different range of the spectrum to us. And any beekeepers whose clothes get a lot of venom on them needs to learn how to handle bees. Bees die when they sting, and that means a lot of dead bees and a disturbed hive. That's true if you have a couple of hives. However, my neighbour has about 500 and there are several 1000+ operations going strong! A couple of guard bees per hive attacking won't affect the hives but the suit sure will be contaminated. Graham I do not think that bees die when they sting, the have a corkscrew type sting that enters easily. If you are stung and leave the bee alone it will work round and round extract the sting and live. Knocking them off tears off their sting, then they die. |
Bee sting allergy
"Broadback" wrote in message ... I do not think that bees die when they sting, the have a corkscrew type sting that enters easily. If you are stung and leave the bee alone it will work round and round extract the sting and live. Knocking them off tears off their sting, then they die. Honeybees almost always die when they sting a soft-fleshed animal like a human. The sting is not corkscrew shaped, it's barbed. The barbs enter the flesh and the sting can't be pulled out without also pulling the sting mechanism out of the bee's body. A bee doesn't have a 'blood' circulation system like mammals and birds, instead its 'life fluid' (haemolymph) washes freely over the organs in the body. When the sting is lost the fluid leaks out of the bee's body and it dies after a short time. A bee will try to escape by pulling away from the flesh but because the sting is firmly attached it can only go round in circles*, eventually it pulls away from the flesh leaving the sting behind and flies off. And dies. Mary *that always reminds me of the old joke: "Mummy, why am I walking round in circles?" "Be quiet or I'll nail your other foot to the floor." |
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