How to Remove Swelling From a Bee Sting

When a bee stings, the sting victim's body rushes fluid to the area to flush out the venom. This leads to the swelling and redness around the sting area. If the person has been stung before, the immune system will recognize the sting venom and rush an even greater amount of fluids to the area, leading to greater swelling and redness. The area will itch, but should not be rubbed or scratched, as this could introduce microbes and cause infection.

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Baking soda
• Meat tenderizer
• Ammonia
• Oral antihistamine
• Topical steroid

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply ice to the area. Ice cools the area which stops the burn from the bee sting while reducing swelling.

• 2

  Place baking soda on the bee sting. Baking soda cleans the area and helps to neutralize the venom.

• 3

  Add a few drops of water to a teaspoon of meat tenderizer to form a paste. The papain in the tenderizer breaks down the bee venom.

• 4

  Apply 1 percent to 2.5 percent ammonia to the sting area. Do this no more than four times a day. Ammonia helps to neutralize the venom.

• 5

  Chew an oral antihistamine. Antihistamines block histamines which cause itching and irritation. Examples are dimetane, teldrin and chlortrimeton and are available in tablet form.

• 6

  Apply topical steroids to the bee sting. Some examples include Cortaid, Lanacort and Dermolate. Topical steroids regenerate muscle tissue and relieve the itch.