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The Consequences of Multiple Bee Bites

Bees play an important role in the world by pollinating food crops and creating honey. However, if humans come into contact with bees and irritate the flying insects, they could turn harmful. Bees are equipped with stingers that deliver small amounts of venom. Although bee stings, which are sometimes referred to as bites, are typically harmless, multiple stings can be more hazardous.

  1. Pain

    • Being bitten or stung by anything typically doesn't feel good. This is no exception with bees. According to Honey Bee World, a bee information website, normal reactions to bee stings are temporary pain at the location of the sting. Different areas of the body, such as the eyes, nose, ears and lips, are more pain sensitive. Just one bee sting can deliver a significant amount of pain. Multiple bee stings, at various parts of the body, however, can have people hurting everywhere. To minimize the pain and reduce the amount of venom that the body receives, individuals should remove the bee's stinger as soon as possible after being stung.

    Abnormal Reactions

    • Although bee stings are harmless for most people, 1 to 2 percent of humans are allergic, or hypersensitive, to the venom that bees pack in their stingers. People who are allergic are more likely to have intense reactions after being stung multiple times. This can result in low blood pressure, abnormal heart beat, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Two hundred or more stings can lead to paralysis of the respiratory system for someone allergic to the venom. An injections of epinephrine is the common way to treat such allergic reactions.

    Swelling/Inflammation

    • Aside from pain, other common side effects from bee stings are swelling and inflammation. Typically these symptoms only last for a few days and typically subside without medical attention. Areas that are more prone to swelling and itching are the eyes and lips. People stung in bony areas like the ankles and wrists could experience some aching similar to that of arthritis.

    Panic

    • When people are stung by one bee, let alone stung by several, a common reaction is to overreact or panic. According to Honey Bee World, panicking after a bee sting only multiplies the pain. This could not only result in ill effects, but secondary bee stings as well. Panic doesn't necessarily have to come from the victim of bee stings, either. It can be just as easily influenced by bystanders who witness the bee attack.

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