Bee or Yellow Jacket Sting
Symptom Definition
- The child was stung by a honeybee, bumblebee, hornet, paper wasp, or yellow jacket
- Over 95 percent of stings are from honey bees or yellow jackets
- The sting involves injecting venom into the human from the bee’s stinger
- The main symptoms are pain, swelling and redness at the sting site
- A severe allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis
See More Appropriate Topic
- If not a bee, wasp or yellow jacket sting, see Insect Bite
Call 911 Now (your child may need an ambulance) If
- Wheezing or difficulty breathing
- Hoarseness, cough or tightness in the throat or chest
- Difficulty swallowing or slurred speech
- Thinking or speech is confused
- Passed out (loss of consciousness)
- Previous severe allergic reaction to bees, yellow jackets, etc. (not just hives or swelling)
- (Note: anaphylaxis usually starts within 20 minutes, and always by 2 hours following a sting.)
First Aid Advice for Anaphylaxis
- Give epinephrine injection if you have an anaphylactic kit or epipen
- Inject it into the muscle of the upper outer thigh
Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If
- Your child looks or acts very sick
- Hives or swelling elsewhere on the body
- More than 10 stings
- Sting inside the mouth
Call Your Doctor Within 24 Hours (between 9 and 4) If
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Sting looks infected (red streaking from the sting area, yellow drainage)
- (NOTE: infection and cellulitis don’t start until at least 24-48 hours after the sting. Any redness in the first 24 hours is due to venom)
- Swelling is huge (e.g. spreads beyond wrist or ankle)
Call Your Doctor During Weekday Office Hours If
- You have other questions or concerns
Parent Care at Home
- Normal bee sting and you don’t think your child needs to be seen
Home Care Advice for Bee Sting
- Try to Remove the Stinger (if present): Use a fingernail, credit card edge or knife edge to scrape it off. Don’t pull it off. (Reason: squeezes out more venom). If the stinger is below the skin surface, leave it alone. It will be shed with normal skin healing.
- Meat Tenderizer: Apply a meat tenderizer-water solution on a cotton ball for 20 minutes (EXCEPTION: near the eye). This neutralizes the venom and decreases pain and swelling. If not available, apply aluminum-based deodorant or a baking soda solution for 20 minutes. For persistent pain, massage with an ice cube for 10 minutes.
- Pain Medicine: Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen immediately for relief of pain and burning.
- Antihistamine: If the sting becomes itchy, give a dose of Benadryl.
- Expected Course: Severe pain or burning at the site lasts 1 to 2 hours. Normal swelling from venom can increase for 24 hours following the sting. The swelling disappears after 3 to 5 days.
- Call Your Doctor If
- Develops difficulty breathing or swallowing CALL 911! (mainly during the 2 hours after the sting)
- Swelling become huge or spreads beyond the wrist or ankle
- Sting begins to look infected
- Your child becomes worse or develops any of the “Call Your Doctor” symptoms