Allergy question.

Michael Judd · May 07, 2011, 01:25:35 AM

Dear Beeks,

I have been keeping bees in my 3,000 sq meter garden for 3 years.

At the start of the year had 5 hives - I have now got 8 colonies. I am not a good beekeeper and should, I am sure, have prevented the swarming that lead to the increase in my number of colonies. However I captured each of the 3 new swarms and hived them, without getting stung. I have never been stung when carrying out normal bee keeping activities, except once when I took my glove off to take a photo.

This is not the issue but to set the scene.

I have been stung badly three times. Other stings through my suit or otherwise seem to have had no reaction. However these three times I have had a seriously increased reaction each time. My symptoms have included (a) swelling lips when bitten on foot, and (b) a swollen face and lips as well as hives/welts on my neck and chest when stung on the eyelid. All these 3 stings occurred when I was close to but not in front of the hive entrance, i.e. when I was gardening or moving something to the area. For example the last sting was when a bee got between my eye and my glasses. On that occasion, I was about 2 meters beside and behind the hive entrance and, at the time, hive activity was quite normal. I believe I got stung by a returning bee that bumped into me by accident.

As a result of this sting on my lower eyelid, and of the symptoms (swollen lips, welts, as mentioned above), which were much worse than my reaction to the previous stings, I went to the Doctor to get an allergy test. I already have an anapen. The result has come up as a serious allergy (18.20 KAU/L). (am in France so this may be a french measurement)

I have read many threads on this and other forums and copious articles, most deal with reactions or bad reactions to stings. Many Beeks seem to say be strong you will get used to it. I find myself believing the medical articles and my chemist who say that as I am highly allergic that it will not get better but each sting could produce a worse reaction until fatality. I also feel that it is going to be a case of confidence. They say that the bees smell fear?? I have not gone near the hives since my last sting, so my bees are being sadly neglected.

In a nutshell, I do not want to give up my bees (though I know that 8 hives is too many), but according to everything I have read and all the medical opinion I should seriously consider this.

I would appreciate what advise the forum would give me. I also set out the detail in order to share my experiences.

Thank you in advance for your helpful comments

Michael

greenbtree · May 07, 2011, 01:51:06 AM

"Be strong and you will get used to it"? I'm sorry but I think this is ridiculous. I would say your options are to give up beekeeping, keep your bees and possibly risk death, or talk to an allergist and see if desensitizing shots are an option. If you gave them up, maybe you could find someone to take them and pay you in future honey or you could just sell them outright. I know you would miss them, but you need to weigh the hazard here.

JC

Michael Bush · May 07, 2011, 01:54:03 AM

Caveat: I am not a doctor and this is not advice. It is just what I would do.

As long as it is not systemic, I wouldn't worry about it. In other words as long as you have local swelling and not hives all over or trouble breathing, you are probably fine. My last real reaction to a sting was about seven years ago when my ankle swelled so much from one sting that I couldn't walk. I haven't had a sting since that I could find an hour later. They do not necessarily get worse.

joebrown · May 07, 2011, 02:03:09 AM

If I get stung somewhere and I do not want to swell I always use a little "Sting Kill" and take some benadryl. I do not know about France, but here in the USA most people carry what is called and EpiPen which provides an Epinephrine Injection.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000211/ <----Epinephrine Information

http://www.sting-kill.com/ <-----Sting Kill Website

Michael Bush · May 07, 2011, 12:08:20 PM

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmisc.htm#plantain

Kathyp · May 07, 2011, 12:59:00 PM

Michael J you are having a systemic reaction. if you are stung on the foot and your lips swell, that's systemic. + the hives. go talk to an allergist, keep benadryl on hand and TAKE IT when you are stung, and see your GP for a epi-pen prescription.

some of the best advice, and i got it here, was to take Loratadine before you are doing something where you have a good expectation of being stung. since i have pretty big reactions, i take it before i do a deep check into all my hives, before a cutout, etc. i don't take it every time i go out to the hives.

you may get over this, or it may get worse. be prepared for worse, and be happy with better :-D

Michael Judd · May 07, 2011, 05:58:06 PM

Michael,
I have read you copiously, and respect hugely what you do and say about bee keeping.

But you did not read what I wrote.

I DID have increasing reactions and swelling and in other wheals/hives in other parts of my body. I have also been tested and have a result that is very high on the allergy scale.

It is clear to me that if a person is not allergic then the body becomes used to the sting and reacts less as time or the year goes on.
It is also clear that if a body is in fact allergic (proven/tested) then the reaction can get worse and the chemists and medics are saying this to me and all over the net.

I think that you need to be able to differentiate between some one who gets a local inflammation and someone who gets an inflammation and wheals/hives on other parts of the body.

I am sorry to criticize a seriously senior Beek but I feel you are not being open to people who might be reading this. BTW I have seen this throughout my reading of this and on several other forums. Beekeeping must be fun and enjoyable for those of us who are amateurs. But those like your good self have a responsibility to speak honestly.

I do hope you clarify your position - we all love our bees and want to learn and try to emulate you....

humbly Michael

Brian D. Bray · May 07, 2011, 08:49:38 PM

Bee stings can go either way, develop an immunity or tolerance or develop a greater sensitivity or allergic reaction.
sound to me like you're going the way of the allergic reaction.
However, My older brother developed an allergy to bee stings while and teenager but after a hyatis or 10 years or more from beekeeping he developed a tolerance. Same person 2 different reactions. 20 years later and he is still sensitive but not allergic. My younger brother, who was allergic as a child and young adult is now only mildly sensitive and has decided to make beekeeping a career option.

See and apitherapist, they can give you a series of treatment that maybe able to reverse the growing sensitivity you are currently developing. It is done with specific amounts of bee venom over a period of time.

Do you take medications? Some prescription medications can have the side affect of creating allergic reactions to foods or other things that a person wasn't allergic to prior to taking the medication. For me, I've had the experience with apples, cows milk, ginger, pork, and yams. All but the allergy to milk as disappeared when a medication change occurred. I've also had sensitivities to various mediactions. I developed Lactose intolerance when I develooped Diabetes and it is the only consistant allergy I have had.

Michael Bush · May 08, 2011, 02:28:31 AM

>I DID have increasing reactions and swelling and in other wheals/hives in other parts of my body. I have also been tested and have a result that is very high on the allergy scale.

I guess I missed that. The general area I don't worry about. I other words if I got stung on the ankle and my leg swelled (which it has) that would not be systemic, but it would be a bad reaction.

>It is clear to me that if a person is not allergic then the body becomes used to the sting and reacts less as time or the year goes on.

Actually it usually gets worse for a while and then it seems to quite suddenly get less.

>It is also clear that if a body is in fact allergic (proven/tested) then the reaction can get worse and the chemists and medics are saying this to me and all over the net.

My reactions got worse until one sting was so swollen I couldn't walk. After that I have had no reaction.

>I think that you need to be able to differentiate between some one who gets a local inflammation and someone who gets an inflammation and wheals/hives on other parts of the body.

Of course.

>I do hope you clarify your position - we all love our bees and want to learn and try to emulate you....

If it was me, and I was sure I was actually allergic (systemic reaction) I would get desensitized. The technology on this has come a long ways in recent years and even if you give up beekeeping that is no guarantee you won't get stung.

Most bad reactions people have seem to be related to taking Acetaminophen or Ibupropen at the time they were stung. I never use either.

FRAMEshift · May 08, 2011, 09:38:22 AM

I am/was hypersensitive to bee venom with a systemic reaction. I took a series of desensitizing shots (about 30 shots over a six month period and now it's one shot per month). I now have no systemic reaction and almost no local reaction. I was stung twice on the same spot on the tip of my finger this week. I got swelling only to the first joint and that lasted only a few hours. Almost no reaction at all.

Ask your allergist if you can take shots. If you can't take shots you should not keep bees. It is a very serious threat to your life! And even if the shots are successful, you should still keep an epipen with you when bothering the bees.

Midwest WI · May 08, 2011, 11:59:52 PM

How far are you from a doctor's clinic or an ER?

I wouldn't stop bee-keeping. I personally know a bee-keeper whose wife is allergic (her airway swells shut). She helps him every day. They are both in their 80's. They have epi-pens on hand. If she get stung, they do the epi-pen and drive to the doctor a ways down the road. She gets stung usually at least once per summer, even though she is wearing a full suit and gloves.

Michael Judd · May 09, 2011, 05:53:12 AM

Thank you everybody, Michael especially,

Your answers and support is wonderful.

I have found that a beekeeping friend has his bees somewhere away from our village.
We are making arrangements to take all my hives there.
I am also seeing a doctor and investigating desensitization.

I think I am more positive now, so thank you so much.

I hope I will be able to carry on (being a bad bee keeper) hi hi

Michael