How to Remove a Bee Stinger

Unlike the Wasp family, bees have a stinger that is barbed and tends to remain inside the skin of the victim with its venom sack still attached to it. Bee stings are not to be taken lightly as they can not only cause severe excruciating pains but also result in death, if the victim is somewhat allergic to the venom.
The affected area tends to be swollen, with a red hue and is extremely painful and itchy. If the reaction to the venom is severe then the swelling may persist for even a week.

However, if you feel any breathing problems or blood pressure drops then it is likely that you are experiencing an anaphylactic reaction to the bee sting. For such individuals, it is highly recommended that they seek medical help immediately and remove the bee stinger as soon as possible.

Treating a bee sting involves a few important steps that need to be followed with extreme care and preferably fast so as to avoid any further complications. The first and most essential step involved is to locate the stinger and remove it from the skin so as to shun any further release of venom into the skin. There are several methods that can be employed in order to remove a bee stinger.

Fast removal of bee stinger is very important, because the venom is continuously released from stinger. The easiest method is to make use of your finger nail or even a hard plastic card and scrap it off from the skin in horizontal direction. If the stinger fails to budge then you may even make use of sterilized tweezers to pull it out from the skin.

Examine the area closely and check to see how deeply the stinger is embedded into the skin. If a part of the stinger breaks off with the other half still embedded in the skin, then try to pinch either sides of the area so that it may rise a bit to the surface.

It is worth mentioning however, that tweezers should be your last resort in pulling out a stinger. As the bee's stinger still contains sufficient amount of venom it is likely that the tweezers will squeeze any leftover venom into the body, thus worsening the pain.

Furthermore, before using any sharp objects over your skin make it a point to sterilize or disinfect them properly before application. You may either make use of ethanol as a disinfectant or boil any metallic objects in hot water for a few minutes.

Once the stinger has been removed, gently massage the affected area with an ice cube. This will help alleviate the sting by temporarily numbing the area and will help you treat the soreness.

Also, apply some Aloe Vera gel or lotion on the effected area in order to enhance the healing process and reduce the burning.