Viral Today: Watch video how bee sting works and how to treat

Mumbai

Ever wondered how a bee sting works or what exactly happens when a bee stinger enters your body, here’s all you need to know in our Viral Today video section.

A bee sting usually occurs when it feels threatened or alarmed and injects venom into the skin of a human or animal in an attempt to protect itself or its hive. 

For this purpose, nature has bestowed bees with a stinger that is attached to the abdomen and used as a defense mechanism. 

How It Works

As the bee injects venom into human skin, it leaves behind a barbed stinger with tiny hooks to stick into human skin and a venom sack. 

The bee venom contains enzymes, peptides, proteins with melittin that cause pain and inflammation. This leads to the body’s immune system releasing histamine and other chemicals after recognizing venom as a foreign substance. 

It is histamine that causes blood vessels to dilate, leading to increased blood flow to the affected area, resulting in the characteristic swelling and redness.

It is important to remove a bee’s stinger by scraping the skin with a flat object like a credit card but be careful not to squeeze the venom sack. 

After a bee sting, most people experience localized pain, swelling, and itching, which typically subside within a few hours to a few days. 

Treatment

One must clean the area with soap and water to prevent infection. Besides, cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth should be applied to the area to reduce swelling and pain. 

Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help ease pain and discomfort or one can apply over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion for itching or inflammation.

But if you are experiencing itching or mild allergic reactions, an oral antihistamine can be helpful that must be used under medical supervision.