The sting of the bee often causes pain and burning, redness and swelling which usually takes off after 1-2 hours. The swelling on the face can stay up about two days. However, if there’re a lot of bites, the toxic reaction can begin. In the most of cases, the sting of bee is just painful and unpleasant.

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The symptoms of a bee’s sting

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In most cases the bite effects manifested as edema which is stored for no longer than 20 hours. You will also have redness and feel the itching. You will definitely feel strong enough pain and burning. The temperature of your body can increase.

What’s the apitoxin (the bees’ poison) consists of?

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You can discover essential macro- and microelements, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus in the constitution of bees’ poison. There’re proteins, fats, carbohydrates, acids (phosphoric and hydrochloric).
A special role is played by certain active substances:

1. Meltittin: it’s the most dangerous toxin. It contributes to the destruction of red blood cells. Moreover, it violates exchange processes and stimulate the realize of substances that cause inflammation.
2. Histamine: it causes an allergic reaction that is the cause of edema, bronchospasm, vasodilation and a fall in blood pressure.
3. Apamin: it has a stimulating effect on various parts of the nervous system.
4. Phospholipase A2: damage the cell walls.
5. Hyaluronidase: it’s an enzyme that depletes micopolysaccharides including hyaluronic acid which is one of elements of connective tissue. That leads to a rapid spread of edema.

What’s the harm of a bee's sting?

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Just a one bee’s sting only leads to a local reaction for the normal person. Of course, this person feels a strong enough pain. It’s really strong and, moreover, very burning. Edema appears and spread rapidly; the skin gets red. When the bee stings in a head, the most severe effects are possible.
If the bee stings into the eye, this eye completely closes because of the pronounced swelling of eyelids. The pain is very strong; lacrimation appears. The development of complications is possible.
The sting into the lips or mucous membranes of the mouth accompanied by significant local edema that can lead to difficulty of breathing.
For children and pregnant women it’s harder to carry the bee’s sting. It’s more difficult to help pregnant women because many medicine are banned in this period. Children just always have a stronger reaction on external influence than alders.

What’s the usefulness of a bee's sting?

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The bees’ poison can to not only harm but is to be useful too. The direction of traditional medicine exists – apitherapy. Many disease can be treated by bees’ poison.
The components of the poison which are harmful for organism also have a therapeutic effect. It contributes to improvement of metabolism, activation of the enzyme and hormonal system , reduction of inflammatory activity , the suppression of vital activity of harmful microorganisms , lowering blood pressure , spasmodic and analgesic effect , normalization of cardiac activity and heart rate, improvement of microcirculation , anticoagulant effect , and so on.

The first aid

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There’s nothing special or scaring in the fact that the bee stings you. It’s just better to know what to do in this case.

1. Remove the sting: the sting, remaining in the skin, should be removed carefully (without touching a bag of poison). It’s better to use the tweezers. The instrument must be handled by the alcohol or disinfectant.
2. Neutralization of bee’s poison: you can neutralize the poison by the suds. Why is the suds? Bee poison has an acidic pH environment so it can be neutralized by the alkaline solution. It’s a soap in this case.
3. Disinfection: you should process the arm, leg, or other bitten place by hydrogen peroxide solution of ammonia (it can also remove edema) or potassium permanganate or an alcohol tincture of calendula. The edema of the bite can be removed by the solutions of water and salt.
4. The elimination of pain, itching, swelling: people often use a cold compress to relieve the pain, for example, ice wrapped in a towel. Many benefits can be taken from medications and ointments with antihistamine effect.

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