Bee Sting

A bee sting is the wound and pain caused by the barbed stinger of a female bee puncturing skin. Bee venom, called apitoxin, is a mixture of proteins that can cause local pain, redness and swelling at the site, and in individuals who are allergic to the venom, a severe systemic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Honeybee stingers are barbed and usually remain lodged in the skin, tearing loose from the bee abdomen and killing the bee, while most other stinging bees can withdraw their stingers and sting more than once. Most stings are managed by removing the stinger and treating the local reaction, while an allergic reaction can require epinephrine and emergency medical care.