I'm sitting here trying not to scratch my most recent bee-sting. Like you, I don't recall ever having a reaction, but two days ago on a steep descent, I ran right into one, right on my breastbone, and it stung me three times before I swatted it away. I was afraid it went down my sports bra! Luckily, it didn't, considering the story below. The area it stung is all red and swollen, and itchy in a 5-inch circle around it.

You'll love this story about the last time I was stung (and before that, don't think I was stung since I was a little kid.) I had finished a ride up in the mountains and stopped at a small-town Walmart on the way home. I was wearing some loose floppy jogging pants that I put on after rides, with nothing underneath. I step out of my car and feel a huge sting on my hip bone. I grab at it, and feel a big bug in there! I try to get it out, but I can't get it out without flashing the entire parking lot. It gets loose, stings me once more on my hip. I'm dancing around like crazy - a carload of people are getting out, looking at me like Im insane, I scream that there's a bug in my pants! This huge, burly man starts easing his way over, just as the hornet bites me one more time, this time a little lower than my hip, just west of my thigh, if y'all know what I mean I grab my crotch with all my might and squeeze. I let go, and out of the bottom of my pants falls a HUGE yellow hornet - about two inches long. The guy walks up, looks at it, lets out a slow whistle, and then promptly smashes it. His wife offers me a cigarette and tells me that I need to put some wet tobacco on the stings.

That's my bug story. Back to your regularly scheduled forum.