Bee in my helmet!!!! AAHHH!!!!!!

[froglegs]

I always see bees when I ride, and for some reason they often like to dive-bomb me. Maybe it's my neon yellow jersey, or my flowery-smelling sunscreen, or the smell of fear, I don't know. Anyway, usually they bounce off harmlessly....... but yesterday I had my head down, speeding down a hill (OK, going 20mph down a hill and feathering my brakes) and I felt one land in my helmet. Fortunately it didn't sting me. I pulled over and ripped my helmet off, almost forgetting to unclip in the process.

I am not allergic to bees that I know of, but I've only been stung once, and that was when I was a child. Somehow over the years I've turned into one of those people who freaks out when there's a bee flying around.

Does this happen to other people? Has anyone ever been stung this way? How can I prevent bees from landing in my helmet???

[sandra]

OUCH! My husband did have this happen too! Once it was in his helmet. Another time on his neck. I don't know how to keep it from happening.

We were riding one day and saw a young boy about 12 riding with his father. A bee got inside his jersey some way (his jersey was big on him and could have flown up the sleeve). He was fighting try to get it out of the jersey.

[Running Mommy]

It's the jersey and the yummy smelling sunscreen I'm sure.
But yes, I do seem to be a magnet for them as well. Of course I'm allergic, so it's kind of scary.
A year or two ago I was riding some fresh pavement in the middle of raw desert (a brand new road to future development) when all of the sudden I noticed there were things flying at my head. I looked up to see a SWARM of bee's coming my way!! I have never peddled so fast in my life. I count myself as very lucky as I somehow didn't get stung.
We have the africanized ones out here, so you really have to be careful.

As far as critters flying into my helemt vents- well I usually have the tarantula hawks do that!

[OakLeaf]

Ouch.

I got stung on the thigh this summer, going uphill, so I wasn't even going very fast and not sure how we managed to collide. Must've been a honeybee because she left the stinger in my leg... and I had to stop in the middle of the freakin' hill to pull it out. I feel sorry for her actually. She died, I just got a sore leg.

[Livin the Dream]

Your story reminds me of a bee incident many years ago that involved a helmet and a bike -- though the bike involved was a motorcycle. DH & I went on a motorcycle trip for our honeymoon. We were riding though the mountains in North Carolina when I say something come at me and then felt a sting -- a bee had flown up under my helmet and stung me on the forehead. I started yelling at DH to stop the bike, we took the helmet off and saw I had a wopper of a sting. Ouch!

[OakLeaf]

Ha, Livin, I had one like that too on the m/c!

Shortly after DH and I got together, I was riding by myself one day. I flipped up my visor at a stoplight, and a bee promptly flew in and got right under my sunglasses. Stupidly I tried to get it out, and it stung me right in the corner of my eye.

For a week afterward, everywhere DH and I went together, people would look at my swollen eye and give him the dirtiest looks!

[Aggie_Ama]

I think Rudy Project makes a helmet with mesh inserts to keep bees out, so you must not be alone.

[Trekhawk]

Ha, Livin, I had one like that too on the m/c!

Shortly after DH and I got together, I was riding by myself one day. I flipped up my visor at a stoplight, and a bee promptly flew in and got right under my sunglasses. Stupidly I tried to get it out, and it stung me right in the corner of my eye.

For a week afterward, everywhere DH and I went together, people would look at my swollen eye and give him the dirtiest looks!

Yikes!!
I have been stung a couple of times on the arm/shoulder and that hurt enough. I can not imagine how much it must have hurt near your eye.

[Pedal Wench]

On a serious note, I did hear of a local guy who was critically injured when a bee got in his helmet and he veered off the trail and crashed head first into tree. Be careful!

[li10up]

Be careful!

Hehehe....be (bee) careful.

I had this very same thing happen to me last month. I thought a bee had gotten into my helmet but wasn't sure so I just kept riding. Then I thought I felt it crawling around. I stopped and took off my helmet and tried to brush it off with my hand. It stung me on my pinkie finger. Ouch!

I don't think this can be prevent unless you ride so slowly that the bees can avoid you....but who wants to do that?!?

[froglegs]

Fortunately the bee flew away quickly without stinging me. However, after I tried to get going again, it divebombed me again, and by this time I was super paranoid and pulled over again to make sure it wasn't in my hair. I think I need to change to a fragrance-free sunscreen.

Any jersey colors that don't attract bees?

That sting in the corner of the eye sounds really painful!

[Nokomis]

Totally freaked me out when that happened - and I haven't ridden w/out a skullcap since. I have many in summer or winter weight. I refuse to allow bugs to get caught in my hair under the helmet.

[nic840]

Ahh yes! I was riding along an area with fast traffic and very little shoulder. It flew into the vent of my helmet and i could feel it crawling around...creepy! Couldn't pull off for fear of falling in ditch or getting taken out by a car. Just cranked up the speed hoping to make it to the turn out before it got me. Kept thinking "happy bee" thoughts. Quickly unclipped, whipped the helmet off... out it flew to live another day. Ugh!

A riding partner of mine had one fly into his helmet, he got it out and then 5 minutes later had one fly into his jersey. This one got him on the chest. Ouch.

[RoadRaven]

Had bees and wasps hit different bits of me - but never had a bee in my helmet (yet)

Have had a fly and that was quite freaky!

[mimitabby]

nothing like getting a bee in your bonnet! walks off muttering