is there a way to avoid bee stings while on a bike?

[moonfroggy]

i guess that's an odd title. probably mostly i have had bad luck as far as bees are concerned.

in the past year i have been stung 3 times each time i was on a bike. i tend to get a lot of swelling that can last over a week sometimes with a delayed rashes and things. anyhow today on my way home i was zooming down a hill i saw the bee suddenly the bee was in my EAR and sure enough it stung me and there was cars and no place to stop so i had to finish the hill. then i got some benadryl and pain killers called my husband to come get me. i have had bad crashes before but this felt scarier to me. not losing control of the bike staying balanced while a bee was in my ear stinging me.

the time before this a bee landed on the back of my arm and i didn't realize it was there until it had stung me. i was pulling my son in a trailer and had no good place to stop.

the first time my shirt was a bit loose and the bee flew into it, i have since chosen tighter better fitting clothing, after today i may never ride again without my ears well covered. that may be overkill maybe i am just still really anxious about the whole thing.

i guess there probably is no way to avoid bee stings while on the bike but i am hopeful there is or maybe i could just use a hug or some words to help me be brave and once the swelling goes down get back on the bike? feeling a bit fearful of riding at all right now.

[Bike Chick]

How awful for you!! I've been hit by bees and bugs when I ride but don't remember ever being stung.

I wonder if you are wearing sunscreen or moisturizer that may be attracting them?

[kmehrzad]

Moonfroggy, I'm so sorry to hear about your bee sting. I can't even imagine being stung in the ear ... OUCH! Did it swell? I'm amazed that you hung in there and didn't lose control of the bike. I commend you for that.

I was stung in June, lost control of the bike and crashed. Last yr. I was stung on the inside of my lip, that really hurt and did it ever swell. I make it a point now to keep my mouth closed on my rides.

Thank goodness you're not allergic to the bee stings, you've had your share recently. In terms of prevention, I have no clue, just don't let it stop you from doing what you enjoy.

[ny biker]

I got stung on the inside of my leg last year. Afterwards I treated myself to cake for dinner. Not after dinner, but as the main course.

I suspect you've just had a run of bad luck, and it probably won't continue. Unless maybe all of the stings have happened in the same geographical area and it's just a place with lots of bees, in which case riding someplace else might help.

Feel better!

[GLC1968]

Great job on maintaining control. That couldn't have been easy! And I'm so sorry that you keep getting stung, that really sucks.

I'm going to guess that you aren't actually being stung by bees, but by hornets (except maybe the one that went under your shirt). Bee's don't sting unless threatened because once they do, they die. Hornets, on the other hand, can be very agressive and will sting for apparently no reason. They are typicallly yellow and black and can definitely look like bees, particularly at first glance. I was just stung by a hornet while hiking a couple of weeks ago. It just landed on my arm and then stung me right through my jacket for no reason whatsoever! Stupid insect.

Are these stings happening in a similiar geographical area? It could be that you accidentally keep venturing too close to a nest and hornets will definitely defend.

Or like others have mentioned, you may just be having a run of bad luck.

[FlyingScot]

I got stung for the first time this year. I had my jersey partially un-zipped and it flew right in. The sucker got me three times (first two weren't deep enough for the stinger to stick) before I could stop my bike. I can only imagine what the drivers of the passing cars thought when they saw a middle-aged, sweaty woman jumping up and down on the side of the road ripping off her shirt.

[zoom-zoom]

I have yet to get stung on my bike *knocks on wood*, but the other day I got stung while out running (first for that, too)...on my left boob, just above my bra. It didn't itch or react for about 24 hours, but now I have a welt there...I look like I have an extra nipple in a strange place.

[DarcyInOregon]

I got stung last summer by a hornet while out on a 50-mile ride. I was wearing Shimano cycling sandals (no socks), just pedaling along minding my own business, and a hornet stung me between the toes at about mile 12. The pain was horrific. I managed to go for another 12 miles, but the toxins from the sting made me dizzy and nauseous. Thank goodness I was cycling with a friend. He biked the next 26 miles back to my car, had never driven my car before, but drove my car back and got me.

It has something to do with aging, as I get older I get increasingly more sensitive to insect bites of all types. It is more than swelling where I got stung or bit, but a physical reaction to the stings/bites that really make me ill.

[Aggie_Ama]

I have been stung three times in my life, in the past three years! First was a bee on the bike (I know because he left his stinger). It was a small hill and I was caught off guard. Luckily there was big shoulder and I was able to do a controlled stop. Being my first sting at the ripe old age of 27 I found it really painful and started crying. It was swollen around the sting and itchy for about a week, Benedryl cream provided some relief.

Second was a black wasp in New Mexico while hiking last month, they call them Tarantula Hawks and it is supposedly the most painful sting. I saw it land on me, swatted it off thinking it was a horsefly. The initial pain was only about 30 seconds but it was swollen and extremely itchy for over TWO weeks. It was a pretty large swollen area making a big puffy ring about 2-3" in diameter around the sting. Benedryl cream again provided some relief but it was discolored for nearly a month!

Third I got stung by something two weeks ago. It didn't swell much, only a small red mark. Itched for a few days.

I know that bright colors and perfume can attract them. Other than that it appears to be mostly bad luck on a bike unless you are disturbing their nest. DH did that recently with yellowjackets which are known to be particularly aggressive anyway. I hope you (and me!) have had your fill of stings. Benedryl will help but if you are made drowsy by the pill form it wouldn't be the best first aid. I carry the pills now since I do not have the drowsy side effects but only about 10% won't get drowsy my doctor claims.

[moonfroggy]

not all bees lose their stingers when i was 7 months pregnant i got stung by a big fussy bee and it did not lose it's stinger and because i was pregnant i did a lot of research at the time and found out that some bees keep their stingers. that was the second sting i ever had the first was as a child. the three stings on the bike have all been within 20 miles of my home and i live in an area with a lot of wild bees and a lot of wildlife and a lot of farms and hobby bee keepers here too. i think thee are just a lot of stinging insects around here.

whatever stung me in my ear yesterday left it's stinger in my husband took it out after i was home. so far it is the least painful sting but it was maybe the most painful when it happened. the pain just went away fast. maybe because i managed to get some benadryl and take it right away right after the sting. there isn't much swelling today but my ear feels funny and the area all around my head is itchy.

i guess i feel good that i can manage to stay in control of my bike when i am stung. yesterday i was going down a somewhat steep hill i usually go pretty fast there. didn't have my bike computer. sometimes big trucks pass and a fair amount of cars in that area. i think the worst thing was just how scary it was. it did hurt a lot. i may keep my ears covered regardless of how warm it is for a while on the bike. stings in other places haven't been as scary for me as this one.

[kjay]

So, there isn't any kind of repellent for bees/hornets/wasps, etc?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I keep two hives here at home, so I get honeybee stings maybe once or twice a month. They do hurt locally, and they itch a lot for days afterward. Lots of things hurt worse. Of course a severe allergy is altogether different.

Any bee or yellowjacket will sting if they get caught in your clothes somewhere.
I had a honeybee sting me on the temple when it got accidentally lodged between my head and my bike helmet.
To avoid stings, wear wrap-around goggles, a snug fitting helmet, a closed jersey, closed shoes, etc. A skirt is sort of like a large catcher's mitt for bees and hornets.
If you really want to avoid stings, then eliminate openings and flaps where bees can get caught.
Goggles are particularly useful for when you are biking 30mph and a bumblebee smashes into your eye.

[moonfroggy]

thank you BleeckerSt_Girl! this is what i wanted. since the bee in my ear incident i have kept my ears well covered.

i may change from sunglasses to wrap around goggles. have any links to what you are talking about?

i react a lot worse than it sounds like you do. if i take the maximum dose of benadryl right away and then take more when it wears off that is the level of reaction i get. otherwise i have a lot of swelling sometimes hives in the general area and it can last 2 or more weeks. not a sever deadly allergy but a worse than normal reaction to a bee sting i think. the problem with benadryl is it wipes me out. i would never be able to ride a bike on the stuff and i can hardly keep my eyes open so if i am stung while i am alone with my son i am afraid to take it i am just not certain i could stay awake and keep him safe.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Moon, try taking a half dose of benedryl. It might be just enough to take the worst of the sting effects away without making you feel weird. The goal is just to take the edge off and keep swelling manageable. Apply hydrocortizone cream to the sting often.
Though a few people get worse reactions to stings with each successive sting, actually most people get less of a sting reaction if they get stung a couple times a year.

Honeybees usually just want to be left in peace, they don't typically come after you. A wasp can sting many times, and is always more aggressive.
All bets are off if a bee or wasp gets stuck in your clothes.

A honeybee can only sting once, her stinger with its minute venom sac gets stuck in your skin, and then she dies.
If stung by a honeybee, scrape the tiny stinger out of your skin as quickly as possible. Don't grasp it and pull, but rather scrape it off. That's because the tiny venom sac on the stinger is still pumping venom into your skin, and grasping/pinching it will squeeze more venom in. Scraping pulls it out without pushing more venom into the wound.
If stung by a wasp there will be no stinger embedded in your skin. That's why a wasp can sting over and over.

[Aggie_Ama]

DH reacts much more than I do. He got stung by a yellow jacket a few years back and his hand swollen terribly. I compared it to the little Hamburger Helper guy it was so puffy! That time was so severe he went to the doctor because working outside I was alarmed and worried he might be allergic. The doctor said no he did not need to worry about going into shock but could only recommend benedryl which also makes DH terribly sleepy. Have you tried Benedryl topically? It makes a major difference for me in the itch department.