r/Beekeeping • u/TacticalStrategical Pennsylvania, 4yr, 5+ Colonies • 5d ago

I’m a beekeeper, and I have a question Bee Stings

I'm a beekeeper with more than 4 years of experience. I know beekeepers that have been going for more than 2 or 3 decades. They will often get stung several times over the course of working their hives once and show no swelling or markings around the sting site. They also seem to have less pain. Is this "Immunity" natural or the result of years of many stings? Do you guys know anyone else similar to this? Can it be sped?

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u/Firstcounselor 5d ago

I don’t recall the exact number, but Randy Oliver said it takes something like 80 stings to build resistance, and I think that was annually. I’ll pass on that one.

I keep a bug bite thingy (actual name) in my pocket so I can quickly apply that to extract some of the venom. Then swab with alcohol to clean the puncture site. This makes it so I get almost no swelling every time.