In general, bees are pretty chill, gentle creatures. If it’s up to them, they wouldn’t hurt you if they can help it. However, the moment they feel threatened, they will definitely go for the sting. Because of this, you’ll actually have more chances of getting hit than lightning than to be killed by bee stings.
That being said, bees are not exactly harmless to those who are not allergic to them. If you just so happen to be a beekeeper, you will definitely be stung many, many times. In an isolated incident, there was a British beekeeper, Mark Turner who died because of an unfortunate bee sting to the neck. This is a very rare occurrence, but just to be safe, try not to get stung around your throat, eyes, nasal passages, or inside your ears.
Assuming a healthy 80.7kg (178lbs) adult human male with no bee allergies wearing shorts and a t-shirt was to aggravate a hive full of bees, the bees will need to inject him with the equivalent of 226mg (2.8 mg per kilogram of body weight, according to Merck Manual) of bee venom for a lethal dose. The approximate amount of venom in one honey bee sting is about 59 micrograms. So, 3831 bees will have to hit that man with their pointy butts to kill him.
That’s a lot of bees… but as a precaution, wear appropriate protective gear when engaging with bees.
How painful are bee stings?
Entomologist (a scientist who studies bees) Justin O. Schmidt once asked this question. He wondered how painful sawflies, wasp, bee, and ant stings are in comparison to each other. As a man of science, naturally, the best way to figure this out is to let himself get stung by these insects. Such a mad lad, he is.
He rated the stings from 1-4, 4 being the most painful. Most bee stings are ranked 1 with pain that would only be felt for around 5 minutes or less. Not all bees are the same though: western honey bees are more painful with a pain level of 2. Their stings could be felt for 5-10 minutes.
Do bees die after they sting?
Before we answer this question, did you know that not all bees can sting? Male bees called drones don’t have stingers and therefore cannot sting.
Back to the question, honey bee workers will die once they sting someone. It’s because their stingers are barbed. Their stingers will get lodged into the skin of their victim, and once they pull away, they die. This isn’t true for queen honey bees though. Like the queens they are, they can sting as many times as they like. They don’t really go out of their hives though, so no need to worry. They usually just use their stingers on other queens.
Bumblebees are also able to sting repetitively because they have smooth stingers. They’re the calmest, nicest bees around though, so unless you provoke them, they won’t sting.
Common questions about bee stings
What’s worse: bee stings or wasp stings?
Wasp stings, definitely.
Bees actually inject more venom per sting than wasps (bees inject around 50 micrograms, while wasps only inject up to 15 micrograms per sting), but wasps can sting you REPETITIVELY. Wasp stings, especially those from a tarantula hawk are incredibly painful. On the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, they’re ranked 4 — the highest level of pain imaginable. Stings from warrior wasps could last for 2 hours, as well. Suddenly, bee stings don’t sound so bad (unless if you’re allergic, of course).
What should I do if I get stung by a bee?
If you’re allergic, please immediately administer an epi-pen and then go to your nearest medical center.
If you’re not allergic, there is no need to panic. The first thing that needs to be done is to remove the stinger if it’s still attached to you so you don’t get pumped with more venom. Apply a cool compress on the bite area so it wouldn’t hurt so much. If it’s too itchy, you may also take an antihistamine.
How do I prevent getting stung by bees?
Bees are generally chill creatures that won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. The best way to not get stung is to stay away from them as much as possible. If you see a wild beehive, don’t test your luck. Bees and wasps are pretty low fliers, so if ever you find yourself in an area that has a lot of flowers, just keep an eye out for these yellow insects.
Don’t wear bright colors and perfume around them as to not attract them towards you. In fact, as an extra layer of protection, consider putting on some insect repellant the next time you venture into the wild.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of bee venom to kill a human who isn’t allergic to bees. If you’d like to calculate it, it takes 2.8 mg of venom per kilogram of body weight to kill a human. However, if a single bee would sting you at just the right place, it could kill you. To be safe, avoid getting stung around your throat, eyes, nasal passages, or inside your ears.