For a bee sting, start by removing the stinger, then apply a cold compress and a paste of baking soda and water to reduce pain and swelling. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion can help with itching and redness. Most stings resolve within a few hours with these simple steps.
Remove the Stinger First
Before you put anything on the sting, get the stinger out. Honeybees leave their stinger embedded in your skin, and it continues pumping venom for a short time after the sting. The traditional advice is to scrape it out with a fingernail or the edge of a credit card rather than pinching it, to avoid squeezing more venom into the skin. More recent research has cast doubt on whether squeezing actually makes a difference, though. The real priority is speed: whatever method gets the stinger out fastest is the best approach.
Wash the area with soap and water once the stinger is out. This prevents bacteria from entering the wound.
Cold Compress for Pain and Swelling
A cold compress is your most effective first move. Wrap ice or a bag of frozen vegetables in a cloth and hold it against the sting for about 20 minutes. Elevating the area (if the sting is on an arm or leg) also helps reduce swelling. The cold numbs the nerve endings around the sting and constricts blood vessels, which slows the spread of venom in the tissue.
Baking Soda Paste
Bee venom is slightly acidic, with a pH around 4.5 to 5.5. A baking soda paste can help neutralize some of that acidity on the skin’s surface. Mix one teaspoon of water with enough baking soda to form a thick paste, spread it over the sting site, and leave it on for about 10 minutes before rinsing off. This is a simple, cheap remedy that many people find soothing, though its effect is mainly on comfort rather than healing speed.
Note: wasp stings are alkaline, so the treatment is reversed. Vinegar works for wasp stings, baking soda for bee stings.
Over-the-Counter Creams and Lotions
Hydrocortisone cream applied to the sting helps reduce redness, itching, and swelling. You can find it at any pharmacy without a prescription. Calamine lotion is another option that works well for itching specifically. Either one can be reapplied as needed throughout the day.
If the itching is more widespread or persistent, an oral antihistamine can help. Options include diphenhydramine (Benadryl), cetirizine (Zyrtec), loratadine (Claritin), and fexofenadine (Allegra). Be aware that diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine cause drowsiness, while the others generally do not. Follow the dosing instructions on the package.
What About Meat Tenderizer or Honey?
You may have heard that meat tenderizer breaks down bee venom because it contains an enzyme called papain. This sounds logical in theory, and the idea has been circulating for decades. But when researchers actually tested it, they found no benefit. In mouse studies, papain only neutralized bee venom when mixed with it before injection, not when applied after the fact. A separate study on human volunteers using meat tenderizer on insect stings found no meaningful difference in pain, itching, or skin response compared to doing nothing. Save your meat tenderizer for cooking.
What to Expect as It Heals
For most people, the sharp pain fades within a few minutes and the swelling and redness clear up within a few hours. That’s a normal, mild reaction.
Some people have a moderate reaction where the burning, swelling, and itching actually get worse over the next day or two before improving. The affected area may swell to several inches across. This can look alarming, but it’s still a localized reaction, not an allergy. These moderate reactions can take up to seven days to fully resolve.
Signs of a Serious Allergic Reaction
A small percentage of people develop anaphylaxis, a whole-body allergic reaction that can become life-threatening within minutes. This is not the same as localized swelling around the sting site. Anaphylaxis involves symptoms away from the sting location:
- Hives or flushed skin spreading beyond the sting area
- Swollen throat or tongue causing difficulty breathing or wheezing
- Rapid, weak pulse
- Dizziness or fainting
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- A drop in blood pressure
If you or someone nearby develops any of these symptoms after a bee sting, call emergency services immediately. People with a known bee allergy typically carry an epinephrine auto-injector for exactly this situation.