01
Emergency numbers
Tap any number to call it.
02
Bee sting first aid
Get the sting out immediately
African honeybee stings stay embedded, and the venom sac keeps pumping for minutes after the bee has gone. Scrape the sting out sideways with a fingernail or the edge of a card.
Do not pinch or squeeze it. Squeezing pushes more venom in.
A normal reaction
- Wash the area.
- Cold compress for the swelling.
- An oral antihistamine helps with the itch and swelling.
- Pain and a raised welt for a day or two is normal.
An allergic emergency, act immediately
Any of these means call for help now:
- Difficulty breathing or wheezing
- Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
- Widespread hives
- Dizziness or collapse
- Vomiting after a sting
Use an adrenaline auto injector if the person has one. Call 112. Keep the person lying down with their legs raised, unless they are breathing more easily sitting up.
A mass stinging attack
African bees defend in numbers. If they come at you:
- Run away in a straight line and get inside a building or a vehicle, then stay there. Bees follow for hundreds of metres.
- Cover your face while you run.
- Never jump into water. The swarm waits and stings you when you surface.
- Once you are safe, remove the stings fast. Every sting you take out stops adding venom.
Hospital, even without an allergy
Enough stings at once can poison anyone. Get medical care after any mass stinging. Be more cautious with children, the elderly, and anyone with a heart or breathing condition: fewer stings can be serious for them.
03
Swarm and nest removal
A resting swarm usually moves on within a day or two. Keep people and pets away and it will often leave on its own. Bees are protected pollinators, and removal is a job for a trained remover who relocates the colony rather than destroying it. Call a remover for any established nest in a wall, roof, meter box, or tree near people.