How Can I Treat Yellow Jacket Stings?
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Yellow jackets look like honey bees without the fuzz, and unlike honey bees, they will sometimes sting without provocation. You should know how to treat yellow jacket stings because they are initially very painful, and people stung by yellow jackets may develop serious and life-threatening reactions to their venom. First, if a person has a known allergy to bee stings, they should always carry a bee sting kit with them and know how to use it. If you’re caring for a person, or traveling with someone who is allergic to bees, get them to train you on how to use the kit too.
While honeybees often sting as a last defense, and lose their stingers in the process, yellow jackets may sting numerous times, and you may not see a stinger. If there is one, you want to scrape it off, rather than pulling it out. Squeezing the stinger can inject more venom into the sting site, which will at minimum make it more painful.
Some people recommend that you treat yellow jacket stings with ice, since this can help ease pain. Another common recommendation by many medical professionals is to use meat tenderizer in paste on the stings. This actually does assist in reducing pain and may also help reduce swelling. If you don’t have ice or meat tenderizer available, you can use baking soda, a little bit of vinegar, or even a mud poultice to slightly reduce pain.
You can expect the sting to hurt quite a bit for the first few hours. Medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help. Antihistamines like Benadryl® may also promote comfort and reduce swelling. The downside to these is that they make people sleepy and might mask the symptoms of a delayed, minor allergic reaction to stings. Minor reactions usually occur before major ones, and if you have a delayed reaction to a sting you need to consider yourself bee sting allergic; this means you should start carrying a bee sting kit with you.
Most people can expect some swelling and redness around the sting area, but this swelling should be localized. If a person has massive swelling, this is a not a normal reaction and requires immediate medical care. When swelling doesn’t reduce in a few days, and there are red streaks or any appearance of pus, this is an infection. Yellow jackets do come into contact with feces and dead animals, and this can transfer infection to people they sting. If you suspect the sting is infected, you should see a doctor.
Another part of learning to treat yellow jacket stings is learning to recognize when a person may be having an allergic reaction to the sting. A person who complains of difficulty breathing, has slurred speech, has huge swelling around the sting site, seems confused, or who is running a fever may be having an allergic reaction. This is an emergency medical situation and you should call 911. Severe allergies to stings cause anaphylactic shock and there should be no delay in preventing this type of deadly reaction.
Sometimes when you treat yellow jacket stings people, have a delayed reaction. A delayed reaction may present several hours later with things like fever, general tiredness, or sudden extreme illness. If you note this reaction several hours after you treat yellow jacket stings this also may require immediate medical care. Contact your doctor or go to an urgent care clinic. However you should still call 911 if there is trouble breathing or you feel additional cause for concern is warranted.
Another thing you should bear in mind is location of sting, number of stings and age of the person being stung. You should get immediate care for children who have ten or more stings at once, and for kids that have a sting in the mouth. As you treat yellow jacket stings that are numerous, be sure to watch for any signs of potential allergic reaction, immediate or delayed. When in doubt, get medical treatment.
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30
I had one of these sting me yesterday right through my work glove, and it was not even provoked in any way. It is the middle of November in Michigan, these things should be gone by now. Gosh, that still itches. - anon52402
29
I got stung about seven hours ago. i have about 10-12 bites and most of them have just about gone away. i know the baking soda works but i got stung right on the palm and it hurts a lot. I plan on killing the little buggers in a few weeks. I now know not to stand directly on top of the nest when spraying them. hopefully I'll kill them since the nest is probably huge since i can't tell how far back it goes in the ground but I'd say it's probably two feet high and 3 1/2-4 feet wide. i also have to say when killing them to wear jeans and shoes since they only got me through my T-shirt and were stuck on my jeans. - anon51727
28
I was stung two days ago on my hand and it's still itchy and red. Yellow jackets are the only thing that has ever stung me on about 5 separate occasions. Hope it goes away soon. - anon51041
26
Thanks so much for your site. Misery loves company. The best I can figure is that a yellow jacket(?) stung the bottome of my big toe tonight while I was cooking dinner. I stepped on it. I had such pain. I used an old remedy - cut a potato in half and scrape some of the white meat out. Apply as a poultice to the sting area. It draws the venom out.
It's been hours and I'm still hurting, not as bad but still. I even have mild cramping in the affected foot. I'm off to take some pain reliever! :) - anon49496
25
I'm 71 and was stung by a yellow jacket this morning. Ouch! It's autumn here, and the attack was non-provoked by an unnoticed yellow jacket who just landed casually on my arm! I was stung several times as a kid when picking berries, and my mom used ammonia to relieve the burning and pain. It sure did *not* work today! I was stung about three times by the same "jacket" and was worried since I take Humira injections for severe Rheumatoid Arthritis which lowers my immune system. I took a Benadryl which totally "zonked me out", but nothing really relieved the pain, swelling, redness and itching. It's weird as the pain comes and goes as does the itching and burning. I found this site most helpful and hope my stings clear up soon as I live by myself in a remote area and do not drive. - anon49348
24
My husband and I have a vendor booth at a city market on the weekends -- lots of food, and with it many yellow jackets. Generally, we just ignore them and they seem to not bother us, but yesterday one was hidden on a sweater we were selling and stung a customer on the palm. She was a doctor, and said she was fine, thank God.
Later, I reached for my juice drink without looking and was stung on my middle finger! It's still swollen and itches. The write-up says these bees get more aggressive as the weather turns cooler and the days shorter, and they do!
I'm going to take their presence around us more seriously. My husband left a piece of chicken on a table and in no time there were 7-8 yellow jackets feeding on it. I normally would shoo them away, but I'm not going to be careless about that any more. Also, now knowing they can carry bacteria means any food I see them crawling over goes directly into the trash. - anon48282
23
I brush hogged some blackberries and hit a nest. I jumped and ran, but got about a dozen bites. I keep honeybees, so I know i don't react well to stings, but this was extreme. my hands and feet started itching, then my tongue started swelling. The bottomd of my feet were swelling. I started swigging liquid benadryl and taking tablets. Over the course of the day, I took close to 400MG of benadryl. By evening, the systemic symptoms were gone except for some hives. I should have gone to the Doc, but it's a long haul into town. I have epi-pens, but that's not a substitute for emergency care! I got lucky. - anon48110
22
I mowed over a hole in the ground that was apparently a yellow jacket nest. By the time it was over I was hit 20 times. I have never known such pain and I've given birth three times! I took benedryl and pain meds immediately. Washed the sites with warm soapy water. Then I tried, vinegar, ammonia, after-bite, tobacco/toothpaste mixture, meat tenderizer paste. Nothing helped. Only time and constant ice packs. I had four stings that burned for 20 hours before easing up. It felt like a constant sting. It's the worst thing ever that's for sure! - anon47810
21
I was bush hogging our hill this afternoon when I hit a nest of them little creeps. I was seat belted in and they attacked my face. I tried to wipe them off but they swarmed all over me. I couldn't get my seat belt released without letting them have their way with me and the tractor wouldn't go fast enough to drive off. So I just concentrated on the seat belt to get free. They stung me over 200 times. I can't tell where a single sting is because it hurts as an area. My whole face and head is the worst. They won the battle with a sneak attack but I will nuke them tomorrow. I will burn their homes and the whole damn hill if I have to. - anon47019
20
I got stung twice today while moving which really sucked because all the things i could have used were already packed away in the truck. Then i got to the new house (new to me at least) and found that i had nothing to treat it with, so decided to just deal with it, then went to open window in my bedroom and almost lost a finger when the outer part of the window dropped down instead of staying in place. I now believe that yellow jackets are bad luck. Thanks for the tips for treatment. now I'll know what to keep around just in case. - anon46084
19
I don't feel so girly now for running away and screaming. I was weed eating and lit up a nest at the base of a tree. At first I thought the weed eater was kicking up rocks or something but the wasps bit and stayed stuck to my hand and arm. Then I heard the "buzz" as a swarm came after me. I ditched the weed eater as fast as I could but the strap caught my glasses and they flew off. I'm running blindly through the yard trying to get away and hollering. It's kind of funny now but at the time I was freaking out. My dog was with me. Luckily he didn't attract the yellow jackets' attention. It was less than 24 hours ago. I'm going to the store today to buy ammonia, baking soda and meat tenderizer -- and 10 cans of wasp killer. The itch sucks. - anon45693
18
Well I was out in the yard mowing the lawn, then came into the garage to grab my soda can for lunch. I proceeded to make my lunch and watch some Tv while I ate it.
I took a drink of my soda and felt something in the liquid as I began drinking it. I immediately stopped and felt an excruciating pinch on the inside of my lip. I then frantically dropped my soda can all over the floor in an attempt to grab the bee out of my mouth. As I was pulling the bee I could feel it grasping onto my lip.
The only thing I can figure is that it was biting my upper lip and not letting go. I then went to the medicine cabinet and swabbed Benadryl paste on the inside of my lip to reduce the swelling. I also took two Benadryl pills to help any bit they could.
My bottom lip where I was stung immediately swelled to the size of Bubba's on Forrest Gump. My upper lip where I believe I was bit began bleeding and needed to be dabbed every now and then.
Never again will I take cans outside to drink. - anon45402
16
My 8 year old son was stung in the woods near our vacation home over the weekend. He knocked over a dead tree in the late afternoon and they attacked him. The little suckers were attached to his shirt stinging and stinging. I ripped his shirt off of him and ran him into the house. In the house I had to rip the remaining couple of them off of his socks as they were still in sting mode. My first reaction was to give him ice to put on the sting sites; he cried and said that made it hurt much worse. Quick thinking prompted me to pull out the first aid kit and the book. It said to place him in a cool bath with baking soda. I used much more baking soda than suggested (I used a 1/2 a small box to about 4 inches of water). He stayed in there for about 1/2 hour as I poured the water from the tub onto the exposed stings. We reacted quickly so he got six stings (his first bee stings). I felt so bad because he was in so much pain. After bathing him, I made a baking soda paste and applied that to the swollen sting sites, and gave him ibuprofen and benadryl. Within an hour he was feeling *much* better. By the morning the swollen sting sites were gone and we couldn't even find the sting sites. He never complained of any itching. maybe it was the baking soda bath? - anon44467
15
what can i do for the pain? - anon44276
14
I was mowing yesterday and ran over a quarter sized hole in the ground. As I backed away I felt a few pricks in the back of my calves, looked down and saw five on left and two on my right. I swatted and ran around the back of the house. By the time I sat down on the picnic table I counted 12 on the left and three on the right and they were already on fire. Iced and took benedryl. 24 hours later, they are still swollen and itchy. Every so often I get a twitch in my left calf. Hurts to put socks on! Ridiculous! - anon43724
13
Thank you, your article has been very helpful, I was in my yard four days ago and was "swarmed" by yellow jackets. I had no idea. It looks like 30-40 stings! How these vicious little monsters can get inside of snug workout attire is beyond me. Having weathered many nasty stings over the years (wasps, hornets, bumblebees, scorpions, 2 brown recluse bites and a fire ant attack), I was not prepared for this. I can handle the pain of bugs, it's a part of life if you go outside. Four days later the humiliation of the "yellow jacket herky jerky dance" and frantically undressing in public while appearing possessed is beginning to exceed the physical pain. After making it inside and pulling the rest of them out of my hair, I looked you up to see what best I could do for myself. I knew there was no allergy, but the volume of venom with my small size was a concern. I expected pain as with most stings, that should diminish in a few hours and "be gone" tomorrow I thought. Your article basically told me to seek medical help immediately. I called a friend (I was afraid to drive) and my doctor saw me right away. By then (about an hour) my blood pressure was erratic, and I was freezing in 90-plus degree weather and was having severe leg cramps. I never had trouble breathing, but things got blurry. They gave me 3 different shots, and made me stay at their office for two hours "just in case" as I really didn't want to go to the hospital (who does if it can be avoided?) I've been taking large doses of ibuprofen and benadryl, and something else for swelling/pain, but nothing has dulled it at the sites of these stings. Then the itching began. Nothing works for that, and it feels like chiggers have burrowed down to my bones and exploded. The intense pain/itching is deep beneath the skin. It's no good to scratch --you can't get to it. And if I do go to sleep despite most stings being on my back and I can't reach them (I ran, they chased), in a few minutes I wake up in agony with "charley horses" from heck in both legs because there are a dozen or so stings on each leg behind the knees. I remember thinking as this happened "this is a stupid way to die" and "I wonder if my neighbors like the way I undress in my yard like a crippled stripper that can run like an olympic sprinter?" Now that I am healing, I will laugh, but this was truly no joke. I did nothing to antagonize them. They came out of the ground like a cloud about fiver feet away, surrounded and attacked me in less than a moment. This is dangerous. Be aware, be careful. It would be a stupid way to die. - anon43539
12
Just had the pleasure of my first yellow jacket stings -- three stings to the head. Happened at the garden center at a building supply store. As I waspicking up a bag of bark mulch, I opened a nest, and they all came directly for my head with amazing speed. I ran like a scared school girl and took my shirt off and managed to limit the damage to three stings. It could have easily been 20 if the shirt stayed on.
It's been about five hours. The pain is still the same as when the stings occured. - anon43373
11
I was stung by one lousy yellow jacket and went into anaphylactic shock within two minutes! I was in my back yard by myself moving sticks from one large pile to another one - to prep for a chipper that I rented for the next day. I was intending to make some mulch for my garden.
Anyway, I reached into a pile of sticks that was sitting there for a few weeks and was met by an angry one -- he got me in the only hole that I had in my glove -- and it was the size of a nickel. Just my luck. First came the hot flashes, then the black fuzzy cloud, then the wheezing, shortness of breath and then my eyes rolled to the back of my head and I passed out on my neighbor's porch. Luckily he found me and called 911! My blood pressure dropped and my heart rate slowed down to about 70 beats per minute. I've only been stung two times in the last 30 years - the first time was last year and the second time this year. I've learned that the first one is called the sensitizing sting and it's the second one that involves the total body reaction - if you're allergic --which apparently I am. I always knew that I was allergic to penicillin, but never knew about bees. Now I know. It was horrible - I was sent to the hospital in an ambulance. Lastly, if all of that wasn't enough, the bee carried bacteria so I had to back back to the doctor three days later to get an antibiotic (not penicillin) to clear up an infection on my finger. - anon43238
10
I was stung 18 times. the pain was bad but the itching is terrible second day and nothing is helping. benadryl itch pen tablets -- nothing. Keep an eye on where you are walking and don't step in a hole then turn to see what it is. just run! Run fast! - anon42710
9
misery loves company. i found this site searching for a remedy for at least 8 yellow jacket stings, one on my lower eyelid, 2 on my belly and the rest on my lower legs. i mowed over a ground nest and got swarmed. thank God i'm not allergic, but these suckers hurt like crazy! i got stung in the leg a week ago and it itched all week - can't imagine what this is gonna feel like! i will try the posted remedies. thanks! - anon42630
8
Great article! I was stung three times by two different yellow jackets tonight. The pain was terrible! I've been stung by bees, red wasps and one hornet, but the yellow jacket hurt much worse than any of the others. The only one I can remember coming close to this pain was the hornet. It's been five hours now and the pain is just about the same as when it happened. I've never been allergic before, but within 15 minutes of the sting, I noticed severe itching, hundreds of small "hive-looking" bumps and swelling that extended to the top of my leg (sting was on the back of thigh). About 10 minutes after that, I noticed my thigh muscle cramping and it was difficult to walk. Never any breathing problems, but my heart was racing for an hour or so. Popped two Benadryl within 10 minutes after it happened. Maybe that helped. But heck, I have a high pain tolerance, but this really hurts. Three stings within 3 or 4 inches of each other; can't even lie on my left side because of pressure on my left leg.
Just horrible -- worst sting I've ever felt. - anon42213
7
i got stung this afternoon by a yellow jacket who had perched on the seat back of my car. i leaned back and it got me on the back of my arm in the fleshy part near the shoulder. the pain is immense and it became extremely swollen. i have taken two benedryl pills since and the pain is still there and throbbing like i got hit with a bat and stabbed. the bee flew off. lucky guy. i'm just waiting for the itching to start. my mom lost a pomeranian to a yellow jacket sting. they are awful. - anon42177
6
I got stung a few weeks ago - it was far more painful than any bee sting I have experienced and the pain lasted a couple of days (decreasing significantly after a few hours). Itching, irritation, redness and slight swelling continued for a week. I pulled the stinger out, which may have increased the venom that was injected. Nasty suckers. - anon42084
5
Excellent information; best I've found so far! There seems to be no mention of the severe itching, which has gone on for three days now, and my arm too looks like Popeye's. This attack was also unprovoked. Because it occurred at a barbecue, did that atmosphere promote a feeding frenzy?
How long can I expect these symptoms to last? There was a tiny bit of pus at the bite site which appeared yesterday. Is this cause for concern? I am most sympathetic to the one who lost their Shelty. I had a small Shih Tzu that was stung by a yellow jacket. Fortunately I was right there, popped a Benedryl (25 mgs.) into his mouth, and within an hour he was getting his energy back. The town I live in is named Twisp, which means Yellow Jacket in American Indian. The day before the sting (which felt more like a bite, hurt much more than any other sting I have had)I thought I had made peace with the angry critters; now I am as angry at them as they seem to be with me. - anon41965
4
Your write-up was the easiest and most comprehensive site I found after being bitten multiple times by yellow jackets. Thanks - anon41387
3
I was stung 3 times behind the knee. The bee went into my pants! I took a benadryl and put an ice pack on the stings. It is the next day and it still hurts and itches really bad. I have never been stung by one before. How long will it take the bite and symptoms to go away? - anon40809
2
I just lost my 2 1/2 year old sheltie that weighed 15 pounds. She got into a yellow jacket nest and several bees stung her. at least one our two got into her mouth and at least one on her ear. We took her to the Vet and he gave her a shot and some pills to take for a couple of days. She seemedto eat and drink OK but seemed not as peppy. Then during the night five days later she passed away. She had bowel movements in the house and some places where she was gagging. My question is could she have died from the bee stings or if she swallowed some bees could have caused her death? Before the stings she was a very active gal. I also think she had some blood on the bed where we found her. She seemed to be good when we went to bed and did not hear her having any problem. I blame myself for her death. - anon40468
1
I got bit by a yellow jacket right in the center of the forearm. I was at a farmer's market and was just walking between the booths... I did not provoke it in any way.
Although the sting hurt, I don't remember it being overwhelmingly painful. The problem was, that as time passed, my entire forearm and hand became tremendously swollen. After a few hours that arm looked like Popeye's arm! It's funny to think about now, but it was terribly frustrating at the time.
My doctor gave me a sling to keep the arm raised and immobilized. - origami
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Tricia Ellis-Christensen
Last Modified: 13 November 2009
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