keeping bees and allergies

[slightlyscrambled]

I have the same dilema I am allergic but also want hives. When I was in high school I worked for a bee "farmer" and was stung numerous times, each time I had to go to ER and have benedryl shots Dr. told me I was nuts but I really liked the job. Go figure. Now I am not sure the reward is worth the risk as I am much older and stings seem to react much quicker now.

 

[Akane]

JUST BECAUSE YOU HAD A MILD REACTION THE FIRST TIME DOESN'T MEAN YOU WILL STAY MILDLY REACTIVE, YOUR SUBSEQUENT REACTIONS GET WORSE AND MAY DO SO QUICKLY.

Just because you never had a reaction doesn't mean you can't have a severe reaction the next time. That's just a risk you take in life and every beekeeper gets to find out first hand. Many probably have no idea whether they are allergic or not before they try it.​

 

[1shelby1]

Please reconsider keeping a hive! I have had hives for 4 years,stung various times,places-it just comes with the job.The last time this year I was working on my third hive-the bees had had enough-and they stung through my goatskin gloves-I pulled out 12 stingers!Trade eggs or veggies with a beekeeper for honey.

 

[dewey]

The next sting could be fatal. Anaphylaxis is immediately life threatening and can cause cardiac arrest in less than 2 minutes even with immediate emergency intervention...and the greatest predictor of future anaphylaxis is 1 previous allergic reaction to a sting, even if that reaction was mild. As another said, each reaction will be more severe, not less, and many have no chance to survive a 2nd reaction. It's not like typical allergic reactions that people experience from pollens, animals, or just food sensitivities. Needles through the chest and an emergency trach are no fun, not to mention the thousands of dollars that even a mild reaction can cost with the ER trip. One can purchase 10 lifetimes worth of honey for the cost of 1 ER trip.

 

[Orchid]

I am severely allergic to bee stings (I was told the last time I was stung to try to always be within 30 minutes of an ER, and that's with the use of an Epipen) and I would not take the risk. Is honey and beeswax worth your life?

I have seen beekeeping courses offered where they will make sure you get stung in order to find out if you are allergic to bees BEFORE you start keeping them. That says a lot about the risk, to me.

 

[bagendhens]

thanks for the input...
the replies were what i was expecting...
i think ill just have to find local bee keepers and try to exchange whatever i create for honey and wax (im actually more interested in the wax as i make candles and prefer organic bees wax)

i mean theres always risk of stings when you work outside, but your right, keeping a hive or 2 on the property just invites a higher likelyhood of being stung by MANY bees rather than just one.

i dont typically listen to my dr in terms of allergies ect...my drs opinion is that i should live in some sterile bubble...
im actually mildly allergic to cats, dogs, bees, pollen, dust and a bunch of other things...and hes constantly telling me i need to get rid of my pats, put heppa filters and this that and the other thing in my house and take all these meds...essentially, he tells me i need to live in a sterile environment and take all these meds...just incase any of my allergies MIGHT get worse...

and i refuse to live that way...

in the winter ill occasionally get a little stuffy with all the windows closed, and i cant have the cat in my face, or spend too much time around heavy shedding dogs, but i live with it and over the years many of my allergies have gotten milder...
was kind of hoping bees would be the same lol...

oh well, ill have more than enough to keep me busy with my goats and sheep and hopefully alpaca

thanks for the input guys

 

[Orchid]

If you live someplace where they are offered, you can get allergy shots for beesting allergies. I looked into it but where I live, no one offers it.

I am cautious about my bee sting allergy, but I don't live in a bubble either. Life is meant to be lived - mine just has to be lived with a few more precautions than before.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

To me, it's the inability to use a life saving epipen that really puts your risk into a whole new category.

I'm sure you could work something out with a local bee keeper to get wax. They might even like some candles, eggs or other things that you have or can make. Years ago I had friends in Key West that were artists. It was so fun to visit, buy some supplies and see everyone's work. None of the artists had a lot of extra money, but they really liked each other's work. They'd all barter their wares to each other and ended up with such amazing things. You could end up with a lot of new friends, too.

 

[Akane]

One can purchase 10 lifetimes worth of honey for the cost of 1 ER trip.

Except insurance doesn't pay for honey. They pay 100% for an ER trip. I've used the ER to get medication for insomnia when I hadn't slept for 3 days because it takes a month to get in to see the only general practitioner who will prescribe the type of meds I need and insurance pays 100% for the ER. It's actually cheaper than going to the doctor where I have to pay $50 per appointment.

Now if you can convince the insurance company to buy me a gallon of raw honey monthly I will reconsider keeping bees. I would miss out on the fun though and it's not like my risk goes down that much. I garden right next to a flower patch that is literally coated in bees from late spring through fall. Probably more likely to get stung working in the garden than wearing full beekeeping clothes/hood around the hives. I'm not saying that's true for everyone. You have to evaluate your own risk.​

 

[bagendhens]

yeah...right now i have no insurance, so no matter what stung me for what reason its gonna cost a fortune, even with insurance there was a $100 co-pay for er visits...
ill just live my bee keeping interest vicariously through others who do keep bees, and ill be sure to provide lots of flowers, herbs, fruits and veggies to feed anyones local honey bees...

i just want to make sure i do my part to encorage and increase the population of honey bees. we need more honey bees (and not the africanized version), i have more of a problem with wasps and hornets...yellowjackets terrify me, i seem to react worse to their sting than bees.