Honey bee sting
A honey bee sting usually shows up as a white raised centre in a red swollen area, with the barbed stinger often still in the skin, red with a pale centre, appearing immediate sharp pain. It peaks around 2 to 24 hours and generally lasts swelling up to several days. Single is the usual arrangement.
| Looks like | a white raised centre in a red swollen area, with the barbed stinger often still in the skin |
|---|---|
| Pattern | single |
| Size | 10–100 mm |
| Appears | immediate sharp pain |
| Worst at | 2 to 24 hours |
| Lasts | swelling up to several days |
| Itch | ●●●○○ 3/5 |
| Pain | ●●●●○ 4/5 |
| Usually on | feet — bees are often stepped on in clover, hands, face |
| Active | March to October, daytime |
How to tell it apart
The barbed stinger left in the skin is diagnostic — no wasp does this. Because removing it takes seconds and venom keeps being pumped, speed matters more than technique, and scraping is better than pinching.
Where and when you meet it
Habitat: flowering lawns and gardens; hives in trees, walls and managed apiaries.
Across 331,380 verified US records in the GBIF biodiversity database, sightings of Apis mellifera concentrate in April, June, July, September. That is the window when bites are most likely — it is observation data rather than a guess, and it shifts with latitude.
States with the most recorded sightings
- California 80,404 records
- Texas 45,265 records
- Pennsylvania 15,750 records
- Florida 15,088 records
- Utah 12,009 records
- New York 11,365 records
- Maryland 10,526 records
- Massachusetts 10,289 records
- Ohio 10,001 records
- Colorado 8,167 records
- North Carolina 7,314 records
- Arizona 6,771 records
Record counts reflect where people report and identify specimens, not exact abundance. They are useful for ruling a species in, not for ruling it out.
Where it is recorded
| Country | Records | Peak months there |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 331,380 | April, June, July, September |
| Germany | 126,711 | June to August |
| United Kingdom | 76,033 | June to August |
| France | 58,868 | April to August |
| Canada | 37,044 | June to September |
| Australia | 33,785 | March, April, October |
| Brazil | 24,745 | November to December |
Verified records from the GBIF biodiversity database across the seven countries we cover. A country missing from this table means we have no records for it, not that the species is absent.
What it means for you
A honey bee dies after stinging, so a single sting from a foraging bee is the usual scenario. Multiple stings mean a colony was disturbed, and that is a different situation — a large number of stings can be toxic in its own right, independent of allergy.
Seek medical care if
Call emergency services now for difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, dizziness or fainting, or hives spreading away from the bite.
- breathing difficulty, throat or tongue swelling, faintness, hives away from the sting — emergency
- a previous severe reaction to a sting
- many stings at once
Care at home
- scrape the stinger out sideways with a card or fingernail immediately — do not pinch it, that squeezes the venom sac
- wash and apply a cold pack
- antihistamine and pain relief
- adrenaline auto-injector if prescribed
Preventing the next one
- shoes on in clover and flowering lawns
- stay calm and move away slowly rather than swatting
- no strong floral fragrance when working in the garden
Common questions
How do I know it was a honey bee?
The barbed stinger left in the skin is diagnostic — no wasp does this. Because removing it takes seconds and venom keeps being pumped, speed matters more than technique, and scraping is better than pinching.
How long does a honey bee sting last?
Typically swelling up to several days, peaking around 2 to 24 hours.
When is it a problem?
Seek care for: breathing difficulty, throat or tongue swelling, faintness, hives away from the sting — emergency; a previous severe reaction to a sting; many stings at once.
Can it transmit disease?
No human disease is known to be transmitted by this species in the United States. The practical risk is infection from scratching.
Get a photo assessment in the app
Everything above is free to read. The app adds what a page cannot: point your camera at the bite and get an assessment of the most likely cause, a severity read, and a day-by-day care plan — including the specific signs that mean you should be seen.
iPhone and iPad. Free to download.