Honey bee sting
What it looks like: A white raised centre in a red swollen area, with the barbed stinger often still in the skin, red with a pale centre. Pattern: single. Onset: immediate sharp pain. Worst at: 2 to 24 hours. Duration: swelling up to several days.
| 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 |
Not sure it is honey bee? The app reads the photo and names the likeliest cause. Download free iPhone & iPad · no account
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 346,435 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 83,258 records
- Texas 47,802 records
- Pennsylvania 16,311 records
- Florida 15,489 records
- New York 12,331 records
- Utah 12,251 records
- Massachusetts 11,079 records
- Maryland 10,763 records
- Ohio 10,393 records
- Colorado 8,600 records
- North Carolina 7,539 records
- Illinois 7,044 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 | 346,435 | April, July, September |
| Germany | 137,437 | June to August |
| United Kingdom | 77,691 | June to August |
| France | 60,055 | April to August |
| Canada | 39,932 | June to September |
| Australia | 34,582 | March to April |
| Brazil | 26,045 | 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
Do honey bees sting humans?
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.
What does a honey bee sting look like?
A white raised centre in a red swollen area, with the barbed stinger often still in the skin, red with a pale centre. Pattern: single. Size: typically 10–100 mm across.
Does a honey bee sting hurt?
Pain is severe (4 out of 5 on this site's scale) and itch is noticeable itch (3 out of 5). Onset: immediate sharp pain. Worst at: 2 to 24 hours. Duration: swelling up to several days.
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?
Duration: swelling up to several days. Worst at: 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.
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