Bee stings can be painful. One of the best first aids for bee stings is using natural remedies. Discover 10 fast-acting essential oils for bee sting relief. They also work for wasp stings and hornet stings.
When I was a kid, we had wild bee hives everywhere thanks to the large Acacia trees that surrounded our little cottage. Suffice it to say, getting stung on a daily basis was nothing out of the ordinary for me. In fact, being the little musketeer that I was, I would prance around proudly, telling everyone about how I got stung by bees and survived.
My mum would rush to douse my bee sting, or any other bug bite, with eucalyptus oil and the swelling, itchiness and pain would instantly diminish.
Over time, you develop resistance to bee stings, as repetitive stings force your immune system to become more tolerant and have less of a reaction to them.
The bee stinger contains venom, also known as apitoxin. It is made of proteins, which cause an allergic reaction in the body. Although the severity of the allergy varies from person to person, a normal bee stings leads to localized swelling, redness, pain and discomfort. Up to 2%- 5% have severe reaction to bee stings leading to anaphylitic shock, which needs emergency care.
Why Do Bees Sting?
Bees are defensive social insects that will give their lives to defend the hive. A bee stings when it thinks the hive, and the queen and brood, are in danger. This is why a bee that is away from the colony, foraging for pollen, rarely stings. When a bee stings, its stinger detaches from its body and lodges in your skin. Once a bee loses its stinger, it will die. This is why bees only sting when they believe the colony is truly in danger.
The Best 10 Essential Oils for Bee Stings
1. Tea Tree (where to get it)
2. Lavender (where to get it)
3. Lemon Balm (where to get it)
4. Chamomile (where to get it)
5. Thyme (where to get it)
6. Basil (where to get it)
7. Eucalyptus (where to get it)
8. Rosemary (where to get it)
9. Peppermint (where to get it)
10. Vetiver (where to get it)
How to Remove the Bee Stinger
Before using any essential oil remedies for bee stings, it is very important that you first remove the bee sting from your skin, as soon as possible. The sooner you remove the bee stinger, the better.
First things first, do not hold on to the stinger and pull out. This is a bad idea because the bee venom sac is at the top of the stinger.
Squeezing the tip, using your fingers or tweezers, will eject more venom into the blood stream, causing a larger reaction.
Instead, get a credit card or a plastic spoon and scoop the stinger out by scraping the card across the skin.
Now you can carry on with these remedies for bee stings.
How to Use These Essential Oils for Bee Sting Relief
Here, I’ve listed 5 best ways in which you can relieve bee stings. Take a look below:
1. Use Them Neat
Out of all the essential oils, the 2 essential oils that can be safely applied neat on to the skin are lavender and tea tree, which both happen to work wonders for bee stings!
To use simply apply a drop of either lavender or tea tree oil to the bee sting area.
Apply as often as needed.
2. Bee Sting Blend
Use essential oils to make a “Bee Sting Blend”. Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients
- 2 drops of lavender essential oil
- 1 drop of chamomile essential oil
- 1 drop of peppermint essential oil
- 1 drop of vetiver essential oil
Directions
- Mix all the above oils in a small non-reactive, non-food use bowl and apply to the bee sting area using a cotton swab.
- Apply every few hours for complete relief.
3. Make a Bee Balm
Making your own bee balm is a great idea if you are regularly in contact with bees, so that you can just whip your balm out and use it as a great first aid for bee stings.
A bee balm is a also a great DIY addition to your first aid bag and is easy to carry around in your purse/pocket. Here’s how to go about making a bee balm:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of bees wax pastilles (where to get it)
- 1 tablespoon of shea butter (where to get it)
- 1 teaspoon of raw honey (where to get it)
- 4 drops of lavender
- 3 drops of peppermint
- 2 drops of chamomile
Directions
- Using a double boiler, melt the shea butter and beeswax pastilles. If you don’t want to use a double broiler, you could simply use a non-stick pan over low heat, but make sure you keep a keen eye over it to prevent it from burning or smoking!
- Once fully melted, take off the heat and allow to cool just a bit.
- Pour the melted mixture into a suitable balm container and add in your essential oils.
- Use a toothpick to stir all the ingredients together.
- Now place your container in the refrigerator to set overnight. Voila! Your soothing bee balm is ready!
4. Venom-Absorbing Clay Mask
Clay has remarkable detox properties in that it absorbs toxins and unwanted materials out of the pores. Try this venom-absorbing clay mask to relieve bee stings fast.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons of bentonite clay (where to get it)
- 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal powder *optional (where to get it)
- 2 drops of lavender essential oil
- 2 drops of rosemary essential oil
Directions
- Make a thick paste by mixing all the above ingredients with a little water.
- Apply this paste on to the bee sting area.
- Allow the paste to dry out or leave on for at least 15 minutes before rinsing out.
For Wasp and Hornet Stings
Although bees leave their stinger behind when they sting you, wasps have a stinger that can be used to attack multiple times without falling off.
The same essential oils that work for bee stings also work wonderfully for wasp stings.
Wasp stings are considered to be alkaline in nature so the following remedy that uses acidic essential oils, along with apple cider vinegar, is a good choice for giving first aid for wasp stings:
Vinegar Compress for Wasp Sting Relief
Ingredients
- 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (where to get it)
- 1 tsp of lavender hydrosol (where to get it) or pure water
- 2 drops of lavender essential oil
- 2 drops of chamomile essential oil
- 1 drop of basil essential oil
Directions
- Get a clean cotton ball and soak it with the apple cider vinegar, lavender hydrosol or pure water for dilution and the essential oils.
- Place this cotton ball on the site of the wasp sting.
- Use a plaster to hold the cotton ball in place.
- Remove after 15 minutes and the swelling and pain will be gone.
