Bee Prepared

Matt, an adventurous guy in his 30s, was about to check Iceland off his bucket list. The night before his return trip to Denver, he took one last, luxurious soak in the misty hot springs.

Just as he emerged from the water, a bee swooped in and stung him on the leg. Matt brushed it off and almost forgot about it as he packed for home.

It was hard to ignore when the pain and swelling ramped up. As he disembarked from the plane, Matt had a fever. He pulled up his pant leg to find angry red ropes snaking up the leg that had the bite.

Instead of regaling his pals with stories about his trip, Matt landed in the hospital with an IV in his arm, and a bag of heavy-duty antibiotics curing him with a slow drip. The diagnosis? Cellulitis.

The doctor explained it to Matt -- sometimes, when a bee stings you, it has bacteria on the stinger. That bacteria can cause an infection that quickly goes systemic, and then you are in big trouble.

Most of the time, a bee sting is a painful nuisance and that's it. But this time of year, it pays to be prepared. If you handle it right, you should be able to avoid a major problem like Matt had.

Here are six ways to get ready for bee season:

Know how to treat it:

• Remove the stinger by flicking from the side with credit card, butter knife or fingernail.

• Squeezing or tweezers make it hurt more.

• Wash the site with soap and hot water.  Apply antibiotic ointment and a bandaid.

• Take some Ibuprofen or Tylenol to cut the pain and swelling.

• Put ice on the affected area.

• Slather on baking soda or a soothing lotion.

• Try an oatmeal bath.

• If possible elevate the bee-sting site above your heart.

Know what to expect:

• The initial searing pain lasts 1-2 hours.

• Redness and swelling may stick around for three days.

Know when to be concerned:

Seek immediate medical attention if:

• The bee stung you on your neck, face, eye or inside of your mouth.

• the swelling spreads beyond the sting site, or if it involves the face or neck. (Draw a circle around the original site with a Sharpie marker to measure the spread).

• You have shortness of breath

• You have a history of severe reactions to food, medicine or vaccines.

• You develop big, red welts (hives).

• Your voice is hoarse or you are slurring words.

• You have nausea, vomiting or pain in your abdomen.

• You feel dizzy or off-balance

• You have a fever.

• If you have this type of anaphylaxis reaction, it can be fatal. You will always need to carry an EpiPen from here on. This treatment uses the drug epinephrine, which works fast reduce facial swelling and open your airway in an emergency bee-sting situation.

Prepare in late spring:

• If you see bees, wasps or yellow jackets building a nest along the eaves of your home, plug holes with spray foam.

• Better safe than sorry: call an exterminator.

• When working in the yard, make like a beekeeper and wear white or light clothing. Bees get more irritated by darker colors.

• Wasps sting multiple times, so if that happens, try to stay calm and move away from the area where the first sting occurred (it may be near a nest).

Plant wisely:

• Plant red flowers. Bees tend to ignore those.

• Blue and yellow flowers attract many bees, so plant those away from high-traffic areas like your patio.

• Research which plants attract the most bees, such as Bee Balm and Russian Sage, and plant them further away from where people gather.

Gather supplies beforehand. Make a bee-sting kit with:

• An old credit card to flick away the stinger

• Ibuprofen or Tylenol

• Benadryl or antihistamine

• Antibiotic ointment

• Baking soda or Calamine lotion

• Bandaids

• A sharpie marker

• An EpiPen if you or a relative has severe reactions.

Look out for your dog too:

• Dogs are closer to the grass, and they like to roll in it.

• They don't understand they should be scared of a bee.

• In late spring, stock up on Benadryl and double check the dose, according to your dog's weight, with your vet in case you need to use it.

• Just like people, you can apply ice to the site and slather on a thick paste of baking soda mixed with water.

Armed with these tips, hopefully you will warn the bees to stay away. As for Matt, he recovered quickly, but he will never ignore another bee sting again. They may be tiny, but we humans need to give bees respect and take their threat seriously. Even if you don't react to stings, knowing the warning signs of a severe reaction, and being prepared, could very well save another person's life.

<Please note: patient's name was changed in this article to protect privacy.>