Bees! - Dallas,TX

First off, Im deathly allergic to bees, scared to death of those little things, I run and scream when I see them. But I can answer your questions:

A) Bees fly from all over the place, so unless you see a cluster of them or see bees flying out of an attic window or nearby tree, I wouldnt worry about a hive.

B) Your SIL should always have an epipen with her. Unless your allergic to bees you can't get an epipen without a prescription I believe.

C) If your kids are stung, give them Benadryl and and make sure you get the stinger out with a credit card , then put a paste of baking soda and water on it to relieve the pain.

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Honey bees are not aggressive, They only attack if they are actually touched or their hive is threatened.
we had honey bees actually living in the eves of our house and had no problems with them stinging.
They can travel miles away from the hive so unless there are a large number of them and you see them coming and going from one direction in mass then you don't need to worry about a hive.
If you find a hive and they are honey bees call a beekeeper they will usually remove the hive and the colony.
please don't spray them ,honey bees are dying out by the thousands.

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I'm allergic to bees and I always carry an epipen with me. Have some benadryl, hydrocortisone on hand for any bites, not just bee stings. We use that a lot with me and the kids since we get bitten by mosquitos a lot. If you and the kids are not allergic these things should be enough. As for you SIL she has her epipen and a trip to ER/Urgent Care if she gets stung.

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Bees themselves will not sting unless someone is physically attacking their hive or themselves. Hornets (yellow yackets) and wasps, on the other hand will sting when not really bothered. They are eager to sting. Alot of people get bees and hornets confused because they look so similar. If you are seeing bees, then I wouldnt really worry, as they usually go about their own business and wont bother you if you dont bother them. Hornets and wasps will sting easily. If you happen to see a nest near your house and want it down you can do it yourself or call a pest control worker. If it is an actual bee hive, a pest control company usually wont take it down unless someone who resides in the house is deathly allergic (btw, everyone is allergic to bee stings, just some people are a lot more allergic than others, its all how the body reacts to the poison, just like everyone reacts to poison ivy, however, some peoples body barely react at all, and others break out horribly). If it is a wasp nest (it looks like paper), or a hornet nest, it can be taken down easily by a pest control tech.

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If stung you can make a paste with baking soda and water in the palm of your hand and put on sight of sting helps with pain...it really works I have done it many times! I always give my kids benedryll if stung! My mother and brother are allergic but I'm not. If they were allergic it can be life saving to give benedryll right away. My mother (haven't seen my brother stung) you can tell immediately that she is allergic it is a fast reaction! But I don't know if she was stung a couple of times as a child first and has a hyper reaction now or if it has always been that way? good luck!

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L.,
These are interesting questions...and ones i have not ever thought of before. I do not have the answers for you but i just wanted to suggest that if you dont get the answers that you are looking for, maybe you should call your pediatricians office or your regular doctors office. They would probably have the best answers to your questions. Good luck.

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I would suggest having a bottle of liquid Children's Benedryl as well as the pills. The liquid will get into your system quicker than a pill will and time can be critical if there is a reaction.

Good grief your topic header made me think they were in your house. I think you're bordering on the paranoid side a bit in this case. Bees are everywhere, and thank goodness for that. There is a hive somewhere but I would do no more than just walk around your house once just to be sure. Also I think if your SIL was so tragically allergic she would carry her own protection since - bees are everywhere, and thank goodness for that.

Lots of good advice already. Only thing I did not see addressed was the question about epipen for young children. Yes, there is an epipen JR for young children. Nice of you to consider this!

FYI... You never know when you could become severly allergic to a bee sting. My grandmother became deathly allergic in her 60s. I think it is always a good idea to keep Benadryl on hand for adults and kids in the event of a bee sting.