Home-Grown Remedies for Bee Stings

The friendly honeybees at Better Farm.

By Allison Bachner

They say "Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house." Well, perhaps I would recommend "Don’t throw swats if you live in a temple of the bees." One of the many benefits of having an organic farm that doesn’t use harmful pesticides and is surrounded by fields of wild and native plants is a healthy population of bees that help preserve these natural habitats. Bees are absolutely essential to healthy production on a farm. However, not all bees are created equal; and the wasp nest that sprang up at our farmstand was filled with nasty bugs hungry for an easy shot. I was stung under my left eye.


After the initial, painful confusion, my eye was swollen shut to the likes of Popeye the Sailor Man. Thankfully, Better Farm cultivates a number of suggested natural treatments; including honey, garlic, onions, basil, and parsley, to alleviate the symptoms of bee stings. Unfortunately for me, stings near eyes and mouths tend to last for at least three days of varying severity depending on treatment.

After removing the stinger and washing the sting site, you can try these homeopathic remedies to help reduce pain, itching and swelling:

-Honey- Apply honey on the affected site

-Garlic- Apply crushed garlic to the sting site, cover and let it sit for a half hour

-Onion- Cut an onion slice and press on sting site

-Basil- Apply crushed basil to sting to help alleviate pain and swelling

-Parley- Apply crushed parsley

-Plantain- This common weed’s leaves can be crushed up and the juice applied to sting site as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory (image below)

Along with the remedies found in your garden, these household items also help:

-Ice- Applying ice both helps numb pain and reduce the swelling significantly

-Vinegar- Application of vinegar to affected site can help draw out the sting’s venom

-Baking Soda- Applying a paste of baking soda and water can help neutralize the sting venom