Simple Outdoor Tips To Protect Yourself From Bees
If you are allergic to bees, then you may be deathly afraid of the insects. You may also be part of the 3.3% of Americans who experience a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, when stung by a bee. You may not know that around 40 to 100 people die of anaphylaxis from bee stings every year. While this certainly does not reduce your fears, you should also understand that bees do not want to sting you. Bees only sting to protect their hive and the queen living inside. When bees do sting, they die. Since this is obviously not an advantage to the bee, bee stings only occur in dire situations. This means that you can likely prevent a bee sting pretty easily, and there are some simple outdoor tips you can follow to protect yourself.
Be A Human Instead Of A Flower
Bees are drawn to flowers so they can quickly gather as much nectar as they can, and the insects use all of their senses to locate plants they think will have a good supply of nectar. Bees are fairly advanced when it comes to searching for flowers, and they can actually sense specific electrical fields. This helps a bee determine if the flower still contains food or if another bee already removed it.
Bees do use a fairly simple process to locate an area that has flowers in the first place. Specifically, they will look for bright colors as well as flower patterns. They will also use their sense of smell. While bees are pretty smart when it comes to nectar, they can sometimes become confused. This confusion occurs when bees detect what they think may be a flower, and they decide to inspect what their senses are telling them. Basically, if you look or smell like a flower, you may draw bees directly to you.
When you go outside during the spring and summer months, make sure not to wear brightly colored clothing or clothes that have flower prints on them. Also, do not wear floral perfumes. Sweet smelling body sprays should be avoided too. Think about wearing white, gray, beige, black, or brown clothing, and opt for a musk instead of a floral scent. Try to choose fragrance free lotions and sunscreens as well.
Wear Solid Shoes
Sandals and flip-flops may be a favorite of yours in the summer, but this type of footwear leaves your feet open to a bee sting. While bees do not want to sting you, a foot directly aimed at a bee will signal a dire situation and a bee sting may land directly on you. Bees do sleep, and most older bees will have regular sleep patterns much like you do. However, the demands of foraging means resting for some time on the grass, bushes, and flowers. Also, younger bees will sometimes relax or dose for longer periods during the day, and many can be found in your yard.
This means that you may accidentally startle a sleeping bee. It is difficult to see a single small bee sleeping between the blades of grass. This means you may not be able to prevent a bee-startling incident. You can protect your feet from stings by wearing solid shoes. Start with a thick, rubber-soled pair. Also, opt for shoes that have a thick upper fabric to keep stingers from reaching the feet. Both leather and denim fabrics can offer good protection. Tightly woven cotton shoes are an option too.
Bee sting allergies can be scary. Thankfully, you can protect yourself from stings fairly easily. Just make sure that you avoid clothing and fragrances that make you look and smell like a flower. Also, choose a solid and protective pair of shoes. For more tips or information about your specific allergy, contact a clinic like Oak Brook Allergists.