Yikes arfie... Bee mobbings... Just the sound of that freaks me out!!

Sorry I don't have info I just had to give you a hug.... What about being referred to an allergist??

http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/allergy/hymenoptera-venom-allergy/Default.htm

I don't know if this will help or not...there are other links....I was looking up physiology of the bee sting and future stings

I've seen a couple of programs on people working with snakes getting snake bites over and over and the bites get more deadly with future bites...What you've written sort of reminds me of what I've seen about snakes

Yoiks. And zoks.

No idea what would help but gentle healing for you, and calming vibes to the bees.

The bee mobbings are a very Zen experience, SunCloud. Downright mystical when I am dressed for the occasion. But then, I am twisted enough to be far more afraid of an aerosol can than an insect.

Thanks for the link. "Hymenoptera" would be the new word for me on that page. A fancy word for the current medical standard of lumping all stinging insects together, I think, but . . . This would be a new phenom for me and I seem to have lots to learn. Word on the bee nets is that an acquired allergy is different from the kind you are born with and that if you know that much about it, you probably already know more about it than the average Medical Park Pro. A formulated referral is not likely to get me far enough to make it worth going into the Medical Parks I am so ill-equipped to handle.

From what I have found so far, you are right on target about the "venom immunotherapy" being the standard for all venom producing critters, from snakes to ants. I am still digesting what that means.

Arfie, I know NIH may not be a reliable source, and this study has its flaw (small sample size, for me) but the basic gist of it dealing with specific levels of immunoglobulin types seems (operative word: "seems") to vary between people like my hubby who are just plain old allergic, and those who develop allergy after swarming(s) (Like my cousin). The link below goes to the abstract, and it may at least provide some clue as to where to possibly being looking.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9824397

also this brief

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206235/

Googling immunoglobulin E will lead to a lot of asthma and allergy sites (ugh) but I did a slightly more refined search and knowing your dislike of traditional medical treatment, and came up with the general conclusion that while they claimt o have breakthroughs for allergies, they focus mostly on pediatric allergies, food allergies, asthma.

Wish I could help but this is not in my usual line of nerd-ness. I don't have allergies, nor allergic reactions. Worst I've gotten is contact dermatitis from fiberglass insulation.

Thanks, Leo. The " immunoglobulin E (IgE)" is one of the terms I am trying to decipher. I am not sure, but I think the "IgE" morphs to "IgG" for the beekeeper malady. I think. For certain, trying to pronounce it is giving me jaw aches. Trying to wrap my brain around it has me wanting to hide my head in a honeycomb.

Small bytes and long chews. Thanks for the chew food.

I have no idea, so I'm afraid I can't be any help about the allergy thing. I just hope it's not so, because I'm a big fan of your beekeeping posts from last year. I was looking forward to more this year. Fingers crossed.

This means you have to be suited religiously and keep an epi-pen handy...or a whole bottle of children's Benadryl, your choice...

I don't know exactly what to do for bee sting allergies as per immunotherapy.

The problem with acquired bee venom allergy is that it's not studied as extensively as the "innate" allergy reaction.

The ratio of IgE to IgG shows up as a vital marker in a ton of allergic reactions---but while doctors will give IgG intravenously to boost immune-deficient patients' systems, there's not really much going on IgE-wise by comparison. Darn biochemistry. Tricky stuff.

My hubby has an "everyday" bee allergy. My cousin developed one after being swarmed. (Ugly ugly day.) And since that, he carries an epipen and wears a bracelet to let people know of his allergy.

Speaking from what little I know of entomology---and it's mostly self-defense knowledge!--- any chance that third mob occurred when any certain plants were in bloom? Given that traces of neurotoxins from azaleas can get into honey via pollinating bees---without hurting the bees---there may be some secondary factor that was regulating the reaction beyond the obvious. Crazy-wild-a** thought, I know, but I get a lot of those, as you know.... (I live in an azalea-rich area, it's why we don't trust local wildflower honey. (Yes, I know bumblebees are a primary pollinator of azaleas, but around here, not many bumblers, so honeybees are frequent visitors to the wild rhododendron and azalea thickets. And yes, it's hit-and-miss, but really, when it comes to neurotoxins, how much hit do you need?)

Sorry, I get so nerdy. *wince*

Point being, my hubby--who has hay fever type allergies as well as a moderate bee sting allergy--has had more severe bee sting reactions when it's pollen season for plants he's allergic to. That may be a "too much at once" thing, but hey, I never discount the improbable or even the impossible when it comes to biochemistry.

Nah. All three mobbings happened while I was messing inside their hives without full attire while I knew they were agitated. My bad. Lesson learned. Discovering I am not bullet proof, after all, might have been the hardest part of the lesson.

The good news is that there is almost no pain in my hands today. Bee venom really is great for arthritis.

We keep epi pens on hand for clinically vulnerable outsiders, but . . . It is a new kind of reaction, but at no time did I feel I was in mortal danger. Just momentarily stumped. Stumpation happens.

No question that it is not well-studied. The one actual study I have found so far sounded like they went through an awful lot of trouble to find 73 people in the world who suffered the problem and liked medical parks enough to participate. Hardly a broad sampling. . . 'Tis a natural fact that beekeepers are not the most common patients in any doctor's waiting room. Medical researchers in the apiary are even less common.

The vast majority of medical sources I have found are pure copy and paste superstition.

Another issue being that many who acquire it from swarms or mobbings, it's from *wasps*.---- not the exact same mechanism(s) involved with the venom involved, etc.

(link to a user-friendly description of the differences if you don't know them: http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/08/28/insectvenoms/ )

And that of course changes the body's response....

Oy.