How often do you get wasp/bee stings when cycling?

woody1545

I've only been stung once. Unfortunately I must have been looking pretty gormless and cycling along with my mouth open because it flew in and stung me on the tongue before I could spit it out. It was pretty uncomfortable and my tongue swelled up. Luckily there was a shop near by where I could get anti histamine and finish my ride.

miurasv

A lot of cyclists seem to get stung in the mouth. Quite logical really if you think about it as we mostly have our mouths open gasping for breath if we're going for it. I've read in the past that a sting on the tongue can be pretty dangerous even for people who don't suffer with allergic reactions to stings????

Beer, anyone?

I got stung by a wasp for the first time last weekend. As I was shaking my arm to get the wasp off I threw myself and my bike into the tarmac in the middle of a country lane... Luckily nothing was coming.

Despite the fall the thing that hurt most was definitely the sting! The lump disappeared after a couple of hours though.

ooermissus

Haven't been stung this summer, but I've swallowed a fair few flies...

welton

About once a year with an average of 5,000 kms/ year on the bike. Worst scenario was being stung by a bee in the mouth which was very painful and some 40kms away from home. This year a couple of weeks back 'caught' a bee in my helmet on a descent - glad I have very good brakes.

However, the worst experience of our 'flying brethren' was last week on a final long distance training ride for my 3471kms TdF challenge starting Monday. It was very hot 30C plus and on an 7kms ascent I took off my 'shades' and even at a slow speed when encountering a swarm of black fly type insects was almost momentarily blinded. Despite the sweat, I will now keep them on at all times and also try and remember to keep my mouth closed! They may have been a good protein intake, but bars/gels are a better option.

McBain_v1

Same experience as Welton - I got a bee sting on the inside of my lower lip. It hurt like hell almost immediately and forced a stop while my dad dug it out with his thumbnail. Spent the rest of the day with a comedy-lip after the panic about whether I was going to go into anaphylactic shock wore off.

Always keep your mouth shut when ascending or descending, always keep your glasses on - these will help reduce incidences of unwanted insect attention.

Bengdogg

One bee sting last year as I took off my top which had yellow on it I had a passenger, One wasp this year and I got stung on the tongue once gulping air by a wasp but that was a long time ago

Beatmaker

A wasp repeatedly stung me on my arm while climbing a hill on the Coast to Coast a number of years ago. It's the only time I've been stung on the bike in 20 years of riding.

Teddy Westside

3 stings in about 10 years, the most recent about 3 months ago when I was stung on the upper arm by a wasp at the beginning of a 40 mile ride. Luckily it just nipped for half an hour or so and only left me with a tiny red mark for the next 24 hours.

Before that, I was stung on the lip by a bee as I was half a mile from home and it swelled up so badly I was genuinely scared my lip was going to burst!

The other time was when I was 40 miles from home and a wasp got me on the chest, right over my heart. The venom therefore got round my bloodstream much quicker and I was on the point of collapse by the time I made it home. Obviously, pedalling that distance only increased the speed the venom would circulate my system. I had to go straight to bed and was weak and pretty ill for hours afterwards.

Before those incidents, I'd never been stung in my life.

cookiemonster

How often? Once in about 25 years of cycling and motorcycling

Just so happens it was tonight, and it got caught between my shades and my eye - so I've a cold compress and typing one-eyed!

Hurts like b*gg**y f***

borisvanhalen

once, on the lip by a bee... i have gone through a swarm of honey bees before without getting stung at all