[Mick] For bee stings at my house, the first thing we do is we take a dose of 2 different homeopathic remedies: Ledum 200C and Apis 200C. As soon as we’ve done that, I make a paste of baking soda and water and I apply it on the sting. I put the paste over an area about an inch in diameter. When it has dried out a bit, I look underneath it; if there’s still redness or swelling, I make up a new paste and reapply it. I also give the two remedies every 15 minutes or so. Usually by the time 45 or so minutes have passed, there’s almost no pain and virtually no swelling. And I’ll be honest, I always forget to look and see if the stinger is still in the spot where the person has been stung. That should be the first thing done, but I never remember. I have been told that if the stinger is there, it should be removed without squeezing the end of it (which I have been told causes more venom to be released into the skin).