I've also heard of putting mud on a bee sting to help reduce the swelling and pain. Been stung by a bee once before and thats what was done on me. Seems to have worked.

I have heard of the copper penny trick, not just for bee stings but any insect bite, including wasps. I have actually tried this a couple of times on wasp bites and after just a few minutes of holding the penny on the bite, the pain was gone and there wasn't any reddening or swelling. I know this sounds crazy, I am a paramedic of 15 years so I know crazy (lol), but this has actually worked and is my first line of defense against bites and stings! Come on Adam, give this a try and make cents of your fear!

Please confirm this myth if you could. As a paramedic I am calling it BS. I got this email, well here it is...

It might be wise to carry a penny in your pocket while working in the yard......... BEE STINGS !

A couple of weeks ago, I was stung by both a bee and hornet while working in the garden.

My arm swelled up, so I went to the doctor. The clinic gave me cream and an antihistamine. The next day the swelling was getting progressively worse, so I went to my regular doctor. The arm was Infected and needed an antibiotic. The doctor told me - ' The next time you get stung, put a penny on the bite for 15 minutes'.

That night, my niece was stung by two bees. I looked at the bite and it had already started to swell. So, I taped a penny to her arm for 15 minutes. The next morning, there was no sign of a sting. We decided that she just wasn't allergic to the sting.

Soon, I was gardening outside. I got stung again, twice by a hornet on my left hand. I thought, here I go again to the doctor for another antibiotic.

I promptly got my money out and taped two pennies to my stings, then sat and sulked for 15 minutes. The pennies took the pain out of the stings immediately.

In the meantime the hornets were attacking, and my friend was stung on the thumb. Again the penny. The next morning I could only see
the spot where the hornet had stung me. No redness, no swelling. My friend's sting was the same; couldn't even tell where she had been stung.

Wanted to share this marvelous information in case you experience the same problem. We need to keep a stock of pennies on hand .

The Doctor said that the copper in the penny counteracts the sting. It definitely works!

There is also a long history of doctors prescribing placebos in cases where nothing works.

My father had a home remedy for bee stings that I haven't seen posted yet. May sound crazy but look at it objectively before you dismiss it and see if you can figure out any reason it COULD work.

Ready? My father always said to take three different types of any weeds, (has to be a weed) strip off a leaf from each. Twist, tear and mash them together to get a slightly wet mash, then put it on the sting for reduced swelling. Always seemed to help, although I think perhaps the coolness of the mash may have had more to do with it than anything. Maybe even a cool penny shielding the sting from the sun?

I've also been told that a wet dip of tobacco on the wound helps with the pain, but that's a no-brainer since nicotine is a painkiller.

So, would normal ice on the sting help the most? Numbing the area would certainly alleviate pain, and the flesh of a stung area is always hot to the touch.

Here in Guam, I was told that applying urine (presumably my own) immediately after the sting would reduce any swelling. I haven't tested this myth.

The penny thing being doubted because of the fact that it may not the penny that cures, it may be the protection from the sun, sounds like a good mythbusters episode to me.