🐝 Bee Sting First Aid & Anaphylaxis

About this simulation

A honeybee's barbed stinger tears free of her body and stays embedded in the skin, where the attached venom sac and muscles keep pumping venom for up to a minute after the sting. This model shows a simplified body with a sting site cutaway so you can see how quickly you remove the stinger changes how much venom gets in, and how a normal local reaction differs from the escalating, whole-body chain of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

How it works

• Time since sting — venom keeps entering the skin until the stinger is removed or the sac empties (~60s); local swelling then keeps building for minutes afterward from the histamine response.
• Removal method — speed matters far more than technique: scraping it out immediately limits venom compared to fumbling for tweezers. Never squeeze the sac itself.
• Reaction severity — a local reaction stays at the sting site. A moderate reaction adds hives spreading across the body. Anaphylaxis adds airway swelling, pale/clammy skin from falling blood pressure, and is a medical emergency.
• Epinephrine — becomes available once anaphylaxis is selected. Injected into the outer thigh, it rapidly reverses airway swelling and blood pressure drop — watch the body recover in the animation.

Real-world first aid steps

• Remove the stinger quickly by any method — scraping with a card or fingernail is easiest.
• Wash the area, apply a cold pack, and take an antihistamine for a normal local reaction.
• If hives, swelling of the lips/tongue, throat tightness, wheeze, dizziness, or vomiting appear — treat as anaphylaxis: use an epinephrine auto-injector immediately and call emergency services, even if symptoms improve.
• Lie the person flat with legs raised (unless vomiting/struggling to breathe), and give a second dose after 5–15 minutes if there is no improvement.

Controls

• Time since sting — advances venom release and swelling.
• Stinger removal — how (and how fast) the stinger was removed.
• Reaction severity — choose the type of reaction to visualise.
• Give epinephrine — enabled only in anaphylaxis mode; starts the recovery animation.
• Drag to rotate the scene, scroll to zoom.

Educational simulation only — not medical advice. Always follow professional guidance and carry prescribed epinephrine if you have a known bee-sting allergy.