Bee Sting Statistics

Deaths

How many people die from bee stings, and who

CDC death certificate data group honey bees with hornets and wasps. There is no separate national count for honey bees alone.

1. From 2000 through 2017, 1,109 people in the United States died from hornet, wasp and bee stings, an average of 62 deaths a year. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2019)
2. Yearly sting deaths in 2000 to 2017 ranged from a low of 43 in 2001 to a high of 89 in 2017. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2019)
3. From 2011 through 2021, 788 people in the United States died from hornet, wasp and bee stings, an average of 72 deaths a year. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2023)
4. Yearly sting deaths in 2011 to 2021 ranged from 59 in 2012 to 89 in 2017. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2023)
5. These CDC counts include only deaths where a hornet, wasp or bee sting was the underlying cause, coded X23 in ICD-10. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2023)
6. Hornets, wasps and bees accounted for 28.2% of all 1,802 animal-related deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2007. (Source: Forrester, Holstege & Forrester, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2012)
7. Hornets, wasps and bees accounted for 29.7% of the 1,610 animal-related deaths in the United States from 2008 to 2015, and the authors say Hymenoptera deaths have been steady over the last 20 years. (Source: Forrester, Weiser & Forrester, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2018)
8. The 2016 allergy practice parameter states there are at least 40 deaths a year in the United States from insect sting anaphylaxis. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
9. A 2003 review in American Family Physician put the figure at no fewer than 50 reported fatal sting reactions a year in the U.S. and noted many sting deaths may go unrecognized. (Source: Golden, American Family Physician, 2003)
10. In Europe, 1,691 deaths from hornet, wasp and bee stings were recorded from 1994 to 2016, averaging 0.26 deaths per million people a year. (Source: Feás, Vidal & Remesar, Biology (MDPI), 2022)
11. About 80% of U.S. sting deaths from 2000 to 2017 were among males. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2019)
12. Males accounted for 84% of U.S. sting deaths from 2011 to 2021. (Source: CDC NCHS, MMWR QuickStats, 2023)
13. UC IPM notes that most deaths caused by multiple stings have occurred in men in their 70s or 80s. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))
14. The practice parameter says increasing age is associated with a higher risk of more severe anaphylactic reactions to stings. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
15. According to the practice parameter, 50% of fatal sting reactions happen with the person's first reaction. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
16. In Europe from 1994 to 2016, 78.1% of sting deaths were male and 66.7% were people aged 25 to 64. (Source: Feás, Vidal & Remesar, Biology (MDPI), 2022)

The two CDC periods overlap (2011–2017), so their totals should not be added. The 2012 Forrester abstract also says Hymenoptera cause more than 79 deaths a year, which does not match 28.2% of 1,802 deaths over nine years (about 56 a year), so this page reports only the percentage. The practice parameter's 'at least 40' and the 2003 review's 'at least 50' are older floor estimates. Both sources say some sting deaths are likely missed on death certificates. National U.S. age breakdowns were not published in the CDC QuickStats reviewed; the European figures are included for comparison only.

On the job

Workplace sting deaths and injuries

Federal labor data show outdoor trades carry most of the risk. The most detailed national breakdown is a 2014 BLS analysis of 2003–2010 data.

1. Insects, spiders and mites were involved in 83 work-related deaths in the U.S. from 2003 to 2010, and most were due to bee stings. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
2. Of those 83 workplace deaths, bees were involved in 52 and wasps in 11 (including 3 yellow jackets). (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
3. 72 of the 83 deaths were directly caused by an insect, and 39 case narratives mentioned anaphylactic shock. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
4. By occupation, farming accounted for 20 of the deaths, construction 19 and landscaping 17, about two-thirds of the total. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
5. Texas recorded 21 of the 83 deaths, more than any other state. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
6. About 94% of the fatal cases occurred between April and October, with September the peak month (17 deaths). (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
7. Nonfatal insect, spider and mite injuries causing days away from work numbered 6,540 in 2008, 6,870 in 2009 and 4,930 in 2010. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
8. Stings, injections or venomous bites made up more than 65% of those nonfatal days-away-from-work cases each year. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beyond the Numbers, 2014)
9. In a 2017 California case described by CDPH in 2018, a 49-year-old date palm orchard worker who was allergic to bee stings and had no prescribed epinephrine auto-injector died after spraying near a hidden hive. (Source: California Department of Public Health, CA/FACE Fact Sheet, 2018)
10. CDPH recommends a hazard check before work begins and says a hive or nest that is found should be removed by a bee removal service. (Source: California Department of Public Health, CA/FACE Fact Sheet, 2018)

The BLS yearly totals include all insects, spiders and mites, not only bees. Bees alone accounted for 52 of the 83 deaths over the full period.

Emergency care

Emergency room visits and hospital stays

For every sting death there are thousands of emergency visits. Few patients are admitted: in a CDC-authored analysis, 1.8% of people treated for non-dog bites and stings were hospitalized or transferred.

1. Bee stings accounted for an estimated 162,080 U.S. emergency department visits a year from 2001 to 2010. (Source: Langley et al., Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (CDC author manuscript), 2014)
2. Over the full decade 2001 to 2010, the estimate for bee-sting ED visits totals 1,620,796. (Source: Langley et al., Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (CDC author manuscript), 2014)
3. Wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and other vespids added an estimated 40,412 ED visits a year over the same period. (Source: Langley et al., Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (CDC author manuscript), 2014)
4. Within the vespids, wasps accounted for about 26,939 ED visits a year, yellow jackets 9,134 and hornets 3,774. (Source: Langley et al., Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (CDC author manuscript), 2014)
5. Only 1.8% of patients treated in EDs for non-dog bites and stings of all kinds were hospitalized or transferred (2001–2010). (Source: Langley et al., Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (CDC author manuscript), 2014)
6. A 2018 publisher news release on the Stanford-led study put ED visits for hornet, wasp and bee stings at about 220,000 a year. (Source: Elsevier news release on Forrester et al., Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2018)
7. An estimated 3,890 people went to U.S. EDs for stings inside the mouth or throat from 2004 to 2023, about 5% of all sting visits studied. (Source: Huff, Phillips & Keith, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2025)
8. About 2% of those mouth and throat sting patients were admitted to the hospital, and 61% of the stings were in males. (Source: Huff, Phillips & Keith, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2025)

ED estimates miss people treated at urgent care, a doctor's office or at home, so they undercount stings; the study authors say so directly. Patients often cannot tell a bee from a wasp, so the split between bee and vespid visits is approximate. The 1.8% hospitalization figure covers all non-dog bites and stings, not bees alone.

Allergy

Bee sting allergy percentages

Most stings cause brief pain and swelling. Allergists separate large local reactions, which stay near the sting, from systemic reactions, which affect the whole body.

1. Large local reactions, swelling that extends well beyond the sting site, occur in about 10% of the general population. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
2. Potentially life-threatening systemic reactions to insect stings occur in 0.4% to 0.8% of children and 3% of adults. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
3. A 2003 review estimated systemic sting reactions in about 1% of children and 3% of adults. (Source: Golden, American Family Physician, 2003)
4. A typical large local reaction is swelling 8 to 10 inches across that builds over 24 to 48 hours and fades in about 2 to 7 days. (Source: Golden, American Family Physician, 2003)
5. People who have had a large local reaction have a 4% to 10% risk of a systemic reaction to a later sting. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
6. Children or adults whose past systemic reaction involved only the skin have about a 10% chance of a future systemic reaction. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
7. People with a history of sting anaphylaxis react systemically to a later sting almost 50% of the time on average. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
8. Positive venom allergy tests (IgE) show up in more than 20% of healthy adults, most of whom never react. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
9. In the months after a sting, temporary venom sensitization appears in up to 40% of adults. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
10. UC IPM's Pest Note gives a lower figure, saying one to two people out of 1,000 are allergic or hypersensitive to stings. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))

The UC IPM figure (1 to 2 per 1,000) is far lower than the practice parameter's 3% of adults. The practice parameter is the more recent, clinically sourced estimate; UC IPM does not give a source or definition for its figure. A positive allergy test alone does not mean a person will react to a sting.

Risk factors

What raises the risk of severe anaphylaxis

Allergists look at a few markers when judging how dangerous the next sting could be. A blood test for tryptase is one of the main ones.

1. Elevated baseline serum tryptase is closely correlated with the risk of severe anaphylaxis to stings, and the test is abnormal in about 11% of sting-allergy cases. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
2. Mastocytosis, a mast cell disorder, is estimated in about 2% of adults with insect sting allergy. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
3. Going the other way, insect allergy is reported in about 25% of patients with mastocytosis. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
4. In an Italian study of 379 people with systemic sting reactions, 44 (11.6%) had raised baseline tryptase above 11.4 ng/mL. (Source: Bonadonna et al., Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2009)
5. Of 34 of those patients who had bone marrow testing, 21 had indolent systemic mastocytosis and 9 had monoclonal mast cell activation syndrome. (Source: Bonadonna et al., Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2009)
6. In that study, every patient with raised tryptase and a history of anaphylaxis had one of those two clonal mast cell disorders. (Source: Bonadonna et al., Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2009)
7. The practice parameter says patients taking beta blockers or ACE inhibitors are at greater risk for more serious sting anaphylaxis. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)

The Bonadonna study was done at allergy clinics in Italy, so its 11.6% figure describes people already referred for serious reactions, not the general public. Medication questions belong with a physician; the practice parameter does not tell patients to stop prescribed drugs on their own.

Treatment

How well venom immunotherapy works

Venom immunotherapy is a series of allergy shots that retrains the immune system. It is the main long-term treatment for people who have had serious sting reactions.

1. Venom immunotherapy (allergy shots) reduces the risk of a systemic reaction to a later sting to less than 5%. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
2. Once started, venom immunotherapy should usually continue for at least 3 to 5 years. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
3. 80% to 90% of patients do not have a systemic reaction to a sting if immunotherapy is stopped after 3 to 5 years. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
4. The practice parameter notes honey bee venom immunotherapy offers less complete protection than some other venoms, so carrying epinephrine may still be advised. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
5. A 2003 review reported mixed vespid venom shots as 98% effective in preventing systemic reactions to future stings. (Source: Golden, American Family Physician, 2003)
6. UC IPM says desensitization with pure venom works about 95% of the time. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))
7. A Johns Hopkins study followed children diagnosed with sting allergy in 1978–1985; 512 of 1,033 responded, with a mean follow-up of 18 years. (Source: Golden et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2004)
8. In that study, 3% of treated children (2 of 64) and 17% of untreated children (19 of 111) later had a systemic reaction to a sting. (Source: Golden et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2004)
9. Among children whose first reactions were moderate to severe, 5% of treated (2 of 43) versus 32% of untreated (7 of 22) reacted again. (Source: Golden et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2004)
10. Venom immunotherapy is generally not necessary for children under 17 whose systemic reaction involved only the skin, according to the practice parameter. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)

Effectiveness figures differ by source and venom: 98% (mixed vespid venom, 2003 review), about 95% (UC IPM), and under 5% residual risk (2016 practice parameter). The Hopkins children's study had a 50% response rate, so its percentages rest on small groups.

Mass stinging

How many bee stings can kill you

There are two different dangers. For an allergic person, one sting can be fatal. For everyone else, it takes hundreds to more than a thousand stings for venom alone to become life-threatening.

1. UC IPM estimates the toxic dose (LD50) of honey bee venom at 8.6 stings per pound of body weight. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))
2. By that estimate, UC IPM says an otherwise healthy adult would have to be stung more than 1,000 times to be at risk of death, and children are at greater risk. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))
3. A 2009 Texas A&M paper cites an estimated LD50, extrapolated from mouse data, of about 1,200 stings for an average 68 kg (150 lb) person, with some sensitive people showing venom toxicity from fewer than 100. (Source: Pankiw, Journal of Medical Entomology, 2009)
4. The same paper, citing earlier work, notes toxic reactions may occur with 50 or more stings and that at least 18 U.S. deaths have been related to massive stinging. (Source: Pankiw, Journal of Medical Entomology, 2009)
5. A review of mass envenomations found most sting deaths and serious incidents involve fewer than 10 stings and anaphylactic shock, not venom overload. (Source: Vetter, Visscher & Camazine, Western Journal of Medicine, 1999)
6. The same review concluded that, with supportive care, most victims should be able to survive an attack by about 1,000 honey bees; deaths after mass attacks come from kidney failure or heart complications. (Source: Vetter, Visscher & Camazine, Western Journal of Medicine, 1999)
7. A Brazilian hospital report on Africanized bee mass stings described 11 surviving patients and one fatal case: an 11-year-old boy stung more than 1,000 times. (Source: Almeida et al., Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 2011)
8. In an Arizona poison center study of 2017–2019 sting calls (Rahimian et al., American Journal of Medicine, 2020), as summarized in slides by a University of Arizona physician, 251 victims (81%) had a single sting and 13 had more than 50. (Source: Klotz, University of Arizona telemedicine webinar slides, 2024, summarizing Rahimian et al., 2020)
9. Africanized honey bees have the same venom as European honey bees but may pursue a threat a quarter mile or more. (Source: UC Cooperative Extension, ANR Publication 8068, Africanized Honeybee Facts, 2002)
10. San Bernardino County Public Health says Africanized bees can deliver ten times more stings than domestic honey bees in similar situations. (Source: San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Africanized Honey Bees fact sheet, 2015)

Lethal-dose figures are estimates, not safe limits. UC IPM says children are at greater risk than adults and that most multiple-sting deaths have been in older men with poor heart and lung function; Pankiw notes sensitive people may show venom toxicity from fewer than 100 stings. The Arizona figures are taken from presentation slides summarizing a poison center study (Rahimian et al., 2020) rather than from the paper itself, and the Brazil report covers a single hospital.

First aid

Bee sting first aid and when to call 911

The guidance below comes from public health agencies and allergy organizations. It is general information and does not replace a doctor or emergency services.

1. AAAAI advises removing a honey bee stinger within 30 seconds to avoid receiving more venom, by scraping with a fingernail and not squeezing the venom sac. (Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Stinging Insect Allergy)
2. UC IPM says that if a stinger is removed within 15 seconds of the sting, the severity of the sting is reduced. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))
3. UC Cooperative Extension notes the stinger pumps out most of its venom during the first minute. (Source: UC Cooperative Extension, ANR Publication 8068, Africanized Honeybee Facts, 2002)
4. CDC NIOSH first aid: have someone stay with the person to watch for an allergic reaction, wipe gauze or scrape a fingernail over the stinger, wash with soap and water, and apply ice. (Source: CDC NIOSH, Insects and Scorpions at Work)
5. The California Poison Control System says to call 911 right away for chest tightness, trouble breathing or wheezing, confusion, a full-body rash, or signs of shock after a sting. (Source: California Poison Control System (UCSF))
6. AAAAI advises carrying two epinephrine devices because a second dose is needed about one-third of the time. (Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Stinging Insect Allergy)
7. AAAAI says epinephrine is a rescue medicine only, and a person with sting allergy who is stung must still have someone take them to an emergency room immediately. (Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Stinging Insect Allergy)
8. The practice parameter says patients at risk should be prescribed an injectable epinephrine device and that there is no contraindication to epinephrine in a life-threatening situation. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
9. UC IPM says to seek medical attention immediately for a sting on the neck or in the mouth. (Source: UC Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Bee and Wasp Stings (Pub. 7449))
10. UC Cooperative Extension advises medical attention if breathing is troubled, if stung numerous times, or if the person is allergic to bee stings. (Source: UC Cooperative Extension, ANR Publication 8068, Africanized Honeybee Facts, 2002)
11. If attacked by a colony, San Bernardino County Public Health says to run in a straight line to a house or car and never stand still or swat. (Source: San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Africanized Honey Bees fact sheet, 2015)

Sources differ on details. AAAAI says to remove the stinger within 30 seconds; UC IPM says 15 seconds. CDC NIOSH and San Bernardino County say to scrape rather than squeeze or use tweezers, while the California Poison Control System suggests a flat object such as a credit card rather than fingers or fingernails. AAAAI, UC IPM and UC Cooperative Extension all stress removing the stinger quickly.

Beekeepers

Do beekeepers build up sting tolerance

People who work bees get stung far more than the public. The research shows higher allergy rates overall, with the least-stung beekeepers at higher risk than those stung often.

1. In a German survey of 1,053 beekeepers, 46 (4.4%) reported systemic reactions to bee stings. (Source: Münstedt et al., Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology, 2008)
2. Those German beekeepers reported a mean of 57.8 stings a year (median 30, range 0 to 1,000). (Source: Münstedt et al., Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology, 2008)
3. Large local reactions are more common among beekeepers, at 14% to 43%, than the roughly 10% seen in the general population. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)
4. A systematic-review protocol in BMJ Open summarized published self-reported systemic reaction rates in beekeepers as 14% to 30%, with some studies reporting up to 43%. (Source: BMJ Open, systematic review protocol, 2022)
5. A 2005 review lists fewer than 10 stings a year, atopy and respiratory allergy symptoms at the hive among the major risk factors for allergic reactions in beekeepers. (Source: Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, review, 2005)
6. The practice parameter states beekeepers have a significantly higher incidence of systemic reactions than the general population. (Source: AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force, Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter Update, 2017)

Reported beekeeper allergy rates vary widely (4.4% in the German survey versus 14% to 30% in other studies) because most rely on self-reported symptoms and use different definitions. The German study had no lab testing. None of the sources reviewed recommends frequent stinging as a way to build tolerance. The review treats low sting exposure as a risk marker and does not present frequent stinging as a treatment.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Related on this site

• Emergency bee removal
• Africanized bees in SoCal: what to do
• Bee swarm outside? What to do

How this page was made

Methodology & sources

Every fact on this page was traced to a primary source (a government data release, a university research or extension publication, a professional medical body or a peer-reviewed paper) and checked against the original document. Data years are given where they differ from publication years. Where reputable sources disagree, both figures are shown. Sources are named in plain text next to each fact.

• CDC National Center for Health Statistics (MMWR QuickStats)
• CDC NIOSH
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• California Department of Public Health (CA/FACE)
• AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters (Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
• American Family Physician
• Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
• New England Journal of Medicine
• Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• Western Journal of Medicine
• Journal of Medical Entomology
• UC Statewide IPM Program
• UC Cooperative Extension (ANR Publication 8068)
• California Poison Control System
• San Bernardino County Department of Public Health
• Biology (MDPI)
• Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology
• BMJ Open (systematic review protocol, 2022)
• Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• University of Arizona