The cure for bee stings is right in the vegetable bin, according to a Village of Oak Creek woman.

Hilde Forster read a recent newspaper article reporting the death of a man from multiple bee stings. She became upset.

“When I heard about that man dying from bee stings, I thought it was so unnecessary,” Forster said. “There is a cure — a slice of onion. First you scrape the poison sack off, then put a slice of onion on the sting. In two to three minutes, you don’t know you were stung.”

As an example, Forster talked about a time she was swimming in the pool at her apartment complex and found a bee floating on the water. She scooped the bee up and took it to the edge to release it. However, it stung her on the hand in the process.

“I got out and ran into the kitchen. I asked for a slice of onion and put it on the sting,” Forster said pointing to her palm. “In a few minutes the sting was gone. Something in the onion counteracts the bee poison. I don’t know the chemistry, but it works.”

Onions are members of the lily family, although not quite as fragrant as their floral cousins.  They are staples in many diets throughout the world.

Forster learned the cut onion home remedy in Germany where she grew up.

“I think it is so important for everyone to know this,” she said. “It works for all bees. A bee is a bee, so I imagine it works on killer bees too. They’re still a bee, only more aggressive.”

Using a slice or crushed onion on bee stings is listed as a natural home remedy to relieve the effects of bee stings in several publications. The People’s Pharmacy said in a 2009 article about onions and bee stings that Swiss farmers have used the remedy for centuries, and early American settlers used onion as an insect repellent. The onion has compounds that can break down the proteins in bee venom.

Onions have been used for compresses applied to the skin for various skin ailments. They contain flavonoids that perform an anti-inflammatory action, according to Dr. John Christopher’s Herbal Legacy. Christopher was a pioneer in herbal medicine.

Locy Rogers is a bee remover and has kept bees at his Clarkdale home for nearly 40 years. Onions as a bee sting remedy was new to him.

“I’ve been stung dozens of times. I usually just scrape off the poison sack. I have heard of baking soda and water mixed into a paste, though,” Rogers said. “I’ll have to try the onion. I have plenty growing in my garden.”

Richard Clark in Camp Verde has worked with bees for 18 years and said the reaction from a bee sting depends on the individual.

“You want to get the sack off right away because it will keep pumping venom. Scrape it off, don’t pinch it because that will push a lot of the venom into the sting site,” Clark said. “Onion is one I haven’t heard of.”

Forster agrees about removing the poison sack bees usually leave behind with the stinger. It needs to be removed as soon as possible.

“With one sting you can scrape it off with your fingernail, but if you have a lot of stings use a fine-toothed comb. As long as you get them off quickly,” she said and demonstrated the motion down her arm. “If you have too many stings, it takes too long to take them off one by one.”

When Forster lived in Cottonwood, a neighbor came to her after he was stung. She cut an onion and placed it on the site. In a few minutes, evidence of the sting disappeared.

“I tried it on a carpenter who got stung doing some work for me. It cured him too. I tried it on other people, so I know it works,” Forster said.

However, she agreed people with allergies to bee stings or other insect bites should follow their physician’s orders, and seek medical treatment.

“I don’t want anyone to suffer. I’m not a medical person. I don’t know how my remedy would work with someone who is allergic,” Forster said.

Other suggested home remedies for bee stings are meat tenderizer, crushed parsley, basil, lavender oil, apple cider vinegar, baking soda and water paste, mustard, crushed garlic, peanut butter, calendula flowers, bee balm and honey.