Unless a person has a very severe and life-threatening bee sting allergy (which in itself is not very common) the average person can safely tolerate 10 stings per pound of body weight. In fact, the average adult can withstand more than 1000 stings, although 500 stings could kill a child.

On average, 140–150 μg of venom is delivered in a stinging event, and the median lethal dose (LD50) of bee venom varies between 2.8 and 3.5 mg of venom per kg of human body weight (38–41).

A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to bee stings is potentially life-threatening and requires emergency treatment. A small percentage of people who are stung by a bee or other insect quickly develop anaphylaxis.

When females of certain bee species sting you, they leave behind a barbed stinger attached to a venom sack. The stinger can continue injecting venom into your body until it’s removed, so it’s important to remove the stinger right away.

In fact, rattlesnakes don’t cause death very often. We see maybe a couple of deaths per year in the United States, and it’s usually a special circumstance. A child could have an allergic reaction to the snake itself. Rare, but it can happen.

For starters, wear tall leather boots—few snake fangs can penetrate leather. Canvas or heavy denim is pretty good, the main thing is that you don’t want it close to the skin—make the snake bite through the fabric and an inch or two of “dead air” before its fangs hit the skin.

Rattlesnake speeds have not been specifically measured, but they likely travel at about 2 to 3 miles per hour in very short bursts. In comparison, the fastest humans can run up to 28 miles per hour. The average human could easily outrun a rattlesnake.

Generally, rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation in March or April, or when the average daytime temperatures reach and remain about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and higher. In warmer southern states, snakes often don’t go into hibernation, but brumation.