Actress KRISTEN BELL's New Year started off with a medical scare - after suffering a painful bee sting inside her ear.

The Heroes star was hiking near her Los Angeles home with her dog when a bee wandered into her ear and couldn't find its way out.

Bell frantically tried to get the insect to buzz off but she was unsuccessful and got stung - and she insists the pain was excruciating when her ear began to swell.

She says, "I was stung by a bee in my ear on New Year's Eve. You forget (and think) only kids are stung by bees. I was on a hike with my dog and it hurt so f**king much."

But Bell admits she was probably being overly dramatic after the incident - because she was able to treat herself without help from doctors.

She explains, "I don't know if I was just being a baby but I was actually crying coming down from the hike and I was by myself."