Wasp stings

[woodworkingboy]

I was stung recently near my knuckle, wrapped my hand around a branch and got the needle through my glove. I didn't see the type of wasp.

My reactions to wasp stings have been getting worse, and although within a couple minutes used a poison extractor suction device, my finger then whole hand swelled up to the point of only being able to bend my finger half way. I considered getting a drip at the hospital, but the one nearby was closed the following two days. I applied some prescription ointment for the purpose, and ice, but that never seems to help me much.

After the second day the swelling wasn't getting worse or better, but the itching started up big time, a ramification of the infection, I was told. I tried the hot as you can stand hot water for a couple minutes to help the itching, which seems quite effective for stings and poison oak for at least a few hours. After the hot water, both the itching much improved and the swelling started to go down. By the next morning, things had lightened up considerably.

Just thought that I would mention the hot water treatment for anyone who gets stung. At least it does help out the itch. The poison may just have run it's course, but from that point things did start to get better.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I hate a frigging stinging creature!

 

[Paul B]

camped this weekend, MANY hornets. 4 of us got tagged, one of the four got 2! no major reactions other than the cuss words at the time of the incidents. One finger (me), one shoulder, two feet and one on the wrist. Bastards.

 

[sotc]

The only reason i'd rather get stung by a wasp over a yellow jacket is theres rarely more than one to sting you! That said, the sting is always more sore and swelling with a wasp

 

[Paul B]

these were around by the dozen Willie, little buggers sent out a couple scouts at mealtime then within about 5 minutes of food being plated the hordes were there. I puit down my plate to shoo one away from Bub's face then when I picked it back up there was one under the rim I didnt see but I guess I squooshed him a bit cuz he stung the tip of m finger. Made me drop my breakie on the ground, good thing we cook more than we need

after brief image research they look more like yellowjackets than wasps.

 

[pete mctree]

I have reacted badly to wasps for the first time this year. My arm swelled up the other week, unpleasant & alarming. I was give a course of steroids which helped, but the doctor said it was an infection not an allergic reaction as wasps are dirty creatures & will land on anything & everything

 

[MasterBlaster]

as wasps are dirty creatures

I'd love to know the truth behind that.

 

[Al Smith]

I've got these great big yellow hornets that keep hanging around my wood yard not aggresive at all .The only thing I can figure is some of the unsplt stuff have cicada larva in them .The insides of some of those rounds almost look like they are packed with top soil .

Meat tenderizer works on bee stings,might on wasp stings too .

 

[woodworkingboy]

My brother tells me that yellow jackets are smarter than wasps. He raises bees and says the wasps get caught in his trap and the yellow jackets figure a way out. Better home schooling?

On this current job in the woods, I saw a few Giant Asians cruising around, and watched one disappear into the ground, it's nest I guess. I don't think it was one of those that hit me, as the reaction to the sting is a good week to ten days long, based on experience. I'm thinking to carry some spray with me henceforth. Getting stung is a bitch. Wonder what God had in mind when he created wasps?

 

[Cobleskill]

I get more reaction to yellowjackets than I do hornets. I think the bald-faced wasps are bad. I think I have been lucky not to be stung by one of those. Stinging insects seem to be kind of like dogs. Somehow they sense fear. My Dad used to ignore them and rarely got stung. I have the same attitude now. Swinging at them and running seems to provoke them. Saying that though, I will agree there is a time to run. Just saying slow and easy usually gets no stings. Chain sawing right by a nest is probably going to get you stung.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I wonder what exactly prompts those critters to sting? They seem to have a certain threshold, where if you go beyond it, then they will let you have it instantly. I've been stung when unknowingly making a sudden movement in their proximity, and when running away a Giant hit me in the middle of my back. I believe that they have a certain memory, where if you upset them and then make yourself scarce, even after a little bit of time, if you go into their area again they will hit you unprovoked. It would be nice to know the length of their hostility.

 

[Cobleskill]

I agree with the memory. I don't know if there is something to your personal odor (not BO) they object to, but my stepson seems to get stung for just being there. I hooked a tractor up to a down tree right on top of a ground nest. Got on the tractor and pulled the tree away. He was standing 200 feet away and gets stung for just being there.

 

[Al Smith]

There might be something to that theory .My wife seems to get stung all the time .She's scared to death of them plus she smells good .

I on the other hand smell like a goat and am mean as a snake about wasps .They know in their little wasps minds I'll torture them should they get the bright idea to nail me .

 

[gf beranek]

The bald faced hornets are the bad boys here. Feels like a brick hits you. Serious. The little ground nesting yellow jackets are hot hots and swarm you when their is disturbed. Not unusual to get hammered 20,30 or more times. Best thing to do around here, if you can, is dive into the huckleberry brush to loose'em. Otherwise they will stick on you like stink.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I tell ya, I can't understand women.

 

[gf beranek]

It took a second to figure out how that fit in.

 

[Cobleskill]

Ger,

Yellowjackets got me good when I was a young kid. I jumped off a roof on to a pile of straw bales that had been there for a while. Didn't know about the nest of YJ's in there. I got nailed 14 times as I ran up the driveway to the house, being chased by a whole swarm of them.

Jumping on the straw bales seemed like a good idea. Live and learn.

Anybody remember the TV commercial with the guy getting ready to swing his golf club at a paper wasp nest - Bad Idea!! He hands the club to someone else -Good Idea!!

 

[sotc]

Meat tenderizer works on bee stings,might on wasp stings too .

Sounds like you may forget about the sting pretty quick

 

[Al Smith]

Yeah a good thump with a meat hammer would change your thinking .My mother used to beat on round steak that must have came from a bull it was so tough .After she worked on the stuff it became tender enough to eat otherwise it was like chewing on the soles of an old work shoe .

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Standard practice for a good chicken fried steak and country gravy. Little yellow jacket buggers love meat. They must have an awesome sense of smell. You no sooner open a sandwich with meat in it and they are on it. Why most refer to them as meat bees round here.

 

[gf beranek]

At a logging camp way in the boon docks around Covelo, Ca. things can get pretty boring in the evenings. I'd throw a chicken bone on the ground and in minutes there would dozens of yellow jackets working on it.

Now the bald face hornets, bad ass, are a yellow jackets number one predator. And accordingly the hornets would swoop down and snatch the yellow jackets right out of the air, then have a brief battle on the ground til the hornet subdued his prey, and then fly off with it. This aspect of the food chain was interesting to watch and it gave me an idea. I hated both the critters bad.

So I made a fishing pole from a clum of grass I selected from many thousands in a grassy opening next to my camp. A fine clum it was too. About 1/4 inch at the butt 4 foot long and tapered slowly to a fine tip at the end. Where I removed the seed head. It was a beauty. Straight and true.

To the tip of my pole I tied a piece of thread about 3 feet long. This length was very important. As you will understand in just a bit. At the other end of the line I tied a sliding fisherman's loop.

With the pole and line ready I then fashioned a swatter from a magazine cover, and threw a chicken bone to the ground. As sure as day is light, in only a minute there were a dozen yellow jackets working on that chicken bone. SWAT!

Now comes the delicate part. Some of those yellow jackets I swatted were only stunned and would fly away after a minute or so. And so I slipped the loop of my line over a prospective and stunned candidate and snugged it up ever so gentle. In a minute that yellow jacket was flying around on the thread. And since the line was a foot shorter of reaching my hand I was safe from being stung. My rig was all baited and ready to catch a bald faced hornet.

Now the hornets had well established trolling patterns in the grassy field next to my camp. All I had to do was hold my pole out and let that yellow jacket fly around in circles on that thread. And as sure as a fish takes a bait,, Wham! I had a hornet and yellow jacket battling it out on the end of that line.

They were flying around in totally erratic swoops bending my pole to near breaking point. The deflection in the pole was something I never accounted for,,, and it brought the battling bugs much closer to me than I felt comfortable with. But I wasn't going to let go. I learned from fishing that I could lead the bugs and keep them at a safe distance. The furry of the battle didn't last but 10 or 15 seconds before the hornet had the yellow jacket subdued anyway. Then the hornet would attempt to fly away with his bug, but he couldn't of course.

You have to understand that this was all uncharted territory and what happened next I wasn't sure I could actually pull off. I bowed the pole tip to the ground. The hornet landed and tried to position his prey so he could fly off to the nest with it. He was so occupied in his effort that he didn't see my boot come down on the both of 'em.

I was so giddy with my success that I did it again,, and again. As I said when I start this, "Things can get pretty boring in a logging camp, in the boon docks outside of Covelo, Ca."

 

[Ol' Hickory]

^ Great story! lol

 

[Burnham]

 

[woodworkingboy]

Some wasps don't actually eat meat, they take it home to feed to their larvae, then the larvae excretes some potion that the wasps relish indulging on.. A potent lotion it is too. It would be like bringing home a t bone steak for your loved ones, then you get to have something really special put on your plate, but made with saliva in a mix master.

 

[Al Smith]

I can't say I've ever heard of fishing for hornets before .