Bug season and bites.

[bikerdib]

A severe bee-sting allergy can develop at any time. Repeated exposures make it more likely. The next time you're stung could be it. Happened to my brother. Had gotten stung a few times over the years with no effects; then boom, one sting and he couldn't breathe.

With that many bees/wasps around, you might think about asking your doc to prescribe an Epi-pen for you to keep around the house.

Bee safe!

Thanks for the warning. I'll definately keep it in mind. I plan on wearing leather gloves, a long sleeve denim shirt and the hat/mesh hood from now on when doing something like where I found this nest. I'll sweat a lot more but that will be better than what happened last Saturday. Even the Bumble Bees I encountered before weren't as persistent as the Bald Faced devils.

 

[Dftodd]

I became allergic to bees a couple years back. Got into a yellow jacket nest mowing and ended up with about 15 or so stings to one leg. Leg swelled up pretty good.

Wife's allergic to bees as well. Back when the Epi Pens price went ridiculous, my wife asked her doc about alternatives. He told her to take benadryl, and told her a safe emergency amount to take.

Back years before that, she had an allergic reaction to some cough medical prescribed to her. At the ER, they shot her with liquid benadryl. They did the same at the walk in clinic when I got stung.

 

[bikerdib]

So it sounds like if working in an area where an encounter with bees, hornets or wasps is possible or likely, taking some benedril and zirtec before starting wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[Jstpssng]

So it sounds like if working in an area where an encounter with bees, hornets or wasps is possible or likely, taking some benedril and zirtec before starting wouldn't be a bad idea.

Blackfly bites create a worse reaction for me than bees, the latter just itches for a couple of hours whereas the former lingers for weeks, and look like splotches of poison ivy. Yet I figure that when I die it will either be from a sudden bee sting allergy; or run down by someone's stray horse, because I have a bad habit of getting out of my truck to chase them back where they belong.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

On black fly bites from a Canadian dermatologist:

The main reason that these bites are itchy is because the saliva of the insect triggers an immune reaction that leads to the release of histamine. Since everyoneç—´ immune reaction is different, this is why some people are never bothered by bites, while others can be very miserable.

Washing the area with soap and water helps in two ways: it cleans the skin and lowers the risk of infection; and the soap helps to break down the insect saliva. Using either an acid or alkaline solution can also break down the saliva. An example of an acid would be vinegar or lemon juice, while an example of an alkaline would be ammonia [ed: and baking soda]. There are some commercial products for insect bites that use these compounds as their active ingredient. Treating Mosquito or Blackfly bites

Most insect venoms are acidic, so the alkaline applied to the bite actually helps break down the venom itself. Of course you get the best results by applying it right away.

For bee stings and spider bites, etc., ammonia works instantly to eliminate the pain (this is the active ingredient in products like sting-eze; I keep a tube handy when working outdoors). For severe bites, you can apply a baking soda and water paste to help draw out the venom and soothe the itch. (This method cured a necrotizing spider bite when the doctor wanted to cut a chunk out of my leg. He was shocked it started to heal in 24-hours, instead of progressing.) Also works for poison ivy and fire ant bites. (The baking soda paste was the ONLY thing that allowed me to sleep while getting over a severe case of poison ivy over 25% of my body.) As a former landscaper I think I've been bitten by everything at some point, sometimes fairly spectacularly. So I can personally vouch these do work.

Jstpssing, it sounds like you're getting a severe immune response to the insect's saliva, in which case washing quickly + benedryl may be a good idea. But if you have large areas of bites, the baking soda paste might help soothe.

Ineffective on stray horses though.

 

[newbury]

Another thing I've found to help is I'm trying to keep net in my back pocket. Walmart had the Coleman Mosquito Head Net on sale for about $2 so I bought 3 of them and 3 of the Coghlan's. The Coghlan is designed to go around a hat (has an elastic hole on top) and sometimes I want that. The Coleman can go around a hat, but the top is a flimsy piece of camo cloth.

I try to keep a Coleman's in my back pocket so it's always ready to grab if I walk outside and need it. Like today I was walking back from the shop and decided to "wander" a bit and the deer flies found me. As quick as whipping out a handkerchief and my head was covered with the Colemans. And I was no longer bothered.

 

[ruffdog]

We use the Deluxe Coghlan's net....then it has it's own hat to keep the net away from your face.

 

[drizler]

We use the Deluxe Coghlan's net....then it has it's own hat to keep the net away from your face.

That痴 what I kept with me when I was out in the boonies with the national guard. It fit flat right inside my outer shirt against my stomach until needed. When everybody else was swatting flies when we took a break I壇 just squish it down with the helmet tighten up my sleeves and kick back. I didn稚 need it all that often but when the bugs were horrible it was handy. Tighten the draw string on your collar and it was like sitting in a screened in porch.

 

[TomIre]

I've been diagnosed with Lyme disease twice. I take ticks very seriously. The "tick tube" approach is good for the small lot area, but I've hundreds of acres to roam so it's not for me.

Permethrin is my go to solution, spray it on all my exterior work clothes, boots and gloves when I'm about to go into tick infested areas.

I'm also a big fan of garlic and B vitamins, but this solution seems to be dependent on individual body chemistry.

Don't know about the garlic, etc but can't hurt. I also won't go outside the yard, tractor work, walking the dog on our acreage, etc without permethrin treated trousers. Most ticks come from ground level up so I don't worry too much about a treated shirt unless I'm working in brush.

I did put some leftover tick tubes along the main paths i walk. Mice only travel 50 feet or so and that means you need the tubes pretty close together - not practical for acreage I agree.

 

[/pine]

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