Hornets

[TractorGuy]

I've been fortunate not to have ever endured the full wrath of a hornet or yellow jacket attack. I can get stung by a single wasp on my hand and I swell up to my shoulder.

Many years ago when we had a mobile home the yellow jackets built a nest underneath the bathroom. Since the opening for pipes and stuff were not completely sealed I had some come in the home. First one nailed me on the back of the leg as I sat doing some reading. I tried to burn them out and almost caught the house on fire. Then I tried soaking them with diesel fuel which just made them mad. We had a guy local that advertised wanting to collect ground nests which he sold for making anti venom. He wouldn't mess with them under a house but said if I found a ground nest for him he would get them out while he was there. Luckily my neighbor found a ground nest for me to report and I got the guy to come collect that and he dug the nest out from under our home.

Many years ago I built a ground powered mower to pull behind my car so I could mow in the AC with the radio on. The very first time I used it I disturbed a hanging hornet's nest in a tree. I didn't even notice them until I parked the mower behind my shed and I saw them swarming all over the mower in my rear view mirror. The nest turned out to be 400 feet from where I parked and they followed that mower the whole way attacking it. If I would have been on my lawn tractor they would have probably killed me. A couple of nights later I cracked the window on my car, taped off the crack, and poked a small hole to spray the wasp and hornet killer through. I pulled up beside the nest at night and held a flashlight on it while I saturated the nest with hornet killer. The next day they were all dead and I collected the nest.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^
Do you keep an epipen?

 

[tjkubota93]

I've been fortunate not to have ever endured the full wrath of a hornet or yellow jacket attack. I can get stung by a single wasp on my hand and I swell up to my shoulder.

Many years ago when we had a mobile home the yellow jackets built a nest underneath the bathroom. Since the opening for pipes and stuff were not completely sealed I had some come in the home. First one nailed me on the back of the leg as I sat doing some reading. I tried to burn them out and almost caught the house on fire. Then I tried soaking them with diesel fuel which just made them mad. We had a guy local that advertised wanting to collect ground nests which he sold for making anti venom. He wouldn't mess with them under a house but said if I found a ground nest for him he would get them out while he was there. Luckily my neighbor found a ground nest for me to report and I got the guy to come collect that and he dug the nest out from under our home.

Many years ago I built a ground powered mower to pull behind my car so I could mow in the AC with the radio on. The very first time I used it I disturbed a hanging hornet's nest in a tree. I didn't even notice them until I parked the mower behind my shed and I saw them swarming all over the mower in my rear view mirror. The nest turned out to be 400 feet from where I parked and they followed that mower the whole way attacking it. If I would have been on my lawn tractor they would have probably killed me. A couple of nights later I cracked the window on my car, taped off the crack, and poked a small hole to spray the wasp and hornet killer through. I pulled up beside the nest at night and held a flashlight on it while I saturated the nest with hornet killer. The next day they were all dead and I collected the nest.

The whole window, tape, spray thing is some 1st class strategery.

 

[TractorGuy]

^^^
Do you keep an epipen?

No but I should probably look into it.

 

[bunyip]

As well as having an epipen I also wear a bracelet advising that I do and what it is for, you can buy them over the counter here for about AU$120 or go to the Dr and undergo 6 months of tests and get a discount so you only pay $90.
Good for a year then throw it away and get a new one, check the use by date when you get one so you get the full year.