Swarmed by bees this morning!

[Jstpssng]

I had two relatives have SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS to stings. They developed the allergies in their 40's and 50's. It seems to me that every time I get stung now the reaction is just a bit worse. Although I never had a severe reaction I asked the doc for an epi pen based on grandfather and uncle developing allergy latter in life. He was reluctant, but agreed. It makes me feel better that I have it as my grandfather died when he was hit by them.

Decades ago while I was moonlighting at a factory, I was talking to a coworker (who was 40-50 YO back then) about camping and fishing experiences.
He told how much he'd always enjoyed a good trout feed, but on one tri[ he started getting all congested. This was long before cell phones and
Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet... so he followed his instincts and just started running up and down the road. His doctor later told him that's what saved his life... and that our bodies change every 7 years. This made sense to me, as Inever even had to worry about poison ivy until I was >30.

I've worked outdoors and away from civilization all of my life, have seen some scary stuff which makes me pay attention to all of the first aid things I read. so all that I can say in your circumstance is to listen to your doctor... :thumbsup:

 

[dave1949]

Hate to see you kill a nest full of bees nowhere around your house just because you got the wrong end of the deal bothering THEIR home...everything I read shows populations of bees are declining....

European honeybees are rare to see around here anymore. I was told by a bee keeper that even if a person had a hive and let them swarm wild, they won't survive more than a year or two in his opinion.

I see a few native bees, lots of bumblebees, they are both good pollinators. Pollination is also accomplished by many insects other than bees. True honey bees are not native to the New World, they were introduced. So, obviously native New World plant life was and is not dependent upon honey bees.

I get their agricultural economic importance since the hives can be trucked around the country in great numbers managing a more or less tamed/domesticated intensive pollinating insect. And of course, I like honey too. In the big picture though, their reduced vitality is a reflection of poor management and excessive pesticide use.

Killing the occasional nest of yellow jackets that are too close for comfort and/or present a real danger to some, is not related to the honey bee issue. Yellow jackets and wasps in general do not have persistent colonies. I have not seen yellow jackets nest in the same place even over successive summers. Paper wasps will build new nests in usable locations like attic vents over and over, but they don't reuse or maintain last years nest.

Wasp and hornet queens survive winter alone and begins laying eggs, feeding young which go to work feeding more young, slowly building up the nest population. This produces new queens for the next cycle. After a few hard frosts, a hornets nest will usually be a tattered mess, likely robbed by feeding birds. That is my understanding and what I have observed in northern climates.

 

[SPIKER]

This year has been pretty good so far not found any nests but the skunks apparently have. Found 4 or 5 medium sized holes from Yellow Jackets, the Bald Faced hornets not so mad in my area. There was one started last year I knocked it out with some spray when it was about grapefruit sized. about 7 feet high and right above where I often park the car/rider/tractor when I pull one out of the barn. I would have left it if it was on other side of tree or 15+ feet high.

Yellow Jackets I have 2 methods for removal if the Skunks dont get them or if one of them gets ME first.

Gas Grill propane weed burner, works instantly and they seem to ignore the torch holder (fire natural thing they run underground from and fry all of them.) OR I take a small plastic pop bottle and half to 3.4 full of gas. Spray some of the foam or Brake Cleaner into hole and then stick pop bottle into hole leave it there and get away.

late evening dusk time so all of them are in hole. stragglers also set up satellite holes nearby so watch for them and follow one back & finish it off next night.

I got it BAD a few years ago by 3 nests ran from one onto next and took off only to stop on a 3rd nest!!!! had a 1 yr old dog he was covered and I was in shorts with no shirt on.... WHY to they KNOW the worst spots to sting ya, eyes, elbows, knees, lips, anywhere skin and joints are thin...

Mark

 

[HEC]

As a youngster I got stung by a wasp on the back of my neck and it swelled up quite bad so my parents took me to a doctor and he gave me a shot of something , and said " in another 20 minutes I would have been dead ". I carried a kit around for a short while but you know how kids are it got old real fast . I have been stung a couple times since with no problem at all , maybe that wasp just got me in the wrong spot .

 

[MacLawn]

I just cut with my riding mower right over a yellow jacket nest last week! Nary a sting! It was in an open spot by azalea, but totally open place. I happened to see one going in, then waited until night and sprayed the rascals real good. Take care boys!