Yellow Jacket Nests While Bush hogging, whats your plan?

[Ken45101]

Not on a tractor, but a local man is in the hospital after being attacked while trimming a tree. He was stung more than 20,000 times according to reports. EMS and Fire/Rescue people were also stung.

Tri-State man in coma after getting stung 20k times by bees

The 20-year-old’s mother says he ingested dozens of bees that doctors were still suctioning out a day later.

www.fox19.com

 

[justman777]

Sounds like a few good ideas here, but the best I've heard is to have a cab. Second best IMO is to wait until they die off, and then work the field. In South Texas, we have pygmy wasps, and those things are evil. They tend to build their nests in the branches that slap you in the face when you cut near a tree, or low lying weeds next to tree trunks....right where you need to run the weed eater. I went through one year and cut all the branches up to where I could cut under the trees without hitting one, and started spraying around the base of the trees to avoid having to use the weed eater. Of course, I figured after I did all that, I should get a cab tractor. No bugs, no sweating in 105 degree heat, no problems.

 

[John0829]

Just speed up and keep moving. Bull dozers go fast enough to drive away.

OH NO THEY DON'T! Worst stings I ever received were while using a dozer, finally had to leave it and go back at night to get it. It sat an idled all day because they kept swarming it until after dark and even then I backed it away as quietly and gently as is possible with a dozer.

 

[2manyrocks]

Ran over a ground nest and got stung. I was in a large flat field so I put the tractor in high gear and drove away as quickly as I could. Went back later in the evening in my pickup truck. Put the window down enough to stick a sprayer wand out to spray the nest.

This is a very strong selling point for buying a tractor with an enclosed cab, but I still don't have one.

 

[Eagle1]

Just brush hog in spring before the nests have a chance to develop any size. Later summer/fall is when the wasp/hornets nest are at their peak. In most cases all, except for the queen, will die off in the winter and cycle repeats.

 

[grsthegreat]

Just speed up and keep moving. Bull dozers go fast enough to drive away. Tractor should too. Y'all gonna get hurt jumping off a running machine. Hornets is a different story, but they build nests where you can see them.

What….you crazy. They swarmed me so fast, there was no way to back out of area and get away.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

What….you crazy. They swarmed me so fast, there was no way to back out of area and get away.

Gotta be tough.

 

[Bearsixty7]

I have a can of wasp/hornet spray in a holder on the ROPS and hope that I can spray enough that they will leave or avoid me while I drive away. So far have not needed it.

 

[workinonit]

It's an alarming surprise to say the least. It happened to me on my OS 5310 once and I managed to kick it out of gear and run. I think I got stung 3 or 4 times. Could have been worse. I think wasp spray is a really bad idea. If you hit a big bed and that's your plan A and plan B you will likely be going to the ER. Run Forest Run.Nowadays I just sit and watch from my air conditioned cab. So there's that.

 

[Raul-02]

What is your plan of attack?

Cab

 

[Engineer42]

When I still had the open station MF 175, I brushed a pine tree base on the last pass while mowing. Mowed past it hundreds of times previously over the years. Evidently that year jug hornets had bored a hole into the tree. I noticed something buzzing around my head and looked back to see the swarm. Kicked it in neutral and throttled down quickly.

As I stood up to bail off while it was still rolling, one got me on top of the head through my hat right beside the hearing protectors/radio. Swiped my hand across my head and knocked hat and hearing protectors off as I hit the ground running. Tractor idling, bees buzzing, I stopped after 100 yards. Got the tractor away an hour later after spraying hole in tree from p/u window. Little ******* drew blood. Ice pack on head for couple hours afterwards.

 

[Michael Brown]

Every please be consider not jumping off a moving machine. A friend of mine got run over by tractor and brush hog due to yellow jackets.

 

[johnrex62]

Haven’t been unfortunate enough to hit yellowjackets yet, but an aggressive honeybee swarm found me a few years ago. The tractor moves a lot faster than I can run so I pushed it into HI and floored it to the house. They focused on the back of my head so I got lucky And could protect their targeted area with my hands to limit their stings to less than a dozen.

 

[DaveNJ]

With the newer tractors, I can get off the seat and everything stops. then run. With the older ones, that's a really bad idea when the tractor runs with you or over you. I've been stung dozens of times on multiple occaisions but the worst was by just one yellow jacket. While working outside I had a can of iced tea that i was sipping from. A yellow jacket fell inside the can and I swallowed it. I could feel it sting me several times as it went down my throat. By the time I got back to the house I was having trouble breathing due to swelling and the Woman said I didnt look good at all. She called 911 and somehow got me to swallow some crushed up benedryl tablets. Scary, but I was feeling better by the time I got to the ER.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

With the newer tractors, I can get off the seat and everything stops. then run. With the older ones, that's a really bad idea when the tractor runs with you or over you. I've been stung dozens of times on multiple occaisions but the worst was by just one yellow jacket. While working outside I had a can of iced tea that i was sipping from. A yellow jacket fell inside the can and I swallowed it. I could feel it sting me several times as it went down my throat. By the time I got back to the house I was having trouble breathing due to swelling and the Woman said I didnt look good at all. She called 911 and somehow got me to swallow some crushed up benedryl tablets. Scary, but I was feeling better by the time I got to the ER.

DANG! That is scary! I have had a friend get stung on the tongue that way, but I have never heard of anyone swallowing one.

 

[Gator6x4]

A friend was doing a disk brake pad replacement on his truck. Stopped and went in the house and got a Mountain Dew. Took a couple of sips and sat the can down. Put the wheel back on, picked up the Mountain Dew can to take another sip and got a couple of yellow jackets in his mouth that attacked his tongue and the roof of his mouth. His tongue swole up and restricted his breathing. They thought they were going to have to do a trac on him in the Emergency room for a while.

Yellow jacket are dangerous.

 

[acarr1]

What is your plan of attack? Shut tractor down and run? Downshift and pop the clutch?

I got my first experience of running over a yellow jackets nest while bush hogging. I was in a super low gear so I shut the tractor down and ran. Probably got nailed 8 or 9 times. I was able to wait for 1`0 minutes and was able to get on and drive away without another sting. I am just wondering what everyone else does in these situations. It is not fun, that is for sure.

Pull the kill switch and bail!! Happened to me on my MF245 while bushogging. They got me a few times. But the tractor didn't. The important thing is to stay calm.

 

[flagpond01]

What is your plan of attack? Shut tractor down and run? Downshift and pop the clutch?

I got my first experience of running over a yellow jackets nest while bush hogging. I was in a super low gear so I shut the tractor down and ran. Probably got nailed 8 or 9 times. I was able to wait for 1`0 minutes and was able to get on and drive away without another sting. I am just wondering what everyone else does in these situations. It is not fun, that is for sure.

A half pint's worth of gasoline will ruin their day. But do not light the gas! A boyfriend of a friend of mine tried the gas tactic but he lit it. Once the gas burned off, he noticed that the yellow jackets were still coming out of the hole. He decided to throw some more gas down the hole but there was a small flame burning down the hole and the whole thing exploded. he had third degree burns. really bad idea to light the gasoline.

 

[Tpondel]

Anyone have a pic of what the nest looks like? might be able to avoid if we know what to look for.

 

[OzarkChris]

What is your plan of attack? Shut tractor down and run? Downshift and pop the clutch?

I got my first experience of running over a yellow jackets nest while bush hogging. I was in a super low gear so I shut the tractor down and ran. Probably got nailed 8 or 9 times. I was able to wait for 1`0 minutes and was able to get on and drive away without another sting. I am just wondering what everyone else does in these situations. It is not fun, that is for sure.

I really agree with M7040 about staying in the cab. But one small thing that may be of interest.

For me and a bunch of folk 'round here, we know when you get stung, be it from yellow jackets or wasps (really hate them viscous red ones), you have some built in soothing fluid built right in to most of them there tractors. Just reach a finger into that diesel filler cap, smear some of that there diesel on the sting and you'll be just right as rain in just a minute or two. Now for me, I'm pretty sure its 'cause of the diesel, but ya never know, it might could be from that there red dye they put in there to make that diesel look so purty.