You can outrun them....

[fenneran]

I was brush-hogging about a four acre square in one field Friday evening. As I came up the hill on about the third pass, I looked up and saw a swarm of bugs floating about 10 feet off the ground, about 50-60 feet in front of me. I stopped the tractor for a minute to have a look because this looked a little different then when you normally see a bunch of gnats flying around. This swarm was about 20 feet across and maybe 10 feet high, the bugs seemes larger than gnats and they seemed to be moving very fast and it looked kind of interesting. So I sat there for a second and the swarm seemed to be moving/undulating toward me. It was then that I remembered a thread from TBN a while back talking about how to get rid of yellowjackets. I wondered to myself, for a brief moment, whether these were not gnats. I decided in a hurry, when they were about 20 feet away, that turning off the tractor and running was a good option right now, which is precisly what I did. Looking back at the yanny, I saw the swarm completely envelop the tractor! I must have run over a nest.
(what was your first clue Einstein? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif)

At least I didn't try to drive away at mowing speeds! I tried to find the nest the next morning to gas them, but the grass was still too deep. Finished the field without incident. Be interested to see what happens next time I do that field.

-Frank

 

[Spencer]

It scares the heck out of me. I am alergic to bees and that is my biggest fear while out bush hogging. I never considered it when buying my tractor. If I would have bought a Kubota I could have had the option of a factory cab. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Bob_In_MN]

Frank,

Saturday I decided to get rid of a car we had on our property. We weren't driving it any longer and so I called a guy to come pick it up. The battery was dead so I grabbed a chain to drag it from behind my pole barn to the driveway (thought the tractor would do less damage to my lawn than the tow truck.

Anyway--I went to open the door and found out (quite quickly I might add) that bees had built a nest under the drivers door--when I opened the door, I ripped the nest down and those guys weren't happy. Only got stung twice in the hand, but reading your story made me think how lucky you were to realize what was going on early enough to get out of there.

Bob

 

[Richard]

You're a lucky man!!!

Last Thursday, was bringing Brutus down gravel road, was in front of uncle's house next door (he is in mid 80's).

I saw a wheelbarrow full of stuff in his yard, AND a small (maybe 1 inch diamater) sappling that was dead and leaning over. Obviously he was working the tree out of ground and because of age (?) stopped for a rest, then probably forgot about it.. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Me being "Mr. Nice Guy", figures "heck, I'm sitting here with a big empty 8' front bucket... why dont I go ahead & dump his wheel barrow into my bucket and toss the tree in also.

I go to grab the tree, move it side to side to rip other side of roots, out it comes /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I toss it like a javlin into the front bucket /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I then took my foot and tamped the ground down some where the roots had pulled up and mussed up the ground. I then went to grab the wheel barrow to take it the 20 feet to Brutus & dump it when I felt the strangest burning sensation on the top of my head... then my right arm started to burn... then my left.... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I'm not so sure if it was the removing of the tree that pissed them off, or taking my foot and tamping down on their "home" /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Ran to safety with Brutus sitting there, idling... walked back 30 minutes later and took off.

9 stings later, I now have a clue (since confirmed) as to why my wifes uncle left the wheel barrow & tree in place. Yes, he got a big chuckle at my expense. He was going to gas em that night.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Chet]

I had the same type of adventure with bumble bees when I was cuting hay last year, only they homed in on me and the tractor within 10 feet of where I disturbed them. Needless to say, I hightailed it down the pasture and left the tractor sitting there running for them to vent on. After about an hour I went back out with a can of wasp spray, just in case, climbed on the tractor and went on cutting. Never saw another one and don't mind if I never do again, either!! Chet

 

[DVerbarg]

I've quite a few incidents of "attracting" bumble bees this year. The first time I hit the parking brake and put the transmission in neutral and ran, leaving the tractor running for quite a few minutes. After my adrenaline flow subsided I cautiously came back to see the dumb bee(s) still on the top grill of the tractor trying to sting it. (The TC40D has a screen on the top of the hood in addition to the front) Had to wait about half an hour before the dumb bees left.

The next time I was in that general area the bees once again attacked the tractor and I once again deferred to the bees and gave them some personal time with the tractor. This has now happened numerous times in various areas but usually no more than two bees and the bees are always on the top screen. Now I'm so accustomed to the fact that they like the top screen that I no longer stop but keep mowing letting them sting the tractor silly. It is a rather strange phenomena to see how long they energetically try to sting the black metal screen. I've thought about video taping it but don't know what I would do with it afterwards.

Curiosity did get the better of me though, found that if I change the RPMs a few hundred lower the bees seem disinterested and will fly off.

When I got the TC40D I thought that top screen was a silly idea, I now know better! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Briarwood]

"You can outrun them"...but they can keep up long enough to do some damage.

I bush hog walking trails through our old grown up and undulating pasture. My wife and I love to walk the trails especially in the spring and summer to see the various wildflowers that have emerged from the green sea of weeds and to pick wild black berries. One very hot July day we were a long way from the house and I hesitated to remove my shirt while my wife walked on ahead with my springer spaniel. As I pulled the shirt over my head, I noticed my wife walking up a low grade and seeing a swarm of something all around her. I started to run toward her realizing her predicament and yelling to her to run that there were bees landing on her back. I caught up with her and began to swat them with my shirt, not even thinking about the stings I was taking to my bare skin. My wife screamed and ran pulling off her shirt because she felt a bee underneath it. I will never forget the sight of watching her run because I have never seen her move that fast before or since. They were bumble bees and were after us with a vengence. Bumble bees don't lose their stingers like honey bees and they can continue stinging. I thought we were going to have to jump in our pond to get away from them. They kept after us for at least 100 yards before they gave up, but I had twelve stings and one on the side of my face by my eye. My eye was swollen and I looked like someone poked me a good one. I would probably be dead if I was allergic to bee stings. It is amazing how fast something like that can happen, especially if you are not paying attention. I sure have a lot more respect for bumble bees. We are both a bit paranoid now. Whenever we hear a buzz nearby, its become a natural reaction to duck quick and look for those dreaded bumble bees.

Briarwood

 

[kensfarm]

The bees on the screen are stuck due to the air flow to the engine.. they are being sucked in.. lowering the rpms causes less airflow.. lets them escape. Sorry.. it's not an X-File case.

 

[fenneran]

Man, I'm glad mine were more interested in the tractor than pursuing me! We have a friend who is allergic and normally carries an "epi-pen" with her at all times. My wife and kids were out at their farm one day riding horses and she was stung....but didn't have the pen. Luckily, her husband drove up right then and rushed her to the hospital (normally a 20-minute ride, he made it in something like 7) and it turned out OK. It really made us realize the seriousness of bee stings. From what I understand, an allergy to them can begin later in life, so even though I was not allergic as a kid, I may be now, so I was quick to jump off just in case.

-Frank

 

[skent]

My Uncle had called me to see if I could fix his window Air Conditioner, fan was not working. I figured it just needed some oil.
I stopped over his house on the way to the Shopping Mall to pick it up. Had the Station Wagon that day with four kids riding along.
Took the AC out of the window and placed it in the back of the wagon. Went on our way to the store and some other stops. When we got home, pulled the
car into the garage and took the AC out of the back. Put it on the work bench and all H--- broke loose. There was one heck of a wasp nest
inside and they were MAD!!! As I looked back, we were VERY lucky that they enjoyed the car ride since it could have been fatal
having hundreds of wasps in a car with four children on a highway going 55 MPH!