# Yellow Jackets and Chainsaws



## BIGChrisNH (Aug 26, 2020)

I've long had a propensity for being stung by bees, brown hornets, yellow jackets, horseflies, etc. I sat down on a plastic chair by the fire pit earlier this summer that had a yellow jacket nest the size of a softball underneath it, that was a lot of fun.

Anyway, today I finally decided to pull down a large oak branch widow maker from out back on my property. I went out there with some cable and a come-along, and the whole thing came crashing down like I wanted. I cut it up into 6 foot lengths and was shouldering them out of there. As I was reaching down for the last one, my foot squished down on something soft and I felt the familiar pain of a yellow jacket sting on my hand. It's surprising how fast you can run in a helmet and chaps LOL. I'm very thankful I didn't step on the nest with a running chainsaw.


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## SpaceBus (Aug 26, 2020)

BIGChrisNH said:


> I've long had a propensity for being stung by bees, brown hornets, yellow jackets, horseflies, etc. I sat down on a plastic chair by the fire pit earlier this summer that had a yellow jacket nest the size of a softball underneath it, that was a lot of fun.
> 
> Anyway, today I finally decided to pull down a large oak branch widow maker from out back on my property. I went out there with some cable and a come-along, and the whole thing came crashing down like I wanted. I cut it up into 6 foot lengths and was shouldering them out of there. As I was reaching down for the last one, my foot squished down on something soft and I felt the familiar pain of a yellow jacket sting on my hand. It's surprising how fast you can run in a helmet and chaps LOL. I'm very thankful I didn't step on the nest with a running chainsaw.


I knocked over some pallets that had a nest in them. I was stung three times, it was not fun.


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 26, 2020)

SpaceBus said:


> I knocked over some pallets that had a nest in them. I was stung three times, it was not fun.


They do hurt, it always surprises me


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## JimBear (Aug 26, 2020)

BIGChrisNH said:


> I've long had a propensity for being stung by bees, brown hornets, yellow jackets, horseflies, etc. I sat down on a plastic chair by the fire pit earlier this summer that had a yellow jacket nest the size of a softball underneath it, that was a lot of fun.
> 
> Anyway, today I finally decided to pull down a large oak branch widow maker from out back on my property. I went out there with some cable and a come-along, and the whole thing came crashing down like I wanted. I cut it up into 6 foot lengths and was shouldering them out of there. As I was reaching down for the last one, my foot squished down on something soft and I felt the familiar pain of a yellow jacket sting on my hand. It's surprising how fast you can run in a helmet and chaps LOL. I'm very thankful I didn't step on the nest with a running chainsaw.


Lol. Sounds vaguely familiar.  I just went out the other day to start clearing a fence line. First tree was a 10” - 12”  Honey Locust, made my face cut & Carpenter Ants started pouring out. I just chuckled & said find a new home. Made my back cut & backed away as it came down. Then out poured the bumble bees.  They were whizzed off, I was swatting & flailing as I scooted on down the fence line. Fortunately I didn’t get stung. I cut in a different spot for awhile then grabbed my gas can & a 5 gallon bucket. I poured about 1/2 gal. of gas in the bucket to toss on the mess. I got about 10’ from the mess & my leg was wet. My bucket had a small hole in it & was leaking out on my britches & running into my boot . I called it a day after that.


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## MissMac (Aug 26, 2020)

i've had yellow jackets making nests in my wood shed all summer.  got them all knocked down only to realize that they've also built a nest right in the middle of my one stall that's full of wood.  i've been stung twice this week trying to put more wood in the shed, and i'm not looking forward to having to get wood this fall - i think i'm gonna have to wear a bee-suit until it gets really cold out.  sigh.


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## WiscWoody (Aug 26, 2020)

I once sawed into a hollow maple pole and shazam! there was a wasp nest in it and they weren’t happy at all lol. Yes funny how fast you can cut and run , and drop the saw too. I think I got stung 7-8 times on that one. I get stung a few times each summer up here it seems and they often get the back of my hands so there is a period of a few days where my hand is swollen and itchy even when I take Benadry.


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 27, 2020)

MissMac said:


> i've had yellow jackets making nests in my wood shed all summer.  got them all knocked down only to realize that they've also built a nest right in the middle of my one stall that's full of wood.  i've been stung twice this week trying to put more wood in the shed, and i'm not looking forward to having to get wood this fall - i think i'm gonna have to wear a bee-suit until it gets really cold out.  sigh.


That’s tough. Wood sheds are very “waspy ” places usually. Hot and dry in summer without much traffic


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 27, 2020)

WiscWoody said:


> I once sawed into a hollow maple pole and shazam! there was a wasp nest in it and they weren’t happy at all lol. Yes funny how fast you can cut and run , and drop the saw too. I think I got stung 7-8 times on that one. I get stung a few times each summer up here it seems and they often get the back of my hands so there is a period of a few days where my hand is swollen and itchy even when I take Benadry.


That sounds like something that would happen to me. My hand is pretty plump right now


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 27, 2020)

JimBear said:


> Lol. Sounds vaguely familiar.  I just went out the other day to start clearing a fence line. First tree was a 10” - 12”  Honey Locust, made my face cut & Carpenter Ants started pouring out. I just chuckled & said find a new home. Made my back cut & backed away as it came down. Then out poured the bumble bees.  They were whizzed off, I was swatting & flailing as I scooted on down the fence line. Fortunately I didn’t get stung. I cut in a different spot for awhile then grabbed my gas can & a 5 gallon bucket. I poured about 1/2 gal. of gas in the bucket to toss on the mess. I got about 10’ from the mess & my leg was wet. My bucket had a small hole in it & was leaking out on my britches & running into my boot . I called it a day after that.


I find the bumbles to be more docile usually. And I don’t blame you for calling it a day


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## Sawset (Aug 27, 2020)

When I was keeping honey bees, I was able to mow right up past the hives at any time without an issue.  Maybe something to do with the mower vibration and engine running that kept them disoriented.  On the other hand, I drove by with a trailer behind once, and the fender that was hanging out tipped over a bunch of hives an spilled them open.  My theory went out the window at that point -  I didn't have  a high enough gear to get the heck outa there.

The yellow jacket nest from a week ago that was under the wood pile here has finally given up it's residents.  A garden hose and repeated flooding has finally driven them off.


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 27, 2020)

Sawset said:


> When I was keeping honey bees, I was able to mow right up past the hives at any time without an issue.  Maybe something to do with the mower vibration and engine running that kept them disoriented.  On the other hand, I drove by with a trailer behind once, and the fender that was hanging out tipped over a bunch of hives an spilled them open.  My theory went out the window at that point -  I didn't have  a high enough gear to get the heck outa there.
> 
> The yellow jacket nest from a week ago that was under the wood pile here has finally given up it's residents.  A garden hose and repeated flooding has finally driven them off.


Yeah I hate to disturb them if I don’t have to. I’ll sneak over at night and grab the last logs out of that area.


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## Lakeside (Aug 27, 2020)

Don't Like yellow jackets 

Stepped on a hollow log with a nest inside when I was 12 years old and proceeded to get stung over 30 + times.. I had them stuck in my sneakers and you name it too. I soon had quite the negative feeling for them and would go out of my way to catch a solo one and torturing it by slowly tearing off its wings.

I tend to like all of nature but those little yellow jackets are not tops on my list.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 28, 2020)

MissMac said:


> i've had yellow jackets making nests in my wood shed all summer.  got them all knocked down only to realize that they've also built a nest right in the middle of my one stall that's full of wood.  i've been stung twice this week trying to put more wood in the shed, and i'm not looking forward to having to get wood this fall - i think i'm gonna have to wear a bee-suit until it gets really cold out.  sigh.



I wait untill we have a cool morning when the bees are lethargic and then spray with bee spray.. normally I don't go into the sheds until early October I still have wood in my house in a rack if I need to do a fire


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## Grizzerbear (Aug 28, 2020)

I got stung this last weekend by a red wasp.....right above the ear lobe.......while stretching woven wire around a rock basket corner. Apparently it has a nest inside somewhere.  After yelling some profanities I moved on down the fence line. Those wasp/bee stings will certainly wake you up lol.


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## MissMac (Aug 28, 2020)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> I wait untill we have a cool morning when the bees are lethargic and then spray with bee spray.. normally I don't go into the sheds until early October I still have wood in my house in a rack if I need to do a fire


Unfortunately, they've built a nest somewhere entirely inaccessible deep inside my 5-deep stacks.  They are in the stall that i'm burning this winter - somewhere in between the 2nd and 3rd row.  So I won't even see the next until i've gone through 2 stacks.  Will be interesting this fall trying to get those first bits of wood out without angering them on a daily basis.


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## Sawset (Aug 28, 2020)

MissMac said:


> Unfortunately, they've built a nest somewhere entirely inaccessible deep inside my 5-deep stacks.  They are in the stall that i'm burning this winter - somewhere in between the 2nd and 3rd row.  So I won't even see the next until i've gone through 2 stacks.  Will be interesting this fall trying to get those first bits of wood out without angering them on a daily basis.


Below 50 they tend to start to go dormant.  Frost temps kill off all but the queen, who finds some leaf litter etc to winter over in.


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## PaulOinMA (Aug 28, 2020)

I've mowed over a yellow jacket nest.  They really don't like that.


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## PNWfirburner (Aug 28, 2020)

I found a ground yellow jacket nest a couple years ago while dragging felled trees on my property. I got stung 9 times and reacted badly. I went to urgent care and passed out at the front counter while trying to check in. I got a couple of epinephrine injections and an ambulance ride across the street to the ER. It was a close call and 10 more minutes waiting to head to urgent care wouldve been the end of me. About a month later, roughly a 100x30 foot black cloud of honey bee swarm transited overhead at my property where I was working by myself. My heart skipped a few beats but I was ok. I carry a stupid epi around with me now and have to be cautious this time of year when the wasps start to get aggressive. 

Pay attention to your reaction when you get stung. You can become allergic at any point and the more encounters you have getting stung, the more likely you will become allergic.


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## Zack R (Aug 28, 2020)

I'm not normally a big fan of pesticides but this stuff works wonders on yellow jackets, wasps, ants, etc... I had a paper wasp nest under my siding one year and this killed the whole thing off with ease. Its a fine dust that they carry back to the nest, wiping it out.

Be sure to get the hand duster for application. This bottle will last years since it takes so little to be effective.

https://www.domyown.com/tempo-dust-p-391.html


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## johneh (Aug 28, 2020)

This time of year we have lots of yellow jackets (too many apple trees)
The wife is allergic to them 1 or 2 stings just benidrill .3 or 4 an EpiPen 5 hospital now 
and I mean now. It is 15 min away have to make sure I call on the way so they are ready for her 
had to do it twice in the last 10 years. Not my idea of a good day. you would think she would learn 
to stay out of the orchard


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## WiscWoody (Aug 28, 2020)

A friend of mine climbed into his skid steer once, closed the door and was putting down the lap bar when he found out there was a wasp nest behind the seat. Yowza!


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## Smokepole (Aug 29, 2020)

It has been a bad year for yellow jackets here too. In and around my yard, I have gotten rid of 4 nests.
In the woods below my house the skunks have dug up two more. 
Around here the worst thing for yellow jackets is a hungry skunk.


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## LiamFitzpatrick (Aug 29, 2020)

Couple of years back I was pulling hay bales for the horses and when I reached for a bale near the bottom of a pile I heard the buzzing and thought, "Oh sh*t, this is gonna hurt."  My wife was watching me and said that I ran the thirty feet out of the shed and into the field so fast she thought I had levitated.  I was stung over 100 times as I ran most of the 150 yards to the house.  Couple of Benadryl and some topical cream and I was fine with all swelling gone in a few hours.  I've never had problems with bee stings or yellow jackets so I wasn't worried but my mother-in-law and my wife both wanted to rush me to the ER.  This turned out to be yellow jackets but we didn't know until a local bee expert showed up to identify what kind of bee it was.  He was going to collect the hive.  He passed on this collection job.  Later that winter I returned to the scene of the  crime to see the hive I'd torn completely in half when I picked up the square bale of hay that I'd lifted.  There'd be no way to know that was going to happen until you get into it.  I didn't see any of the hive occupants until they introduced themselves, personally.


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## Isaac Carlson (Aug 29, 2020)

We keep Apis Mellifica on hand.  It really helps with stings.


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## blades (Aug 29, 2020)

yellow jackets I don't mind too much, but them German Hornets that have the same coloring are a pia and anywhere else. The buggers built a nest under the siding in a corner of my home this year. This particular area is an add on to the home housing stairs into basement with access from the garage on one side and yard on other.   They got me a couple times- I got revenge. They  then moved to start a hive under the shingles about a  couple foot above same area - got them too .  took about a week or so to wipe out the first nest- could not  get  close enough to get insecticide in behind siding, was hitting the area from both sides. Going to have a company come in and increase the height on the bilco door unit which is very close to this area - so they had to go.


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 29, 2020)

Wow some crazy stories. My hand is back to normal size now, I can’t imagine 100 stings, I’m pretty sure that would have killed me


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## Labfriend (Aug 30, 2020)

I was out hiking with my dogs a few years back and someone, I like to blame the dogs, stepped on yellow jacket nest.  I got stung a couple of times and ran.  I looked back and the dogs were just standing there trying to bite the yellow jackets.  So, uttering a few choice words and earning a few more stings,  I had to run back into he cloud of yellow jackets and had to drag them out.  Luckily they did not follow to far.


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## Grizzerbear (Aug 30, 2020)

I got stung by a yellow jacket for the first time in my life today while bush hogging the fields. I was just pluggin along and wham......right on the arm pit man. I looked behind me and they were going nuts right above their nest hole. I gotta say....I've been stung by red wasp, bumblebees, Hornets etc... but I've never had a reaction from a sting like I had today. A hour or so later from my shoulder to my ribs were sore and I had a stomachache. The sting happened around noon and it still feels bruised. I for sure wouldn't want to find out what would happen from multiple stings.


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## Grizzerbear (Aug 30, 2020)

And since we are talkin bout wasps and Hornets and such....


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## kennyp2339 (Aug 31, 2020)

Went sawing up a tree yesterday, didnt see the bald face hornet's nest till it was to late, got wacked 7 times in both arms, hands, and stomach. 
Thankfully I'm not allergic to them, but that was the it for the day for me. I ended up swelling pretty good in the hands & arms, rash formed on my stomach, took 4 benadryl tablets and laid down for the rest of the day, not fun. I did locate the nest and will be taking care of it.


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 31, 2020)

Grizzerbear said:


> View attachment 262647
> 
> And since we are talkin bout wasps and Hornets and such....


Wow those are awesome


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## BIGChrisNH (Aug 31, 2020)

Grizzerbear said:


> I got stung by a yellow jacket for the first time in my life today while bush hogging the fields. I was just pluggin along and wham......right on the arm pit man. I looked behind me and they were going nuts right above their nest hole. I gotta say....I've been stung by red wasp, bumblebees, Hornets etc... but I've never had a reaction from a sting like I had today. A hour or so later from my shoulder to my ribs were sore and I had a stomachache. The sting happened around noon and it still feels bruised. I for sure wouldn't want to find out what would happen from multiple stings.


It is surprising how painful they are.


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## paulnlee (Aug 31, 2020)

Yes it is. Bees usually don't bother me but last week pulling a big tarp up to cover a new delivery I was raided. Ankles still red and itching.


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## blades (Aug 31, 2020)

The last bald faced hornet nest I came in contact with  was dispatched with a load on #9's from my 20 gauge.  The previous 2 were when I was still in town- 177 air rifles with a friend, that was a lot of fun. they had no idea where those invasive pests were coming from.


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## johneh (Aug 31, 2020)

I do not like wasps any more than the next guy 
But you do realize that they are a pollinator and needed for food production


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## firefighterjake (Sep 1, 2020)

Honeybees: I am helpful and provide you with honey. Just please don't mess with me or you may end up making me do something I will regret later on.

Bumbleebee: Dee-dee-dee-dee . . . I am a bumble bee and happy as can be. Flying here and flying there. Singing by buzzing song as I go along. 

Wasps: I'm big and bad and a mean mother #@*^% if you catch me in a bad mood, but don't worry,  you'll often spot me coming a proverbial mile away.

Yellow Jackets: The @#$holes of the stinging insect world. You mess with one of us . . . you mess with all of us. Oh sure, you're running away in terror at just the sight of us, but you know what you just stepped on Larry and now we're going to bring the mother %%^# pain to you so you know to never, ever mess with us again.


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## Simonkenton (Sep 1, 2020)

"I got stung 9 times and reacted badly. I went to urgent care and passed out at the front counter while trying to check in. "

I worked many allergy calls when I was a paramedic.  Your case is a good reason to keep some Benadryl on hand in the kitchen cupboard.
These cases are so tricky,   you may handle bee stings just fine at age 30, but the next year you turn up allergic to bee stings.  A single  25 mg Benadryl pill can save your life.


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## GreenMountainBoy (Sep 1, 2020)

BIGChrisNH said:


> I've long had a propensity for being stung by bees, brown hornets, yellow jackets, horseflies, etc. I sat down on a plastic chair by the fire pit earlier this summer that had a yellow jacket nest the size of a softball underneath it, that was a lot of fun.
> 
> Anyway, today I finally decided to pull down a large oak branch widow maker from out back on my property. I went out there with some cable and a come-along, and the whole thing came crashing down like I wanted. I cut it up into 6 foot lengths and was shouldering them out of there. As I was reaching down for the last one, my foot squished down on something soft and I felt the familiar pain of a yellow jacket sting on my hand. It's surprising how fast you can run in a helmet and chaps LOL. I'm very thankful I didn't step on the nest with a running chainsaw.


I was splitting wood with a Collins Axe about ten years ago, when I found myself under attack from 3-5 yellowjackets. Not many, really. When i get stung I puff up like Popeye's arms, so I've found my best strategy is to try to kill as many as I can before they sting me. Well, my wife heard the ruckus and came outside to see me flailing at the yellow jackets with the Collins Axe. She yelled "STOP You're going to hurt yourself!". I replied "I'm fine, but you know what happens when I get stung. Don't feel like going to the ER this evening".

After a couple of minutes things calmed down and I was fairly proud of myself. "See? Didn't get stung once!". My wife said "Yeah, but what happened to your shirt?" I looked, and realized I had shredded the front of my shirt to ribbons of cloth with the axe and never realized it. I would have had to be within 1/2" of my chest and stomach to carve up the shirt like that, yet I didn't have a scratch. I then realized what I had done and the implications, but I wouldn't admit it to her under penalty of death.

Ten years later, married 35 years, and it's still my little secret.


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## fbelec (Sep 2, 2020)

bad thing about yellow jackets is they cay sting multiple times and fly away. their stingers are not barbed. i am allergic to bee stings and what the doctors told me was each time i get stung the affects get worse and they happen quicker. a friend of mine helped me out once when i got stung he told me to get a rag or paper towel soak it in regular ammonia and put it over the sting for fifteen minutes. when i first put it on it felt like someone was drilling a hole in me. but it went away in a few. the ammonia neutralizes the venom. he told me he got taught that in pharmacy school.


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## BIGChrisNH (Sep 2, 2020)

fbelec said:


> bad thing about yellow jackets is they cay sting multiple times and fly away. their stingers are not barbed. i am allergic to bee stings and what the doctors told me was each time i get stung the affects get worse and they happen quicker. a friend of mine helped me out once when i got stung he told me to get a rag or paper towel soak it in regular ammonia and put it over the sting for fifteen minutes. when i first put it on it felt like someone was drilling a hole in me. but it went away in a few. the ammonia neutralizes the venom. he told me he got taught that in pharmacy school.


my go to is Benadryl, baking soda and ice


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## JimRT (Sep 2, 2020)

Yellow Jackets are just A** H@$&%s I've been stung on the head twice this year, once near my ear (that was a double tap !) once on my nose. I have been waging chemical warfare and losing.


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## Simonkenton (Sep 2, 2020)

I always used tobacco on bee stings.  You get a pinch of Marlboro, or Red Man, any kind of tobacco, and moisten it and put it on the sting.
In 15 seconds the sting just disappears.   It is like magic.
I strongly believe that tobacco neutralizes the toxins.


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## BIGChrisNH (Sep 3, 2020)

The weather has cooled off here and I’ve seen no activity from that nest since the sting that day. Dragonflies are still out though.


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## Simonkenton (Sep 3, 2020)

I was going to cut some limbs off of a big poplar tree.  Way up.  I had the big extention ladder, this thing weighs about 95 pounds and is really a load to lug around the yard.  The brush was 2 feet deep as I carried the big ladder to the tree.
And concealed in the brush, was a paper wasp nest.  About the size of a basketball.  I didn't see it and I ripped right into it with the ladder, by accident.

Those paper wasps swarmed me over.  I threw down the ladder and ran into the house.  I got nailed about 11 times.
Put chewing tobacco on the stings and they quit hurting immediately.
I went back four hours later, poured a cup of gasoline onto the nest, and lit 'em up.

Two years later I saw a big paper wasp nest about 8 feet high in a bush.   I was about to torch it but I realized it was out of the beaten path.  I decided to let it alone and see what happened.  Nobody got stung by those bees and I watched them through the summer and fall.   Amazing how they can build that hive.  They chew up grass or sticks, and they make  paper.

In November I noticed very little activity in the hive.  They either died off, or they moved away somewhere.   The cold winds of January just blew the hive into shreds.


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## logfarmer (Sep 4, 2020)

PaulOinMA said:


> I've mowed over a yellow jacket nest.  They really don't like that.


I’ve done that myself, wow was they mad! Took care of that problem that evening with gas and a match!!


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## Sawset (Sep 4, 2020)

Grizzerbear said:


> View attachment 262647
> 
> And since we are talkin bout wasps and Hornets and such....


I've had then build just over the back door, but never in the house.


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## aansorge (Sep 6, 2020)

Wasps like beer.  Last swallow one day led to being stung on the roof of the mouth.


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## Sawset (Sep 6, 2020)

aansorge said:


> Wasps like beer.  Last swallow one day led to being stung on the roof of the mouth.


What's up with that - same here last night. First time ever. Every year it seems there is some bug population out of whack. First it was Asian lady bugs, then boxelder beetles, then japanese beetles, now hornets everywhere.


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## BIGChrisNH (Sep 6, 2020)

aansorge said:


> Wasps like beer.  Last swallow one day led to being stung on the roof of the mouth.


That can’t be fun. Is your mouth swollen up like crazy?


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## aansorge (Sep 6, 2020)

The roof of my mouth did swell up for a day.  The pain was pretty intense.  I twist my beer tabs over the hole now.


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## BIGChrisNH (Sep 6, 2020)

aansorge said:


> The roof of my mouth did swell up for a day.  The pain was pretty intense.  I twist my beer tabs over the hole now.


Yeah that one had to hurt.


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## SidecarFlip (Sep 6, 2020)

My wasp and hornet repellent is a can of non-chlorinated brake cleaner.  I keep it handy at all times.  You can zap them in mid air and it drops them dead in a millisecond.  Great for nests too.  Instant death.  Love that stuff and it's dirt cheap.


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## TradEddie (Sep 9, 2020)

Smokepole said:


> It has been a bad year for yellow jackets here too. In and around my yard, I have gotten rid of 4 nests.



Just wait until the scourge of the Spotted Lanternfly hits you in a year or two. The Lanternflies themselves are disgusting and potentially devastating to important crops, but the damage they do to trees attracts all kinds of stinging insects to the sap oozing from the bark, or the "honeydew" excreted by the Lanternfy.

TE


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## Sawset (Sep 9, 2020)

I wonder if those lantern flys will be like what most other bugs seem to be doing in this area.  Tear into an area, then burn themselves out and into an equilibrium.  I looked at the range for those, and am hoping our glorious arctic cold will keep them out or at least give them a hard time of it.  There was one year where deer flys made any venture outside, especially in a wooded area, nearly impossible.  Cold took them out, but all summer was a no go.  My wife has natural mosquitoe  and knat pheromones, so we can tell what's in the area by her first.  No bug spray in any quantity kept those deer flys away.  I told her it was her curly hair, but she wasn't buying it and probably didn't care at that point.


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## Bushels20 (Sep 9, 2020)

PNWfirburner said:


> I found a ground yellow jacket nest a couple years ago while dragging felled trees on my property. I got stung 9 times and reacted badly. I went to urgent care and passed out at the front counter while trying to check in. I got a couple of epinephrine injections and an ambulance ride across the street to the ER. It was a close call and 10 more minutes waiting to head to urgent care wouldve been the end of me. About a month later, roughly a 100x30 foot black cloud of honey bee swarm transited overhead at my property where I was working by myself. My heart skipped a few beats but I was ok. I carry a stupid epi around with me now and have to be cautious this time of year when the wasps start to get aggressive.
> 
> Pay attention to your reaction when you get stung. You can become allergic at any point and the more encounters you have getting stung, the more likely you will become allergic.



I was cutting down my wife’s peonies in the garden 3-4 years ago and when cutting one of the bushes down for the season a yellow jacket nest was chopped up with the hedge trimmers. They got into my sweatshirt, gloves, up my jeans, everywhere.

I was stung a bunch, I couldn’t count them all. I was fearful of a bad reaction or simply shock from too many stings but ultimately, nothing happened. It was a scary afternoon; not to mention itchy and painful.


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## Deets (Sep 9, 2020)

Cut a hollow tree down a few winters ago, limbed it, and started bucking into logs. Just happened to buck it in the right spot cuz there was a huge honeycomb in there. Pretty dang tasty when it’s cold, bout like a frozen dessert. Lol


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## mrd1995 (Sep 16, 2020)

Dropped an dead elm on a hive in the bush last Friday. Didn't find out until this Monday that is was there, a single wasp was there and man did it light me up! Two days later and my hand looks fine but is itchy...not allergic so not sure what that is all about


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## Simonkenton (Sep 16, 2020)

A person's reactions to an allergy can change over time.  You might not have been allergic to bee stings last year, but now, you may be getting allergic.   And this sensitivity to bee stings will only get worse.   Better get you a package of 25 mg Benadryl, and keep it in that kitchen cabinet.
Itchy hand for 2 days is a symptom of an allergic reaction.

Did you get any red welts or swelling on your hand, or elsewhere?


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## mrd1995 (Sep 16, 2020)

Simonkenton said:


> A person's reactions to an allergy can change over time.  You might not have been allergic to bee stings last year, but now, you may be getting allergic.   And this sensitivity to bee stings will only get worse.   Better get you a package of 25 mg Benadryl, and keep it in that kitchen cabinet.
> Itchy hand for 2 days is a symptom of an allergic reaction.


Thank you for the feed back I will do so... live in fruit country so we have bees and wasps everywhere you turn!


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## hockeypuck (Sep 16, 2020)

I have been stung multiple times by yellow jackets.  Ground nests mainly.  Swelling and itchy skin for days.  Best way I like to get rid of them is to shut the exit hole off with foaming wasp spray, then get a can of brake cleaner with a long red stem extension.. put it down through the foam into the opening and let it rip.  Brake cleaner drops them dead instantly.  Never seen anything like it.  I then like to dig up the nest to see what I was dealing with.   I am not a mean person, but those things bring out the worst in me.


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## hockeypuck (Sep 16, 2020)

mrd1995 said:


> Dropped an dead elm on a hive in the bush last Friday. Didn't find out until this Monday that is was there, a single wasp was there and man did it light me up! Two days later and my hand looks fine but is itchy...not allergic so not sure what that is all about


My knee itched for 5 days.  I went to walk in because the area was still warm, said I might have started a case of cellulitis.  If it lasts that long and is still warm, red and itchy you might want to go to a local walkin.


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## Sawset (Sep 16, 2020)

Simonkenton said:


> A person's reactions to an allergy can change over time.  You might not have been allergic to bee stings last year, but now, you may be getting allergic.   And this sensitivity to bee stings will only get worse.   Better get you a package of 25 mg Benadryl, and keep it in that kitchen cabinet.
> Itchy hand for 2 days is a symptom of an allergic reaction.
> 
> Did you get any red welts or swelling on your hand, or elsewhere?


My reaction has changed. I used to keep honeybees. I can remember being stung 80+ times extracting honey once. Just put my head down,  take it, and get it done. No more. If I'm stung once, everything lymphatic swells, everything. Bees are done here.


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## PaulOinMA (Sep 24, 2020)

Ugh.  Stung three times on my face yesterday.

Was picking up kindling in the woods.  The vernal pool was dry enough to walk on, so I pulled branches out the pond, too.

Was walking through the woods with branches from the pond and I noticed a stinging sensation on my chin below the left side of my lower lip.  Brushed it away.  Got me two more times on the left jowl.  May have walked over a yellowjacket nest in the woods.

Kept trimming brush by the driveway for trash collection next week.  Kept feeling my jaw and cheek.  Swelled up enough after 20 minutes that I thought I should take an antihistamine.

Went to the bathroom and pulled out the box with assorted medicines.  Started looking at cold, flu, and allergy boxes for ingredients.  Cough suppressant.  Fever reducer.  Nasal decongestant.  Don't we have an antihistamanine?

Ah.  Allegra Allergy sample pack.  Score!  Antihistamine.  Took a pill.  It's past, well past, expiry date.

Went downstairs to have a salad for lunch.  Nan yells down from working upstairs to see if I want to go for our lunchtime walk.

Nope.  Not with my face swollen like this.   

Have a salad, yogurt, and fruit.

My face is o.k. enough that I think we can go for a walk.  Nan doesn't notice.

Tell her later in the afternoon.  She wondered what I was doing making all the noise in the bathroom.  I usually say if I'm going to clean the bathrooms.  Also though it strange that I didn't want to go for a walk on a nice day.  

Still swollen today.  Not Dizzie Gillespie playing the trumpet puffy, but definitely pretty swollen.


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## BIGChrisNH (Sep 24, 2020)

Man, you guys getting stung in the mouth and face, that’s no good. Be careful and heal up


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## Beer Belly (Sep 25, 2020)

I've been thru 2 Epidurals, and 16 Spine Injections........hurt a bit, was uncomfortable, but a Bee sting freakin hurts !


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## bmoore3 (Sep 25, 2020)

Got into Yellow Jackets yesterday while in the middle of felling a 15 inch dead white oak.. took off running through the woods. shirt, chaps flying.. Worst part is that I had to come back and finish the job! Carefully.


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## BIGChrisNH (Sep 29, 2020)

Wow the stories keep coming! Sorry to hear all these but glad I’m not the only one


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## TradEddie (Sep 30, 2020)

Me too, I was picking firewood from the stack last week when a paper wasp let loose multiple times on the back of my hand. Within an hour my hand had swelled up like am inflated rubber glove, it didn't hurt so much as felt like it was constantly under immense pressure, I couldn't sleep properly for two nights, even with painkillers, antihistamines and prescription steroid cream. That had barely subsided when a few days later, I went for a run, along a road, when something came out of the adjacent lawn and stung me. At first I assumed it was just grit from a passing truck but the blood and the pain soon said otherwise. This one just simply hurt like crazy for two days and I had a 6-inch bruise to show for it too. Last week probably doubled the total number of stings I've had in my entire life.


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## fbelec (Oct 1, 2020)

jez you must have had a target on you


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## planner steve (Oct 7, 2020)

Today I wanted to start moving some firewood from my storage area to a stack I keep closer to the house for easy access in the winter.  Moved a few pieces and started to see the wasps between rounds.  For some reason they think they can overwinter in my wood pile.  Next cold morning they will meet their maker


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