Stink bugs

[EatenByLimestone]

Stink bugs are worse this year than last. I hope we get lots of calls for them! Lol. They smell like money!!

 

[fbelec]

You'd be surprised how effective applying vinegar (weak acid) to a sting site is. I've probably had 50+ stings over the last 10 years by yellow jackets mostly and I'm always amazed how well it works. Apparently, most insect venoms are basic (pH) and the application of vinegar quickly neutralizes the venom to some degree. I keep a pill container with cotton balls soaked with vinegar with me while working in risky places and its paid off many times. I press the cotton ball to the sting site and hold it there for about 5 minutes.

i've done the same with ammonia. i was taught that from a pharmacist that said he was taught that in phar school. worked so well i couldn't see the spot that the yellow jacket left

 

[begreen]

Ammonia seems to make more sense. I read that the toxins in bee venom are acidic.

Treat Bee Stings and Other Bug Bites

One of the few downsides to summer is having to deal with pesky insects.Try these old-time remedies to treat bee stings and other bug bites.

newengland.com

.
But then there are those that say neither work, it is more that time reduces the effect.

Bee stings - acid or alkali? | Insect Stings

Does neutralising their pH give sting relief? the answer! Every year I have lots of people ask me this question (especially younger visitors doing certain science courses and exams across the world) and so I have decided to make this a special one-off web page on this subject! The claims that...

insectstings.co.uk

 

[semipro]

Ammonia seems to make more sense. I read that the toxins in bee venom are acidic.

I'd swear that vinegar provides almost immediate relief. Maybe it's a placebo effect It makes sense though as I get stung by wasps (e.g. Yellow Jackets) only and their venom is reportedly more basic. (Sadly), I never have problems with bees. There's not many of them around here anymore. I see fewer every year.

From @begreen sources and others, the subject seems really complex actually. Venoms are complex.

 

[Ashful]

Maybe it’s just holding a cotton ball on the sting, that’s the whole secret! [emoji14]

The yellow jackets we get here are tiny, no confusing them with what we call hornets, but we may have different species than you.

 

[SpaceBus]

I got stung by a small yellow jacket that followed me after discovering they had a nest under a palette in the woodshed. I had walked quite away from the next when it stung me in the chest through my shirt. It felt like I had been struck by a taser. Took my breath away and stopped me in my tracks. That surprised me. I have been stung a lot in my days, but nothing like this. Little wasps can pack more wallop than some big ones.

Now I have to figure out how to get them out. This is the hardwood side of the woodshed. It won't be a problem during the winter, but I stacked my leftover fir there from last spring so that I could reload the other side with fir. The intent was to burn this first.

They liked our trash in Afghanistan and one stung my middle finger on my right hand and I have a scar from it. I could not believe how much it hurt from such a small creature.

 

[semipro]

They liked our trash in Afghanistan and one stung my middle finger on my right hand and I have a scar from it. I could not believe how much it hurt from such a small creature.

Yep, like fire ants - one of the reasons I got the heck out of Texas.

 

[MTY]

No stink bugs here to speak of. But by the end of October I will be getting two inches taller when I walk across the yard due to wild turkey crap sticking to the soles of my boots. Maybe the turkeys eat the stink bugs.

 

[fbelec]

last time i used ammonia i was told to put some on a rag and hold it against the sting. well that felt like rubbing alcohol on a cut. but was told to hold it on there for 15 minutes. at the end of that is was all gone. no sign of a sting. now i'm allergic and have to run to the hospital.
on a different note every time i run into a stink bug i don't want to touch it and i have to get it outside of the house so i don't have to put up with the smell.

 

[paulnlee]

Behind my sweatshirt this AM.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Much better than in your sweatshirt.

 

[Ashful]

Yuck!

 

[fbelec]

little stinkers

 

[HisTreeNut]

Stinkbug trap that apparently works really well. See the link.

Stink bugs beware! Homemade stink bug traps squash store-bought models, Virginia Tech researchers find

Now homeowners can make their own stink bug traps for around $7, using nothing but a foil pan, water, dish soap, and a small lamp.

vtnews.vt.edu

Sent from my VS835 using Tapatalk

 

[billb3]

A few more stink bugs than last year. None inside.
Banner year for red oak acorns though. Have had a huge white tail feasting in the back yard the last three nights.

 

[fbelec]

that trap works similar to one i make to catch fruit flies. the difference is the size and the light