Strange Stings

[colmworthdales]

Following an incident while putting on my socks this morning, I thought I would start another Thread to see who else has had unexpected stings.

Pulled a folded up pair of socks out of my drawer (I always roll them up inside each other to save space) and put them on. As I got the second one over my heel and was pulling up the ankle part, I felt a slight prick at the back just above the ankle. Thought it must be a burr stuck inside but on investigation a sleepy wasp fell out! I despatched it quickly, needless to say, but it must have been stuck there for at least a week as I was behind with my washing.  Luckily it did not inject very much venom. Nasty wake-up call early in the morning, I can tell you!  After smearing my trusty anti-bite cream on, the pain subsided but I can still feel it several hours later.

Hope that is the last of the blighters for 2014.

[yanny]

Gosh I bet that was a surprise! Luckily I haven't actually seen many wasps this year compared to most. I'm very fearful of them; verging on phobic...if one is anywhere near I run as far as I can! I never used to be as I thought they only stung in self defence, but a few years ago in summer I was sat wearing shorts and one landed on my leg. I just sat still thinking it would probably fly off, but it stung me anyway for no reason
Since then I've been petrified of them. The not other time I've been stung was when I put my hand on one by accident when I was little by accident, so I couldn't blame that one for stinging.
Strangely enough, one of my cats loves to eat them. I wonder if a one else has experienced this?!

[kathnsonny]

I once took a pair of socks off the washing line and pulled them on and there was a wasp in the toe! It gave me a really nasty sting right on my toe, hurt for ages.

[Debbie]

I seem to remember DMSO will reduce the sting of a wasp. I do know for a fact that Farnam's fly spray worked far better than any Wasp Killer I have ever used when we were living in Missouri (bug haven), I opened my truck door to find the blighters had built a nest in the hinges! I didn't have any wasp killer, so I ran into the house, grabbed my horse fly spray and hoped to only stun them long enough to dispatch them. I was shocked when I spritzed them to see them instantly lock all 6 legs over their bodies like little mummies, quiver and then flop right to the ground. I think they were completely dead in 30 seconds flat!

I hope your stings heal quickly. My Mom is petrified of wasps and even bumblebees. They do go out of their way to sting her, but I wonder if she's giving off some panic pheramon or something? I've killed a ridiculous amount of wasps over lifetime, but I don't think I've ever been stung by one in America. I was stung by something in Guatemala (a first aside from a honeybee I accidentally stepped on as a child), but I that was also an accident. My Mom on the otherhand, I've lost track of how many times we'd be together and the wasps would chase her....literally chase her as they flew by me to go after her panicked run I got really good at killing them as a child.

Hornets on the otherhand, have my complete respect. I don't monkey with them. They need killed by professionals *nods.

[harveydales]

Ouch!

I haven't seen as many wasps as usual this year. Andy found a massive, still active wasp nest in our attic a couple of weeks ago and we still haven't noticed many wasps around. Strange...

[dalesnfellfan]

I haven't noticed so many around this year either, more than made up for by the excess of flies though, hope the foot has stopped stinging now Kate.

[colmworthdales]

Yes, completely better now. Thanks it was not a strong string, but I was amazed the wasp was still alive after a week, and had the strength left to sting at all!

I swear by Boots Sting and Bite Cream and smear that onto any nasty bite/sting I get and it really does seem to remove the pain almost immediately.

Not many wasps around at all this year - think a lot of the nests at or under ground level must have got flooded out early in the spring. Also, because we have so many badgers around here they have probably dealt with lots of them.

[newbie]

We've had loads of wasps this year. My boys and hubby were walking our dog and she ran through a nest that then swarmed and attacked them youngest son got 5 stings, some in his hair , hubby got 3 and eldest boy 1 (he ran the fastest). Needless to say they are all pretty phobic now!

[dalesnfellfan]

Oh that sounds horrible, I'm not surprised they have a phobia about them.

[zeldalithgow]

We had three wasps nests here this summer, plus bees nesting in the wall of the bothy

[Debbie]

At least the bees can be coaxed away into a beekeeper's kit if they become a nuisance the house we had in Missouri had so many honey bees around. The hives extended from a hollow catalpa tree to the front of our house. We never were bothered by the bees, but the wasps were always more aggressive and had to have the nests removed yearly

[merlinalison]

We've got several very active wasp nests in the roof of the tenement and some of them do take a wrong turning on the way out (they apparently come down the ventilation pipe for t he central heating boiler under the kitchen floorboards and pop up near the window or the sink.) And yes, one of our cats loves crunching them too...