Ground Hornets

barrabas74

barrabas74

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Jul 27, 2005
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I was out clearin tree limbs behind my house today and testin out a few of my larger knives when all of the suddne bam, bam ,bam bam I get nailed:grumpy: . 2 on thiside of the thigh "I was wearing shorts", 3 on the hands and 1 on the back of the neck. I got hit by those pesky ground hornets/yellow jackets. Man does it sting, and you never see me comin. I had a band incounter when I was younger and was stung over 100 times, so to say I have a phobia is an understatement. I am sayin to you guys who are out there doin your thing be safe and watch out for those lil devils
 
Buddy, I feel your pain, well my wife did. Several years ago we were doing yard work and she got nailed 4 or 5 times on the arm and hand. Those bastards are relentless. They chase you and sting you multiple times. :eek:
Scott
 
I was turning over a compost pile not knowing the little beggars were in there. It only took me a split second to realize those jokers where coming after me!

hatchet-
 
Me too, the hairs on my neck just stand up on end when I hear buzzing, I was stung as a child in the ear by a wasp. Sounds like a good time to revisit with an aerosol and a live flame :)
 
hatchetjack said:
I was turning over a compost pile not knowing the little beggars were in there. It only took me a split second to realize those jokers where coming after me!

hatchet-
Click to expand...

Darn! You too! I was composting leaves in wire hoops, and the lil' monsters had built a hive inside the leaves. I stick in a pitchfork to turn the leaves and HERE THEY CAME! :eek: I didn't know I could run that fast. 11 hits.

That cost 'em. I exterminated that nest and toured the neighborhood to clean up three more nests (1/4 of Sevin powder at each entrance. So there!!!)
 
If you know where the hole is wait until its about dark, pour about a cup of gasoline down the hole, wait about three minutes and light it. They wont be a problem anymore.

Ive got lots of these on the farm and they get really ill about this time of year.
 
Bee (ha ha) careful out there guys. I was stung once by a ground nesting yellow jacket in 1992. 40 minutes later I was in the ER with a BP of 70/40. The ER doc said If I had been a minute later, I wouldn't have made it.

When I was younger I stumbled upon a nest and was stung 5 times in the face. The second exposure in 1992 was all it took for my body to switch on an anaphyllactic reaction. Every exposure to a potential allergen increases the risks of an anaphyllactic (allergic) reaction. Most folks don't realize that even though they survived a sting or stings in the past, the next one could be their last.

Take care all!

Marc
 
My son and I were camping in the Sierra and I went uphill from our camp near a lake gathering firewood and all of a sudden it felt like my was foot was on fire. I had stepped into a nest in a stump hole and was stung repeatedly on my foot and elsewhere while making my escape. Good thing the lake was nearby...

I have been seriously attacked on several occasions in the past while pursuing outdoor activities. Thank God I have not been subject to an allergic reaction as Marc points out. He is correct in reminding us that our sensitivity can change. Bees/wasps/hornets/etc. are where you find 'em, sometimes in the most unexpected places.

Dave
 
Im not afraid of wasps. I just covertly de-animate them. :jerkit:

On a serious note, how much does a sting from one of these hurt?


-[digidude]
 
On a serious note, how much does a sting from one of these hurt?
Click to expand...

Hard to say as everyone has a different way of reacting to / ranking pain. Nevertheless, its rather unplesant to say the least.
 
We have wasps here which I think are fairly similar to your yellowjackets. Danged things reach plague proportions sometimes in late summer. They can be a real nuisance when you are filleting fish outdoors because they come and land on it. And if you inadvertently hit a nest while you are working a bulldozer you might have to bail out quickly. I believe that they originally came from Europe.

It sounds odd, but I heard the other day that in Germany, if you are bothered by these wasps, you don't kill them.... you call the authorities and they come and relocate the nest. Dang!!

I've also heard that the Japanese like to eat the larvae from the nests, and that some people in my country have been working to export this delicacy. I don't know how you'd harvest them in a survival situation if you didn't have a bee veil and decent gloves....but that is something to think about.
 
Napalm the buggers. Easy to make, burns a long time, and gives a certain primal satisfaction to the stingee. I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

Codger ;)
 
Meat bees (yellow jackets) are nasty but if you're taliking about the big black ground hornets that is a whole nother matter. Hornets, it seams to me (ahem) head right for the seams and openings of your clothes. You're lucky they didn't fly up your shorts! :eek: That is the wrong kind of swelling.

A gallon of soapy water in the nest hole works great and doesn't burn down the forest.
 
OK I admit codger's way is alot more fun. So is sticking an oxy/acteylene torch down the hole for a few minutes and then lightin the hole with a fuse.
 
Acetelyne can be made right in the hole with calcium carbide and a bit-o-water. Hydrochloric and sulfuric acids can be cool too, but they can bite you back. Then there are old fashioned road flares, det cord, 40mm......

Did I mention that I hate ground nesting wasps? Paper wasps where you can see the nest are a different matter. They respond real well to 3M spray adhesive. Environmentally safe too.
 
Damn, I was just going to start a thread on these sumbitches...

I've been stung 3 times, two weeks aparts each time. First time was one on the lower leg, right above the sock as I was mowing a yard (summer job). Second time was in the same location. I swore up a storm and walked to the truck. Just as I got there, I got hit a second time. I found the hole and discovered that bees can't swim... when drenched in Black Flag!:D

Today... I checked the hole and walked the yard for a bit, feeling safe... Nope, another one got me on the back of the leg. I checked all over and still couldn't find where he was coming from. Then, in another area of the yard, I got it again. I socked a couple holes, but couldn't find where they lived. The yard has been hit by moles, so there's dirt mounds and tunnels (which will have a small hole fall in, making a perfect nesting hole...)

Does it hurt? At first it feels like a pin sticking ya, which isn't too bad. then, the venom hits and it hurts like hell for about a 1/2 hour. If that was all there was too it, it wouldn't be so bad. But, since I've been hit I know whats coming. Soreness (which isn't too bad), swelling (again, not bad), a little bit of bruising, (again, not bad) and... the itching, which sucks like hell. It'll wake me up in the night scratching. After the second time, the wife found a tube of prescription hydocortisone (or hydrocodone) some sort of anti-itch cream.
 
Definitely a good thing to be on the look out for while travelling through thick growth. While they certainly are some nasty critters to run afoul of, hornets and wasps are quite beneficial as they kill many insects that are harmful to human endevours. I won't destroy a hive unless it is in a really inconvenient spot. I have a plastic box that I like to capture live insects in so I can study them for a while. Wasps and hornets are among my favorites, they're very handsome creatures in their own right.
 
X I will be happy to ship you all the ground hornets I find. Handsome or not they stung my daughter which in my world makes them fair game. Hezbo hornets.
 
Well, officially it's illegal to kill/disturb them in Germany. You are supposed to call the authorities so the nest can be moved. If you don't find some volunteers you even have to pay for it......
Well, thats the theory. Most people take matters into their own hands though...
Ralf
 
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