BEEEZZZZZ!

[No_Bivy]

Climbed 80' up a poplar on a single line....all was well till I turned around and saw a basketball size hornets nest.........must NOT move......


sneaked past em',....got above em and went to work. They really didn't seem to mind......even when I nailed the nest with a chunk of deadwood.

Tis' the season, bees have big nests by now.....WATCH OUT.

once again I get to live

 

[MasterBlaster]

We have the africanized bees, here. Loads of fun.

 

[SkwerI]

Yup, bees really do not want to sting you unless they must in order to protect the hive. They have one bullet in their gun and once they fire, they die.

Hornets are a different story. Which was it, bees or hornets?

 

[Wagnaw]

Sounds like a bald face hornets nest. They're the only really big round ones up here that I know of. ...granted, that's not saying alot. Glad you missed them though. I gotta remember to keep an eye out.

 

[No_Bivy]

HORNETS........white faced. Very cranky usually. This is the second time for me in ten years.....I'm goin to buy a lttery ticket next.

 

[JIML]

We run across quite a few hornets nests every summer... All a guy can do is spray straight into the exit hole and hope for the best...
Nice to catch them early in the morning.

 

[Paul B]

Nice to catch them early in the morning.

thats the truth, early start, cool weather is good for avoiding the little buzzers.

 

[Jamin Mayer]

We run across quite a few hornets nests every summer... All a guy can do is spray straight into the exit hole and hope for the best...
Nice to catch them early in the morning.

I agree. It's what I do too.

My groundie got hit about 6 times the other day with some paper wasps. (Not too bad). He was crossing a small fence to send up my 200T. He couldn't have picked a better location for the fence crossing either. He literally climbed right above the bastids! I saw the whole thing from about 20' above him. It was like slow motion. I couldn't help him.

I got stung 1 time so far this year. Right in the face too.:what:

 

[Paul B]

one on the knuckles here from a big bee this year, dunno what I did to pizz him off either.

 

[Old Monkey]

This year has been largely wasp free. Last year I did what No Bivy did but wasn't as fortunate. I got about six stings the first time and a few more when I went back up with the spray can; fifteen feet my arse! I climbed the other side of the tree and used my 21' polesaw to cut the nest out. The next day we came back to find a clump of bald faced hornets on the branch were the nest was. I emptied two more cans into those buggers.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I think that you have better luck eliminating a nest if you flick your bic in front of the spray as you aim into the nest. Just make sure that the flames don't spread into the canopy as the nest burns, though. Almost got more than a few stings going here the other day doing that.

 

[Hobby Climber]

I remember seeing the Killer Beez back in the mid 70's but I think we are talking about different beez! (SNL 1975)

Sorry couldn't resist.

HC

 

[Hobby Climber]

This may have been the critter your talking about:

 

[JIML]

I think that you have better luck eliminating a nest if you flick your bic in front of the spray as you aim into the nest. Just make sure that the flames don't spread into the canopy as the nest burns, though. Almost got more than a few stings going here the other day doing that.

The old flame thrower... I happen to know someone thats used that trick a time or 2.

 

[Blinky]

You must be living right to get by that one without a sting.

I had to hose off some wasps nested in ivy I had to climb through... no problems... till the damn spider bit me. Had a nice little crater in my arm after about a week.

 

[Cobleskill]

I rented my beehive to a guy for pollination of his pumkins. I picked the hive up to carry it to his truck (only about 10 feet away) and the bees took exception to me moving them. I don't know how many times they got me but I am pretty immune so I didn't worry about it too much. It hurt and itched a little when I went to bed and as the night went on it got worse. In the morning it looked like somebody blew up a rubber glove. Lots of benadryl to get it to go down.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Why not wear protection?

 

[Cobleskill]

Usually at nght they are quiet as long as you don't shake or bump them.

The hive wasn't fastened to the bottom board so I couldn't use the handles that are milled into the hive body. I grabbed the bottom and my hand was right by the entrance.

I don't get much pain or swelling from honeybees so I wasn't worried enough to put on gloves and headnet. In the future I will.

 

[Che]

I was out digging up daylilies a couple weeks ago. Was trying out one of those 'new fangled MP3 player thingees' with all the cords, etc. Dug up about 7-8 plants...no problem...then all of a sudden felt a searing pain on (not IN) my upper chest. It was hot, I had a hat on, stupid cords hanging down from my ears, lots of pain, lots of adrenaline. Glad I'm not deaf, that was scary...kinda claustrophobic...for some reason.

I had shoved my fork right into a bumblebee nest and got away with ONE sting.

I RAN back to the house and used my ammonia pen. Some time later I thought of you all, thought how HORRIBLE it would be to be in that position and not be able to get away as quick as I did.

These ammonia pens would be a great thing to carry in the summer for just such an occasion. I keep one an arms length inside the door here at home (in the cup with pens/pencils by the phone) and one in the barn.

 

[vharrison]

Hum, never heard of an ammonia pen. Interesting.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

Epi pen?

 

[Che]

No...they come under different names...all they are is 100% ammonia. You just dab it on ASAP when a bee/wasp stings. I started keeping them around when the kids were little. Sure seems to work.

They're available in drugstores (Rite Aide type) here.

It's just more convenient than a jug of ammonia.

Edit: Checked the name, seems they're also available through Amazon (from Baileys!), Walgreens, etc:

AFTER BITE, The Itch Eraser

 

[darkstar]

Weve been getting stung just about everyday.This year the yellow jackets are everwhere.I got poped on the shoulder by a big hornet yesteday evening while talking on the phone. I just started saying son of a buck son of a buck.Had to keep it tidy.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

cool...another good trick is to put some tobacco on a bee sting, it will take the swelling away immediately.

 

[Paul B]

after bite is one type, I have one in the glove box, as well as one of these: