Wasp encounter

General Gardening
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I know, not fruit or veggie related, but thought I’d pass on a little story about an encounter I had yesterday. I’m sure I’m not the only one that this has happened to, but thought I’d share my experience.

We were about to get some storms in the area in the afternoon, so thought I’d go down to our barn and shut the big wood doors. I grabbed the left door handle and was pushing the door, and suddenly, zap, zap! Apparently I had disturbed a wasper nest right by the handle and before I knew it I got stung on my left hand right on two knuckles.

You talk about painful! It felt like someone was taking a balpeen hammer and whacking my hand for about the first five minutes. I came back up to the house and my wife said, “here, let me put some kerosene on it”. Apparently, that is one of many local home remedies for bug stings. It did help a little bit, but still hurt some.

I thought that that’d be it, that it might hurt a bit more overnight and then it’d be OK. Well, this morning the back of my hand had swollen up, especially by the two knuckles. It seems to have got a bit worse as the day has gone on, as the back of my hand looks like I’ve been punching a wall. It’s also somewhat painful to make a fist.

I took an anti-inflammatory this morning for it, which helped with the pain, but not the swelling. I suppose it will eventually go back down. So, needless to say, guess I’d better watch where I’m reaching next time!

I’ve been stung by bees in the past, but not waspers, the bee stings aren’t nearly as bad. A little swelling, but not like this. I would imagine all you guys dealing with fruit have had similar experiences with stinging insects, yes?

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It sounds like you are allergic? I used to react much worse to yellowjackets, not as much swelling now but it still hurts just as bad. One time I slapped the first sting on my hand from them and then ran 50 yds really fast after the 2nd or 3rd, when I stopped I looked down at my hand and the stinger was still in and pumping like a bee stinger. So I was confused, but then another one of those SOBs stung me and it dawned on me that I had squished the first one. So all of the poison that could go in did and it was terrible. Do not slap when you get stung, just run and scream.

Then there are mud daubers that nest in my attic and some end up inside, the neighbors have been stung and said it was really bad but they are so slow I just catch them and put them out when the cats alert me.

Apparently one of the worst stings is from wasps that hunt spiders, the tarantula hunters especially. One type likes nesting in my lawn and I don’t mess with them, they are really quick, spend alot of time on the ground and flick their wings when they move.

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:smile:

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I don’t know if I’m really allergic, I was just reading about wasp sting reactions, and it would seem I have what they call a “large local reaction”. Just swelling of the back of my hand down to the wrist and some itching. I haven’t had any of the signs of a really bad reaction, like hives, trouble breathing, etc.

“Just run and scream”? I just did the yell and slap technique, didn’t think of running…

I have very “veiny” hands, and I can’t even see them on the back of my left hand now. I just took off my wedding band on my ring finger, thankfully it wasn’t that knuckle that was stung, but my index and middle finger.

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Ouch. Sounds very painful. Last time I was stung by a wasp I got hives and swelled up like a beachball was attached to my shoulder. Medics tell me I have a “moderate reaction” lol. Didn’t feel moderate, but I was also in my late teens and so…

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You’re not allergic, You had a minor local reaction. Allergies are when you get stung on the hand and your foot swells, you stop breathing(serious), you turn purple(hives)((my wife did that when she wanted a bee sting for arthritis)). Take a benedryl for the swelling and elevate the sting, it will hurt for a few days, a reminder to look before you grab. Run and scream is not optimal sting behavior nor is waving the arms, you will draw attention to yourself. A quick exit and a few right turns will clear the area and only the most persistent wasp will follow. Most paper nesting wasps are only mildly aggressive and once you leave they will return to their activities that don’t include you. Yellow jackets, on the other hand, will make you a #1 priority and will sting multiple times. A good jet of Sevin in the hole or nest exit usually solves their problems.

Above all else, if you get stung and you get swelling in the throat area or have difficulty breathing, get medical help stat. That is life threatening. They gave my wife over 200mg benedryl and 3 epinephrine shots and was still transported by ambulance to a level one trama center. She grumped for 3 wks. to get that sting for arthritis. She takes Tylenol now.

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I will remember to stay calm next time I am waist deep in grape vines killing weeds and they come boiling out of the hole :grinning: The screaming helps me run faster I think. If someone else is around they certainly do appreciate the warning, I said they always get me, lol.

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Onions - anything in the onion family. Works great on wasp/hornet stings (don’t know about bee). We have a full variety of wasps and hornets and occasionally, though not often thankfully, get too close. Chew, pound, macerate in some fashion whatever onion family plant is around and put on the sting. It does an amazing job of easing the sting and swelling and is usually readily available.

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Does sound like a localized, but pretty severe reaction to me. Treatment: Cold compress/ice pack, ibuprofen or aspirin (as long as you’re not allergic, no aspirin for people under 19 years of age), oral Benadryl and then slather on topical Benadryl gel and topical hydrocortisone cream. Keep the extremity elevated. NO kerosene omg. Doesn’t work, and can cause skin irritation and of course, it’s flammable. Watch for systemic allergic symptoms. You can try an onion poultice or baking powder poultice, but honestly, neither work as well as the above treatment. If you develop additional swelling or hives, get to the ER. If you start to experience dizziness or difficulty breathing, swollen lips and/or tongue, call 911 (don’t get in the car to go to the ER, just call 911). Wasps and hornet stings are much more painful and they can sting repetitively. Take care to watch your reaction the second time you get stung. With some people, especially those who have allergies to other things, you can develop a much more severe/anaphylactic reaction to the second sting, because you’ve developed antibodies to the venom of the 1st sting. So, it’s the second sting you really need to watch. Yes, my bees are very, very well behaved in my yard. Wasps tend to be a little more noisy/aggressive. If I see a hornet, I"m making a bee line for the house. They are awful, and very aggressive. Last time I got stung by a hornet was up whitewater rafting in Central California in the late summer. I sat on the damned thing. They were hanging around the picnic area and trash cans, and I didn’t see it on the bench. Felt like someone was stabbing my back upper thigh with a white hot poker. No thank you.

Patty S. (RN)

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Well, getting more and more OT here, but in a good way:

Patty, I was unaware that aspirin is not OK for teens; I thought the issue was with Reye’s in pre-school age kids! &:

What?! No kerosene?! You obviously weren’t brought up in the 1950’s in the Ozarks … Why, it ranks right up there with “Ah, let me give it a kiss to make it feel better …”

;-)M

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The “kiss and make it feel better” is more effective when accompanied by a lollipop. That’s actually true for kids. The reaction to sweetness distracts them from minor ouches.

Patty’s the nurse. I’m just agreeing that I was told by the kids’ pediatrician years ago that both aspirin and Pepto Bismol type products should be avoided all the way through adolescence because of the association with Reye’s syndrome and the salicylates in those types of products.

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Thanks all for the suggestions, and esp to Patty, our resident GF nurse! I had read about the onion poultice, which is a can-do for us, due to us growing beaucoup of onions. This year it looks like we will get some real sizable root onions, not just the green tops.

I read that wasp and hornet venom is an alkaline substance, so vinegar or similar acid might counter-act the venom. But, it prob needs to be applied immediately, not days after the fact.

I will keep this I go in mind if, hopefully never if, I get zapped again. I’ve been stung by bees before and just some localized swelling, and no subsequent bad reactions.

The swelling seems to be going down, I can actually see some tendons on the back of my hand that I couldn’t see yesterday. Still is kinda painful to make a fist, tho. I’ve been taking some Ibuprofen for the pain, but really, the bigger issue, other than the swelling, is the itchiness.

I do have some hydrocortisone cream available if it gets worse. Since this is a steroid cream, how often would I be able to apply it, Patty? And, the insert says just rub it onto the affected area but don’t wrap it? Is that because it would be absorbed too quickly, or what?

My wife told me about the pain of hornet stings, she told me she got zinged about a dozen times on her hand and belly, but didn’t have any long term issues with it. And this was 20 years ago, long before we met.

We just planted our apple/pear/peach “orchard” this year, so I’d imagine we’ll have more such encounters to look forward to in the years to come. Any of y’all had problems with these things messing with your fruit? Do they tend to mess more with the sweeter fruits, or all of them?

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Yellow jackets in particular will make holes in sweet fruit and, more rarely, honey bees will take advantage of the incisions. I think it is much more rare for the honey bees to initiate the damage. Did this come up last year here? I’m thinking yes but not sure …

:confused:M

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Correct, Mark. It is due to the possibility of Reye’s Syndrome. The AMA has designated age 19 as the cut off age, but I do recommend to be knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of Reye’s Syndrome. Even as a young adult and if you have a family history of allergies.

And u know. No kerosene. Really. :slight_smile:

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OK, no kerosene, how bout some tabaccky juice?? Plenty of that stuff in these parts, never seen so much of it until we moved here. Some folks still grow it here, there are two big plots of the stuff within a couple miles of us, and the plants are now getting yuuge…

Actually my wife’s family used to grow it on this farm up until 15 years ago or so. She said it was nasty, messy, hot and labor intensive work, so no thanks. But I am grateful for all the tobacco sticks our neighbors have given us, they’ve come in mighty handy for staking up our tomato plants.

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I got stung by a yellow jacket yesterday walking by my cherry tree. Seems sweets put out nectar, via nectar glands. I myself don’t treat stings at all, and I have an ER nurse right here anyway.
I decided to kill them all and sprayed the tree. I didn’t see any bees, just hornets and yellow jackets. I took great pleasure in doing so. I will not do it again though, as I could kill beneficials, it was an emotional reaction and a thirst for revenge, served cold.

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dood,
You’d need to pull that wad of tobacco out of your cheek(or your wife’s) and apply it directly to the sting. I don’t think running down the road and pulling a green leaf off of a plant in the neighbor’s field will qualify.
LOL.

Kerosene? Nah. My grandma used a mix of turpentine and peanut oil as a topical for most stuff - especially arthritis.

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I got stung a lot as a kid so have a pretty good instinct for not making it worse. A couple years ago I got stung on the back after walking into an unused building. I ran and pulled the bottom of my shirt out to lift away that one and any others. So only go the one. A couple weeks ago got stung on the hand by a wasp after dark. I don’t think I have ever been stung in the dark before. I snapped my hand right away and flung him off. I actually threw him into the kitchen, so was able to get full revenge. I didn’t get very bad so perhaps i was quick enough he didn’t have time to fully inject.

I leave them if there nest is someplace I can avoid.

BTW, I think you got the kerosene trick backwards. you are supposed to apply it to the wasp.

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Yes, chewed up 'baccky, is what I had read about. But thankfully neither me nor the wife touches the stuff. But, I have noticed since moving here that there are a lot more folks in these parts who enjoy various tobacco products than back home.

The kerosene remedy came from my wife, who mentioned that her Mom would use it on various stings. Next time I’ll use the onion poultice or perhaps the vinegar approach. I also have some hydrocortisone cream if need be.

My hand is looking better today, still itches a bit, but not nearly as swollen as a couple days ago, or even yesterday.

I was down in the barn this morning getting some more tobacco sticks for the tomato patch, and saw the nest still there with about half a dozen waspers on it, so I steered clear this time. I’ll “tend” to them later, it’s raining right now.

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Yes, I saw the nest this morning with about 5 or so waspers on it while going into the barn to get some more stakes for the tomato patch. I steered clear this time, but as MacArthur said, “I shall return”, and I won’t be bearing gifts, either…