Bitten 3 times, in 3 weeks.

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pennsywoodburnr

pennsywoodburnr

supreme scrounger
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
652
Location
Northeastern P.A.
Friggin hornets and wasps are killing me this year. Is anyone else having a problem with them too? I was out stacking another row of oak today and wanted to see how some of my previous rows were seasoning up, so I went to the first row I built and was randomly checking splits. I must've stirred them up when I plopped the split back down, because when I did, I heard the sound of wings trying to get out of a tight space. I look up and there are about 5 or 6 hovering near the nest a couple feet away from me. Before I even had time to think "oh s--t", I got hit with a bite on my leg. So I go running like a lunatic away from there slapping myself trying to make sure there were no more on me. I waited until it was night and went back out there with a can of black flag and a flashlight and hosed the nest. I'm so paranoid now I'm almost thinking about keeping a can of that stuff nearby every time I go near my old rows. That thing bit me at around 7 at night, and here it is past 3:30 in the morning and it still smarts. The hornets were those ones that looked like they're either a dark navy blue, or black color, with white on their ass.
 
NHMike

NHMike

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Sep 15, 2012
Messages
132
Location
Concord NH
I got hit last year about 12 times. They were everywhere! I got hit stacking wood, pulling some weeds in the garden, starting the tractor ect.....Bet I sprayed 25 nests around the house.

This year we had a lot of nest and hornets early in May. They seem to be coming back again. I will be going out on spray control this week.
 
lone wolf
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
72,012
Location
Prowling The Pine Barrens
I did some research afterward and found out it was the bald-faced hornet. I'm taking your advice lonewolf and toting a can out with me until the weather gets cooler.
Baldface has a nasty sting, looking ahead really helps pay attention and look for them they can be anywhere. There was a nest of Baldface under my Aerial lift bucket cover a few days ago.
 
dave_376

dave_376

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
503
Location
CT
I got nailed last week while I was trimming the rhododendrons in the front of the house. I had no warning about what was happening. suddenly I had a searing pain in my right hand. I looked at it but I was in so much pain/sudden shock I couldn't focus. All I could make out was my hand covered in black, I screamed like a girl while I was brushing them off me and running the other way. Apparently there was a Bald Faced Hornets nest in the tree I was trimming. I ended up with 11 sting marks I could see on my right hand on or around my ring finger and several more on my arms. The stings on the rest of my body hurt for a few hours but the number of stings in such a small area of my ring finger was BAD!!!! My hand was swollen and hurt for 4 days and my knuckle is still tight 8 days later. I went back out to the tree and found the nest and threw a shovel through it and ran away, I went back a few hours later and sprayed it killing that SOB's
 
howard270

howard270

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
2,226
Location
Southwest Oklahoma
I finally got to do some work around the yard yesterday morning and went out the back door. Heard the buzzing and turned to see a yellow-jacket nest on each side of the door. I evacuated and let them call down and came back a few minutes later and doused them good. Checked last night and they are no more. Then I found two more just around the corner from the door and got them while I had the spray in hand. Had to get rid of them as the 2 year old likes to play around on that side of the house.
 

Dale

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
768
Location
PA
I get all my wood "stuff" done by April or early May. I don't play well with snakes, and not dealing with wasps is an added benefit of getting done early. Don't tough the pile until I start to burn late Oct. or so.
 
pennsywoodburnr

pennsywoodburnr

supreme scrounger
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
652
Location
Northeastern P.A.
I got nailed last week while I was trimming the rhododendrons in the front of the house. I had no warning about what was happening. suddenly I had a searing pain in my right hand. I looked at it but I was in so much pain/sudden shock I couldn't focus. All I could make out was my hand covered in black, I screamed like a girl while I was brushing them off me and running the other way. Apparently there was a Bald Faced Hornets nest in the tree I was trimming. I ended up with 11 sting marks I could see on my right hand on or around my ring finger and several more on my arms. The stings on the rest of my body hurt for a few hours but the number of stings in such a small area of my ring finger was BAD!!!! My hand was swollen and hurt for 4 days and my knuckle is still tight 8 days later. I went back out to the tree and found the nest and threw a shovel through it and ran away, I went back a few hours later and sprayed it killing that SOB's


It's amazing how lightly they land on you! I didn't notice it until the pain hit me. I looked up online the pain index of a bald faced hornet sting and on a scale of 1 to 4 (with 4 being the most painful) it registered as a 2! I'm thinking to myself, something has to be wrong with this graph!
 
hardpan

hardpan

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Oct 7, 2011
Messages
1,002
Location
Southern Indiana
Kill all you can (I do) and you will get fewer stings but you will always get some. The best home remedy for the stings I've found is house hold Ammonia, the kind used for cleaning. If the sting is easy to access, open the bottle, hold opening tight against the sting, and tip the bottle so the liquid covers the sting. If you can't reach the sting area that easily, wet a rag or paper towel and hold it on the sting. This will greatly avoid the amount of swelling and reduce the length of time the sting hurts. Apply the Ammonia as soon as you can for best results. It is cheap and easy to carry along when invading their territory. LOL
 
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