Got Stung By A Yellow Jacket

[Debp]

On 9/9/2020 at 11:53 AM, Mantis said:

We have the "Murder Hornet" now where I live. They are terrifying, about three inches long. Definitely a cursed bee.

What area of the country are you in?   I would hate to run into one!

[Marathoner]

2 minutes ago, Debp said:

Yes, we should try to encourage Honeybees.   Without them our crops can't be fertilized.   There is a decline in the Honeybees which is bad news.   Try to help them to flourish.

Any tips Marathoner?

Beds of strategically-placed wildflowers are handy for drawing in pollinators. Sunflowers (any variety) in particular work very well. Cacti when they bloom are a pollinator magnet, too.   

[Marathoner]

On 9/9/2020 at 12:53 PM, Mantis said:

We have the "Murder Hornet" now where I live. They are terrifying, about three inches long. Definitely a cursed bee.

Japanese giant hornets... I remember those from my childhood in Southeast Asia. Apart from the potent venom delivered by their sting, these hornets prey upon honeybees which is grim for the fate of the honeybee.  

[DeighAnn]

I have bees, paper wasps, mud wasps, hornets and tarantula hawk wasps.  And rattlesnakes.  I actually have to keep a big pool of water for them or else they will invade my humming bird feeders (or shall I call them my friendly, teeny tiny pretty flying little PIGS).  

The only time I have ever been stung by the bees are when I pick up a branch or a dripping hose and WELL, I'd sting me too.  

One year I was stung a total of 9 times, 3 events.  1st one I stepped on and he got me 3 times.  Next time I moved something and must of made him mad and he stung me 3 times.  Last one I wasn't doing ANYTHING and he stung me 3 times.  I decided to go on a wasp killing mission that night and well, there were so few left after that that I didn't get stung again.  I have never gotten stung again since that year and its been about 8 or 9 or 10 years now. 

SO I concluded, all on my very own, that once you get stung once, they leave a scent in you that alerts others to your perceived vicious nature and they become more apt to sting. The second time, you are 'MARKED' AS dangerous, and it becomes imperative to sting on sight.  I think that scent only lasts a few months though.  

So I no longer go barefoot, sad really.   I RUN when I see I have unwittingly disturbed a nest.  And I keep them well watered on the other side of the yard so they stay away from my tiny flying pigs.  

Just saying, might be good to be careful for a few months, just in case I am right.  

[Debp]

55 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

Japanese giant hornets... I remember those from my childhood in Southeast Asia. Apart from the potent venom delivered by their sting, these hornets prey upon honeybees which is grim for the fate of the honeybee.  

Just curious, what country?   I traveled to Asia twice.

[JohnR7]

2 hours ago, Marathoner said:

Looks like a woodpecker extracting a carpenter bee larva from a brood chamber bored into wood. 

Yep, they were making a mess. When they put a new roof on that shed I had them cover that piece of wood with aluminum. I was glad to get the photos though even if they were slightly blurred. The woodpeckers were very good to pose for me. His companion was hanging around. They like to feed each other. 

[Mantis]

11 hours ago, Debp said:

What area of the country are you in?   I would hate to run into one!

Oregon. They're just showing up this year. Invasive.

[Marathoner]

On 9/10/2020 at 11:07 PM, Debp said:

Just curious, what country?   I traveled to Asia twice.

Japan and the Philippines.  

[Marathoner]

On 9/10/2020 at 10:55 PM, DeighAnn said:

I have bees, paper wasps, mud wasps, hornets and tarantula hawk wasps.  And rattlesnakes.  I actually have to keep a big pool of water for them or else they will invade my humming bird feeders (or shall I call them my friendly, teeny tiny pretty flying little PIGS).  

The only time I have ever been stung by the bees are when I pick up a branch or a dripping hose and WELL, I'd sting me too.  

One year I was stung a total of 9 times, 3 events.  1st one I stepped on and he got me 3 times.  Next time I moved something and must of made him mad and he stung me 3 times.  Last one I wasn't doing ANYTHING and he stung me 3 times.  I decided to go on a wasp killing mission that night and well, there were so few left after that that I didn't get stung again.  I have never gotten stung again since that year and its been about 8 or 9 or 10 years now. 

SO I concluded, all on my very own, that once you get stung once, they leave a scent in you that alerts others to your perceived vicious nature and they become more apt to sting. The second time, you are 'MARKED' AS dangerous, and it becomes imperative to sting on sight.  I think that scent only lasts a few months though.  

So I no longer go barefoot, sad really.   I RUN when I see I have unwittingly disturbed a nest.  And I keep them well watered on the other side of the yard so they stay away from my tiny flying pigs.  

Just saying, might be good to be careful for a few months, just in case I am right.  

Tell me about it, sister. Allow me to regale you with the saga of the Hummingbird Wars which unfolded during the years I spent with my dear friend (she has since passed on from this world). It started innocently enough.

She decided to position feeders at various locations to attract hummingbirds to the vicinity of the gardens and greenhouse. The more pollinators the better, yes? As things go we were terribly busy with the hard work of cultivating crops and so the feeders would be drained dry. Slap dry, as folks from certain regions of the country might say. One morning as I emerged out of the porch I was accosted by a hummingbird...

The diminutive fellow zoomed up, hovering less than a foot away from my face. My friend told me hummingbirds were shadowing her as she moved about in the house, hovering in front of windows which offered them a view of her. Yeah, this was a "hint" that we needed to refill the feeders.  Time passed by...

I was repairing a section of fence when the sound of warring hummingbirds reached my senses. Looking to the nearest feeder I witnessed the most absurd spectacle: a hummingbird was "standing their ground," defending a feeder from other hummingbirds. The tiny bird expended their energy chasing their rivals away, never stopping to drink from the feeder themselves. Intrigued, I noticed the same feathered warfare unfolding in the vicinity of the other feeders. They never bothered to visit the wildflowers and cacti blooms surrounding the gardens... they ignored these in favor of the feeders!

Mmhmm. We therefore engineered a cease-fire bringing the conflict to an end: we pulled the feeders and put them away.  Let them work to eat!  

[Marathoner]

I should probably touch upon some of the other wildlife seeing as how the majority of our neighbors didn't walk about on two legs. Rattlesnakes were everywhere in the wilderness and posed a serious threat to people and livestock. Over the years I spent by my friend's side, looking after her needs and caring for her land, I never encountered a rattler on her place. Not once. I'm rather fearless when it comes to serpents and other creatures which give other people the willies; I can spot a snake several yards away before others notice their presence. I learned how to walk through that rugged country with my head slightly inclined toward the ground, affording me a view of what lie ahead both on the ground and at eye-level.  

Her land was a refuge for bull snakes... these snakes prey upon other snakes, rattlers in particular. Bull snakes were all over the place, eventually taking up residence in the gardens and the greenhouse. She was leery of them at first... I suppose most people would freak out to find a seven-foot bull snake lounging in the vicinity of yon watermelon patch. What a boon they were, eating varmints of the rodent persuasion thereby earning our gratitude. They were pretty laid-back and unobtrusive, moving along if they happened to be in our way. The bull snakes were welcome neighbors all things considered. 

The ravens were fascinating. They took a shine to us, shadowing us when we worked outdoors. We'd always find one or two perched nearby on a fencepost or in the boughs of a tree and when we noticed their presence they'd start chattering away, making calls and noises I've never heard birds of their kind make before. They honored us by establishing nests in the vicinity of the house. These birds never disturbed a thing in the gardens and the greenhouse, leaving our tomatoes and other crops alone. They were amazing birds.