Twice in one week

[redman]

Twice this week I got my tail tore up by Red mahogany wasp. Once while picking blackberries and once while mowing the lawn. Got hit about ten times total it made me sick. It has been about three years since my last time getting stung by a wasp and that was only once. They are out this year and seem to be very aggressive. Be careful those wasp stings really hurt. Who knows I may be good for the next ten years. Still doesn't make it hurt any less.

Redman

 

[Helianthus]

toothpaste, vinegar, or dripping juice from a wet cigarette stop the sting. Suppose to neutralize the venom. Haven't encountered bees, but have had many run ins with stinging caterpillars this year.

 

[Jig Man]

Yea, those suckers hurt bad... Be careful out there.

 

[Bucko]

damn, that sucks! I hate bees!! got it bad a while backk too. 2 different nests of ground bees. legs were so swollen and turned black and blue. my wife made me go to the doctor the morning after the second swarm got me.doc said it was one of the worst he'd ever seen. he estimated it must have been 150-200 times between the two attacks and was shocked my body didnt have a bad reaction to it. I was laid up in bed for a week. couldn't walk or anything. so ya, I always have cans of raid at my disposal... never seen a red mohogany wasp before but it just sounds evil. yikes!

 

[AndyLane]

Dang! Sorry to hear that ya got stung. I got stung several times when I disturbed a nest of wasps trimming a bush last summer. Stories of them dang "killer" bees are poppin up again. Read about a guy in Moody, Texas who was killed here recently by bees when he dumped some stuff in a brush pile. they say he got stung over a thousand times. Be careful out there!

 

[StumpHunter]

I read that story also Andy, sad to be working and have bee's kill you.
Be careful Redman. We have big red wasp about 2'' long that will kick a@# also.

 

[toadfrog]

I am surrounded by stinging biting creatures . Move to Oklahoma if you like a smorgasborg of varmits to deal with . I only have one eye to see out of and my worst fear is I'm going to get dive bombed by a red wasp of hornet and get zapped in the eye . You can imagine what I spend every year trying to keep them at bay . Redman I feel for ya son . Got an extra injectable sting kit I can send ya .

 

[redman]

Toady I got one that we keep on hand . Wife is more allergic than I am. I am a tough old bird. It has taken me two days to get back to normal. The worse sting I got was on my wrist. My Dr. Friend tells me that I won't be bothered by arthritis as wasp stings will help that condition. But heck who wants to go thur all that just to ward off that a little discomfort when the wasp stings are more painful.

Redman

 

[Hawnjigs]

So, Redman, did you get rid of the nests? These are the paper ones?

 

[redman]

Keith these on my property are the red mohogany wasp. In the south they are the biggest and baddest wasp we have. The paper wasp and mud droppers are a joy compared to them. Yes I sprayed the tree that the wasp were in I just hope they don't come back. Battling the fire ants is just as big a problem.

Redman

 

[Squeakyboatcaptain]

They tore me up last year.... was cleaning the pine needles out of the gutter, and they had a nest built up under the needles...and me 10' up on a ladder...They got me about a dozen times. BUT.... I'd take them over the scorpions! I have been hit by 2 of them since moving to Texas 7 years ago.....Now that hurts!

 

[Bucko]

thats why I live in wisconsin.... sure we have bears and wolves and our own bees here, but not 100 things that'll get ya. I'll take having to deal with a couple bears a year than all that crap down south. I hate bees... got it bad years ago and still leary of em. well I guess wolves are a different story now that I think about it. I hate them more than bees. they are killing all of our deer and pushing bears further south. wisconsin dnr introducing them.... great ideathere boys, but thats a whole different discussion....

hope u killed them suckers so you won't have any other encounters!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Geez, sounds like you need a bee keeper's suit to work outside down south, or at least be strapped with a can of spray.

 

[redman]

I found out that I can get pyrethrin from the local feed and seed. Totally natural and organic kills them wasp dead almost instantly. Between that and Diatamaeous Earth that will take care of most of the pest insect problems around the yard. Yes it is dangerous here in the south between the snakes , gators, insects, we have feral hogs, and panthers a few wolves and coyotes, and Yes we do have bears down here. But they are the slow old southern brown bears. The bears if you see one is a prize catch. My neighbor has seen them a couple of time out in his back yard. But that has been over the last 20 years. He claims that when people see one they mistake them for a Big Foot. I believe him.

Redman

 

[jig-guy]

Man I am glad I live in a boring place the Mojave Desert(Some Times). WE got mud dobbers, Mojave green rattle snakes, sidewinders, black widow spiders, brown reclus spiders and scorpions. Other than that it kind of calm around here. I have not been stung by a mud dobber since I retired from my air conditiong business 4 years ago. The mud dobbers love evaporative coolers-swamp coolers & goat boxes(AZ swamp cooler). These are coolers we use instead of refrigerated air conditioning, low humidity they work great.
When ever I am doing anything around my property I am looking for my friends that are listed above:dodgy:.

 

[redman]

Hey jig guy I would love to see one of those swamp coolers. If you can't show me one just a description on how to build one. It sounds like what I have been looking for. We have high humidity but still need a way to cool things down without the high cost of energy.

Redman

 

[Hawnjigs]

Is the pyrethrin available as a spray?

Um, I hate to ask and please don't feel compelled to answer, but Southern brown bears are a "prize catch"?

 

[redman]

Keith a local expression not that we caught it but that you saw it. Sorry guess that I am becoming too southern. The pyrethrin comes as a liquid that is mixed with water if you want it for white flies or such. Put it in a pump sprayer or spray bottle and go to work on them bugs. I though that it wasn't that bad about $20 a pint. It might be more where you live and understand that it is regulated in some places. So you might want to Check your local ag laws. Texas is kind of wide open and there are insecticides that we can get over the counter that you can't get elsewhere.

Just checked and saw that is sold on line some selling cheaper than I bought it for. Google it. Like I said I got it the feed and seed store you might check with your garden Center.

Redman

 

[Hawnjigs]

Thanks Redman for the pyrethrin info. Dunno if it got too expensive, or Monsanto got it regulated, but pyrethrins seem to have vanished locally. You know Hawaii was ground zero for corn GMO experiments and seed production, yes? They've got a practiced spin machine along with local jobs so impossible to root out and evict.

Mosquito coils are a staple here, but no longer have pyrethrins as an ingredient and are only a tiny fraction as effective as the original. I can have a coil burning at my feet and see a skeeter land on me & go to work, but barely better than nothing. Currently using Raid Flying Insect Killer as the least dangerous pesticide for very occasional nip in the bud aphid attacks or mosquito swarms. We try to grow organic but alternatives like chili pepper water, tobacco tea, and Safer soap simply do not work so once in awhile a shot of Raid FIK is the only alternative. OK, I'll go check garden shops.