Wasps

[SolusLupus]

So, I just came back to my apartment building after 2 months from visiting my mom in Maryland, in which time it has not been resided in. So, over the past few days I've been handling small issues, like getting my car engine fixed (apparently it's breaking down for some reason), buying supplies for my kitchen, finally cooking for myself instead of relying on TV dinners, etc.

Then, one day, I decide to do the laundry; the laundry is accessible outside, from the patio. I walk outside. It strikes me, as I open the doors into the laundry closet, that the area may actually be infested by various insects, since hey, 2 months of sitting around in the second floor. I focus on a dark flying bug in the back of the closet, which may or may not have been an actual wasp.

Suddenly I hear a buzzing and something's getting caught up in my hair. I reach up to swat at it (big mistake, huh?), and then I'm getting stung on the arm and back. Apparently, I had wasps crawling on me, feeling threatened by my presence. That's right, one foot above me, there was a wasp nest, laying right against the patio light. Naturally, I spazzed out, and shrieked (hopefully in a less than effeminate fashion...)

Did I mention I have a phobia of stinging insects? I cannot sit or stand still when I can hear or see the buzzing of a bee or wasp -- I have to leave the area ASAP. Wasps crawling over my body and ready to sting me? This is an extreme experience for me. I still knee-jerk when I feel anything brush against my skin.

By the way, the nest was filled with 15-20 wasps. All about a foot away.

I'll be lucky to sleep tonight.

Good news is, I got my revenge. Or rather, someone working with the management sprayed them to hell and back (we're not allowed to use pesticides ourselves).

[Jens]

Did I mention I have a phobia of stinging insects? I cannot sit or stand still when I can hear or see the buzzing of a bee or wasp -- I have to leave the area ASAP.

I wonder if that's really a phobia. I consider that I have arachnophobia, because I'm afraid of spiders despite the fact that I've never been harmed in the least by one. I'm also afraid of stinging insects, but it's actually from painful experience, so I don't think it's really a phobia, just a well-grounded fear.

By the way, did they leave you alone when you left the area? It sounds like you got stung a lot.

[NickW]

Wasps and bees scare me to death....of course they can actually put me to death since I am allergic.

I have a fear of all bugs. I just don't like them around me, at all.

[slang]

Had (hopefully) a nest in the isolating space between walls.. We'd see two or three of the buggers zooming around that general area. As soon as the exterminator put his ladder up and climbed up they came out in force, blitz krieg style. But true to history, they lost eventually.

[Moose]

I wonder if that's really a phobia.

Sure. I have the same phobia. It's not a "oh, I don't want to be stung, so I'll back off" kind of respectful fear. It's an unreasoning panic that can be set off even when the critter's minding its own business. Mine can be set off from the buzzing alone: I can be seen to flinch if even a housefly drones past my ear. I cannot tolerate being inside a car or room if a bee, wasp, hornet, or horsefly are present.

It took decades for me to learn to tolerate honeybees, singly, outdoors, if it's minding its business.

[clop]

Funny, I've never had a problem with bees or wasps. I leave them alone and they leave me alone. On the few times when I have been stung it's been my own fault - wasp in the coke can or flying into my neck whilst riding a motorbike.

My dad climbed his ladder to investigate a wasps' nest attached the guttering of his house. He poked the nest with his finger to see how strong it was, his finger went straight through, and instantly, in his words, "a vortex of wasps" came out of the nest and enveloped his head. He was stung numerous times before he could get inside. He's much more careful now!

clop

[SolusLupus]

I wonder if that's really a phobia. I consider that I have arachnophobia, because I'm afraid of spiders despite the fact that I've never been harmed in the least by one. I'm also afraid of stinging insects, but it's actually from painful experience, so I don't think it's really a phobia, just a well-grounded fear.

By the way, did they leave you alone when you left the area? It sounds like you got stung a lot.

Yeah, there was a door between me and them. I only got stung twice; once in the arm, once in the back, and they hurt like hell.

I guess it's not really a phobia, but any buzzing puts me on edge. Then again, I don't follow the regular symptoms of a phobia, if there are regular symptoms, so... you may have a point.

[SolusLupus]

Sure. I have the same phobia. It's not a "oh, I don't want to be stung, so I'll back off" kind of respectful fear. It's an unreasoning panic that can be set off even when the critter's minding its own business. Mine can be set off from the buzzing alone: I can be seen to flinch if even a housefly drones past my ear. I cannot tolerate being inside a car or room if a bee, wasp, hornet, or horsefly are present.

It took decades for me to learn to tolerate honeybees, singly, outdoors, if it's minding its business.

This is EXACTLY how I feel! This is 100% how I've been going through life.

[SolusLupus]

Funny, I've never had a problem with bees or wasps. I leave them alone and they leave me alone. On the few times when I have been stung it's been my own fault - wasp in the coke can or flying into my neck whilst riding a motorbike.

Try standing a foot under a wasp nest, making a lot of vibrations (opening a door, getting laundry ready for your washing machine, etc.), and then flinch when one gets caught in your hair. I think you'll find wasps to be a lot less friendly to you then.

My dad climbed his ladder to investigate a wasps' nest attached the guttering of his house. He poked the nest with his finger to see how strong it was, his finger went straight through, and instantly, in his words, "a vortex of wasps" came out of the nest and enveloped his head. He was stung numerous times before he could get inside. He's much more careful now!

Fortunately, I wasn't up a ladder around a wasp nest! I'm not sure if I could even get down without jumping.

I couldn't get near a wasp nest. If I see it and it's active, I'd spray it from a distance. Then run the hell away, just in case.



I think the worst part about all of this is, that management ultimately WANTS wasps in the area. The main reason: They kill spiders. And I can see that, as I'd rather deal with a wasp than a black widow or brown recluse (though not the Japanese hornet; from what I've read, the Japanese hornet's sting can cause your flesh to rot, much like a recluse spider bite). But they prefer for wasp nests to be out of the way, where they're unlikely to bother residents, than in their porch. But wasps tend to spread and make new nests, so...

[Click Ticker]

Little wasps I don't mind. The kind with the open nests that are colored a little like bees only much smaller. The nests are easy to spot and I take care of them as I see them.

I can recall two instances that really bothered me.

Once I was at my wife's grandmothers house in Florida. Going into the shed to help with some yard work, I hit my head on the top of the door. Turns out there was a nest of some nasty Florida type wasp I've never seen before in between my head and the top of the door. Big red ones. They didn't like having me bump my head on their home. I was stung in the head a few times as I ran shrieking through the yard. Once I changed into some dry pants and collected my emotions (only kidding about the pants), I went back and had my revenge.

Then, last year we had some bald faced hornets nesting in a tree in our yard. I learned the hard way that they really hate the sound of the lawn mower. Gets the whole nest fired up. Got stung in the head a few times there as well. After dowsing the nest with foaming spray, a neighbor had a long tree trimmer and we were able to cut the offending branch down. The nest hit the ground and was vibrating. Ultimately, we won again.

What I've learned is that closed nests are far more dangerous than open nests.

[SolusLupus]

Day 2 of my encounter with the wasps, and my back still stings a little. I don't feel any pain or stinging in my arm/hand, though.

[BigDon]

I've only ever been stung once by "stinging insects" (though I have a horrific aquired alergy to the venom and proteins of cnidarians) a honey bee I stepped on while running across a lawn bare foot.

If you know what the warning signs are you can avoid some stings. Some types of wasps will warn off people and large animals by ramming into them first. It's telling you you are getting too close, better back up.

I often explore the abandoned Naval base at Mare Island and experienced the "ram warning" when I went to sit in a covered bus stop to get out of the sun for a moment. I had a windbreaker on and one wasp hit me in the back twice, and another smacked me in the temple twice and since I knew what that meant, I didn't have to see the nest to know it was there.

I imagine if my hair was long at the time the one pulling the Bowery Boys routine on me could well have gotten tangled in it.

After I left the bus stop with all due haste I carefully re-approached it, (ABR would understand) and saw the fledgling nest in the upper right corner. It was still in the open, single row of cells stage.

[SolusLupus]

The wasp nest was literally 1 foot away from my door. Their "ramming" was getting caught up in my hair, wherein they attacked almost immediately. I'm pretty sure the greatest warning sign would have been to look up and see the damn nest, full of eggs, right over my head. My apartment does not have a large balcony -- just enough room to get into the laundry room. Maybe 1.5 feet square all around.

Speaking of which, the wasps apparently have followed me inside. Yay. I got one with an old spray.

[Fazor]

I'm not any more . . . creeped out? . . . by stinging insects than I am other insects -- but I'm not really a fan of bugs. Blargh. The Stag Beetle was fine because it was dead, thus could not fly up into my face. But for the most part, I'm not happy to see bugs of any kind. Particularly if they can fly (though Spiders are among my least favorite, even without wings they have a pesky tendency to drop onto you from above. Jerks.)

I do admit to doing the less-than-manly "bee dance" when they are flying near me; you know, the throw your arms up over your face and side-step while ducking thing? But that's just because like most rational people, I have no wish to be stung. I've only been stung by wasps though; never by a bee. And I used to swat at bees to shoo them away. Unless you're messing with a nest, bees seem to be more "live and let live" than wasps. Probably because for a bee, stinging you is the last thing they want to do too.

A wasp is a nasty little creature that isn't happy just stinging you once and sacrificing itself. I guess the only advantage is I've never had to mess around trying to dig out a wasp's stinger, and I've never had any one wasp sting me more than once.

[SolusLupus]

I hate waterbugs. Those large pseudo-cockroaches that can fly, and just loved to crawl into my house in Corpus Christi. And have flown, INTO MY SHIRT.

Also, you're lucky on not having to dig out a wasp stinger. They actually can break off inside of you (but aren't necessarily designed to do so) rarely, which creates a worse situation than simply stinging you; you now have to dig the stinger out before it becomes dangerous. One of my stings was on my back, an area I cannot reach (so I would have to enlist the aid of a neighbor). I'm pretty sure the stinger didn't break off, though!

[TheOncomingStorm]

right now there is an ant colony trying to move into our kitchen cabinets got some ant killer here hopefully it works.

[DonM435]

I've heard horror stories of unchecked wasp nests growing to gigantic proportions in hidden areas. When I spot a nest of any size getting started, I blast it with the long range spray and duck back in the house.

[LotusExcelle]

Hmmm. I've been stung perhaps 3 times in my life by various things. I think maybe one wasp, the others were bees. Each time they were defending a nest I had accidentally come across. It should be noted that running away doesn't work. All of my other bee or wasp encounters tended to be weird. They sometimes land on me then leave me alone or just don't fly towards me. I have a similar effect on (most) mosquitoes as well. As an aside this is also how I took some of my recent macro photos involving insects.

Also if I may ask: How is the car situation? What was wrong with it?

[NEOWatcher]

I've heard horror stories of unchecked wasp nests growing to gigantic proportions in hidden areas. When I spot a nest of any size getting started, I blast it with the long range spray and duck back in the house.

Same here. They seem to love to be under my gutters for some reason.

I think they are also attracted to black. I have a spotlight under my eaves with a black housing that they seem to always be hovering or landing on. Although; they never seem to land anywhere else near there.

[NickW]

I found out I was allergic when I was 25. I was never stung before then, and it was bad luck that I even got stung in the first place. Driving down the road with my arm out the window, and it flew in and I got stung in the chest.

[SolusLupus]

Also if I may ask: How is the car situation? What was wrong with it?

Not sure, took it in. It's costing $99 just for the check.

I may have more information later today, or not.

[SolusLupus]

I found out I was allergic when I was 25. I was never stung before then, and it was bad luck that I even got stung in the first place. Driving down the road with my arm out the window, and it flew in and I got stung in the chest.

How'd you resolve that? 911 on a cell phone?

[kleindoofy]

When I saw the name of the thread, my first thought was "boy, that one's gonna be locked quickly."

Then I realized it was about little things that fly around.

[BigDon]

I've heard horror stories of unchecked wasp nests growing to gigantic proportions in hidden areas. When I spot a nest of any size getting started, I blast it with the long range spray and duck back in the house.

Hey Solus, I have a good story about this subject but it's kind of long. Since this is your thread, would you mind?

[SolusLupus]

Not really off topic, and I can only go "OMG I WAS STUNG BY WASPS!" so many times until it gets old, so you might as well.

Side issue: The cost to fix my car has now gone up to around $1300. And this is from a trustworthy dealership, far as I know.

[NickW]

How'd you resolve that? 911 on a cell phone?

Actually, I went home really quick and took some medicine. Then spent the rest of the day on the couch trying to relax.

[Perikles]

Ever been in a situation where somebody does exactly the wrong thing? I once had a big wasp's nest on my land, and a neighbour just happened to turn up, and I asked him what I should do. He said "I'll fix it" and promptly produced a shotgun from his car, and before I could object, he blasted the nest. Now this was by no means a predicted response, because this was the (rural) UK where gentlemen don't normally have shotguns in their cars. The response from the wasps was however predictable. They got cross. Very cross. Fortunately for me, the neighbour was much nearer the nest than I was, and he was badly stung. Fortunately for him, he was too drunk to notice, although he must have suffered the next day.

[kleindoofy]

... gentlemen don't normally have shotguns in their cars. ...

Judging, however, from your lack of criticism, driving a car while heavily drunk does seem to be acceptable or at least normal behavior for rural British gentlemen.

[BigDon]

Judging, however, from your lack of criticism, driving a car while heavily drunk does seem to be acceptable behavior for rural British gentlemen.

ROTFLMAO!!

That was funny!

[BigDon]

When I was furniture moving, the second company I worked for had a huge warehouse and an enormous lot for parking big rigs. The back of the property opened onto the main railroad corridor for the peninsula which has about eight tracks for passengers and freight.

Along the fence dividing the railroad property there was a couple of abandoned "vaults". In furniture moving, a vault is a large stackable wooden box used for long term storage that measures ten feet deep front to back and by eight by eight the other ways. Usually kept indoors as they are not weather resistant. I can stuff the contents of most people's two bedroom apartments into two of them. (I'm special that way.) They come in two smaller sizes, the half vault and the quarter vault.

This story is about a half vault, which still has the same depth and height, but was only half as wide.

Now I come into work one morning and I hear tell of a "really big" paper wasp nest near the back fence that needs to be "dealt with". As I have had experince with doing this and about half of my co-workers were borderline retards. (Seriously, some men become movers for the same reason some women become strippers. Don't have the education or intellect to do anything else other people are willing to give them money for.) I volunteered to do the dirty work, but was suspicious of the smirk one of the driver's gave me when he handed me the can of Black Flag Hornet Killer.

So I go into the warehouse and put on two sets of coveralls, two ballcaps, one facing forward, one facing backward and I then put one of those wide knit laundry bags over my head as netting, with the bills of the ballcaps holding it away from my skin. All to the amusement of my Latin American co-workers who were wondering what the hell I was about. I loved those guys. They saved me from getting my backside stomped flat by some Irishmen once. But that's another story. (Can you imagine that Solus? Somebody wanting to kick my butt? )

This was still in the early AM in late fall so the sun wasn't even clear of the horizon yet, much less warmed anything up so I was confident I'd get most of the foragers.

So with can in hand and a small parade a respectfull distance behind me I approached the half vault the nest was supposed to be in. I slowed when the driver who gave me the bug spray started doing a passible imitation of Frank Gorshin's Riddler. As you all know from Youtube, if you are about to do something some functional meth head thinks is hilarious, you should seriously re-examine your immediate plans.

As I looked in the half vault the paper wasp nest occupied fully half the volume. Even better, there was a two by four in the undergrowth that I accidently kicked, the far end being against the base of the vault, of course. The whole hive seemed to buzz at once, like a power transformer coming on-line! Dude! I actually felt my eyes get bigger and my junk get smaller!

Well the driver saw me coming for him so he took off running, but being a scrawny little twit he had some good speed on him. So I ended up just throwing the can at him, (scored a hit too) instead of what I had originally intended to do with the can.

Turns out the driver knew the owner was getting some professional help and was just having some fun. Most drivers keep a can of hornet killer handy as a just in case measure as time is money on a moving job as anywhere else.