Hazards of country life

Thread Starter

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
Well, I just had the defining moment of country life - found a bumblebee nest the hard way by mowing over it. I was luck and only got stung in the ankle. So now I can come in and wait to see if I react to these stings as I do to honeybees. I'm not blue of dizzy, so I imagine not.

It's all part of the great outdoor experience - finding ground-dwelling stinging insect nests the hard way. At this moment, I would rate bumblebees as most painful, but yellojackets as most doggedly persistent.

Looks like I'm going to live. Too bad I have to figure out how to move the mower off the nest without pissing them off any more than they are already.
 

HarveyH42

Joined Jul 22, 2007
426
Smoke calms honey bees, maybe work for others. If you are alergic to honey bees, might be a good idea to talk someone else into retrieving the mower. Couple of beers usually helps... :)

I know honey bees leave their stinger and poison gland in your flesh, and it keeps pumping toxins. Don't remember much about bumble bees, never got stung. Wasp and hornets don't loose their stinger, so keep poking you... You might not have gotten any poison from the bumble bee, or just a tiny amount. Honey bees give you the full dose if they leave the stinger behind. The toxins are very similar, bee careful, and cover up with thick fabric. A dozen or so stings with an alergy isn't going to be a fun trip to the emergency room...
 

Thread Starter

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
Nope, no problem. The nest was disturbed by the exhaust blowing ahead of the mower, so I could just pull it back to a safe distance. Gonna pay them a visit this evening with some toxic substances.

No barbs in the stingers, but no tiny amount of poison, either. It looks as if there is half a red ping pong ball on my ankle. I'd hate to get stung many times by bumblebees.
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
Well, I just had the defining moment of country life - found a bumblebee nest the hard way by mowing over it.
I'm a bad person, because this line raised a smile from me!

Sorry to hear about the incident, I suppose its one way of getting out of the choirs! I'm not overly familiar with the potential complications of bee stings but from what I'm led to believe they can be pretty bad (or at least some people react bad to them). I too would recommend some beer-therapy! :D

Dave
 

Thread Starter

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
This just is painful. I react somewhat to bee stings, so that is nice (not turning blue and falling over in histamine shock). The swelling is still spreading, so I may have got zapped multiple times. Felt a bit like having a hot nail stuck in my ankle.
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
This just is painful. I react somewhat to bee stings, so that is nice (not turning blue and falling over in histamine shock). The swelling is still spreading, so I may have got zapped multiple times. Felt a bit like having a hot nail stuck in my ankle.
Ok, my initial smile has gone - it was just the way you wrote that first line (sad Brits laughing others misfortune). Sorry to hear that you've reacted badly to the strings. Maybe you should get down to the chemist and get some anti-histamine tablets - my missus has several *countryside* allergies and uses these to help. They are so effective that we happily go walking in the British countryside will no problems.

Dave
 

m4yh3m

Joined Apr 28, 2004
186
I say this in all seriousness and sincerity...

1 - can WD40
1 - Zippo lighter

Flame thrower.

Having to get on at least 15 different roof tops to pressure wash, I encountered lots of wasps, yellow jackets, etc. Some were building nests. I brought small cans of wd40 and a lighter. You can give a single puff of fire for a small concentration which will do the job most of the time, otherwise give them a good 10 second spray. I do NOT like getting bitten/stung by insects. Spiders and bees are the SUCK. I gladly torch them if they are in my way. Just dont catch yourself on fire.
 

Thread Starter

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
Hairspray works pretty well. too. I can't use the flamethrower method as the nests - there are more than one - are under an old shed. Some are in the ground and some are in the old timbers. May have to wait for cold weather to get stuff out of the shed & burn it (the roof fell in in a big ice storm last winter, so I'm not just whacky about killing bumblebees).
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
I say this in all seriousness and sincerity...

1 - can WD40
1 - Zippo lighter

Flame thrower.

Having to get on at least 15 different roof tops to pressure wash, I encountered lots of wasps, yellow jackets, etc. Some were building nests. I brought small cans of wd40 and a lighter. You can give a single puff of fire for a small concentration which will do the job most of the time, otherwise give them a good 10 second spray. I do NOT like getting bitten/stung by insects. Spiders and bees are the SUCK. I gladly torch them if they are in my way. Just dont catch yourself on fire.
Lol! Don't they sell insect spray round your way! Or does the 'pyromaniac' cap fit?!

I suppose your way is more entertaining if a little dangerous, and if it works, then it works!

Dave
 

Thread Starter

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
That's because you haven't been out in a hot tub when a mountain lion is in the pasture. Or a bunch of wild hogs is going by in the woods nearby.
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
burglars are animals.
Agreed. And its only when you become a victim that you really feel passionately about this kind of thing.

Mind you (slightly back on topic for a moment), the country life means that you are less likely to come across such people.

Dave
 

Thread Starter

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
Actually, it's a bit sporadic locally. There's a couple of boys that pry open front doors when they are out of jail. They get caught in a day or so, and go away for a few years before returning to pursue a brief life of crime. They are really stupid, as this is not an area with country estates and valuable possessions.
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
Actually, it's a bit sporadic locally. There's a couple of boys that pry open front doors when they are out of jail. They get caught in a day or so, and go away for a few years before returning to pursue a brief life of crime. They are really stupid, as this is not an area with country estates and valuable possessions.
Strange, its not what you'd expect. My folks told me about a time they went to Queensland in Australia and they visited a 'country-town' called Nimbin (spelling?), which essentially was a druggies overflow from the neighbouring Brisbane region. The premise of using this town was to keep all the druggies in one area such that the police knew about where they were and what they were up to. They said it was like the wild-west, quiet and quaint! :D

It would be great if we could do that in the UK, however we're too small!

Dave
 

thingmaker3

Joined May 16, 2005
5,083
Wild hogs...

Burglars...

Where I live, folk are encouraged by the government to shoot feral pigs on sight. (Make sure they are feral, of course.) We just need to get the burglars classified as feral pigs.
 
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