How does your body react to yellow jacket stings?

[Car Doc]

Yea, it is a female type of wasp, I think...

legend has it they can kill cows...not sure if that is true, though. It's what I've always called them growing up.

Mutillidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I tried stepping on one several times, even twisting my foot, and it wouldn't die (on dirt, not concrete)...I let it go after that.

Well now at least I know what they are now we have a bunch of them big fuzzy red ants running around here this year! yikes

I sure wasn't going to tempt fate and see if it would bite I figured they will as big as they are but I have kept my feet away from them so I dont get one on me and find out the hard way. :thumbsup:

As far as yellow jacket stings they are about like a cigarette burn to me they feel just like one and leave a burn like area for a couple days very annoying and they smart pretty good at first the tobacco is just what my grandma used to do too it does work!

 

[retiredmgn]

Wait until you get some in an area I don't feel comfortable talking about on this site...

You mean like in the back yard?

 

[xtn]

You mean like in the back yard?

Think he's talking about the romantic little privacy area where the lanterns hang.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

On chiggers mom used to put salty bacon grease on them. I guess they have to breathe so it likely just clogged up the area. I put it on my kids too. Old ways!

I haven't had chiggers in forever.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

On chiggers mom used to put salty bacon grease on them. I guess they have to breathe so it likely just clogged up the area. I put it on my kids too. Old ways!

I haven't had chiggers in forever.

But then she also put a piece of bacon on a splinter and next day you could pull it out. I still do that too if I can't get a wooden one out, it likely swells from the moisture. I wrap the place good and tape it, and just use a small as possible piece of bacon.

 

[retiredmgn]

clarification so we're all talking the same little bistids
First - Hornet, specifically white faced hornet. The biggest, meanest of em all. Nests are paper, usually rotund, enclosed with an entrance hole at the bottom. Found in trees or eves. These are the ones we threw rocks at as kids because it was such a tempting target. Would make the hair stand up on the back of your neck when they would swarm out trying to find you.
Second - Wasp. In Maine these guys are mostly brown. Nests are paper, often under eves consisting of individual pods containing larvae. Aerosol in any form - hornet/wasp spray, WD40, spray paint - is better than poking with a stick no matter how tempting.
Third - Yellow jacket. Nests are paper in tree holes, buildings or underground. I think these are what is referred to sometimes as ground bees. Ground bees are straight from He!! and need to be treated as such. Burn em all.

 

[deepNdirt]

been stung many times in my life by that littler critter in the 3rd picture,
definitely a yow!llow jacket, the symptoms I have fallowing a sting or stings is usually fatigue, swelling of the area's, joints start stiffening up, I have early stage of arthritis and some times stings help to relief the joint pain, I never have became sick or nauseated from a sting, or has it ever caused my heart to speed, if anything it slows down my heart rate because I become tired and sleepy after a few hours from the stings, But not everyone is effected in the same way or has a tolerance of the bee venom like I do,
if a sting causes you to feel sick or dizzy headed, you should seek treatment immediately.

I heard about something a couple weeks ago when I got all them stings, I was talking to a person, actually telling her about the many stings I got at one time, and how I'm always getting stung, she told me the next time I get a sting to take a penny and hold it to the sting for a little while, soon you will not feel the sting and it will not swell up, has anyone else heard of this before?, I personally haven't tried it but my wife got a sting the other day and I had her try it, she said it works.... must have something to do with the copper,

 

[9973720wb19]

for me:
wasp - hurts quickly goes away no swelling or redness -this is the least one that bothers me.

Bumble bee: does not hurt too bad and pretty good swelling itching redness and heat

yellow jacket - hurts like ****...the worst...just leaves a small red mark but the pain goes on for some time

 

[groundcover]

I had a couple of bad reactions as a kid but seemed to grow out of it, they still hurt plenty though. Another good reason for a cab tractor :thumbsup:

I did save a guy with an epi-pen, he was up a ladder painting and got into a nest, by the time I got there he was circling the drain. That was the worst reaction that I have seen. My Aunt told my about getting stung while playing golf, good place I guess as a Dr. was there and gave her a shot right in the rump:laughing:

 

[General Lee]

To the OP, you need the epi pen. Your reaction is already an allergic one and the risk is this.... you're brushmowing and all the sudden you get stung 5 times in the neck. That cute little 4x6 inch square of swelling from one little bee is not just the surface it acts deep. Those 5 stings will swell your throat shut and you can die. The epi pen won't stop it but it will buy you time to get to get help where they can administer more drugs and insert the tube so that you can breathe.

Allergic reactions get worse with each exposure. So the first sting is no big deal, the next (a month later maybe) you swell more, and so on until you get the whole body reaction. Now some sting locations cause worse reactions since your blood can really scoot the venom around the body before the histamines can start killing it. Your face is a great example of this. Stung on the arm = no big deal, stung on the head and right away your feet and beltline start itching.

I keep the epipens in the truck.

The things you mention is on the same page with what I am thinking. I'm a little nervous thinking what kind of reaction I would have if I was stung multiple times. Like I mentioned before, one sting was no big deal pain wise and swelling really didn't show until the next day. Seems like a bit much for one sting.

 

[schoolsout]

Well now at least I know what they are now we have a bunch of them big fuzzy red ants running around here this year! yikes

I sure wasn't going to tempt fate and see if it would bite I figured they will as big as they are but I have kept my feet away from them so I dont get one on me and find out the hard way. :thumbsup:

Look at the stinger on this guy...

Velvet Ant "Cow Killer" Stinger Closeup - YouTube

 

[Car Doc]

Look at the stinger on this guy...

Velvet Ant "Cow Killer" Stinger Closeup - YouTube

Thats what we have all right WOW pinchers AND a wicked stinger yeouch I will be even more careful now thanks for the insight! :thumbsup:

 

[Richard]

I agree with those that say to see a doc.

My understanding (and I'm no Doc) is even the red local swelling is a reaction to the venom.

So you are evidently reacting and it just becomes a matter of how much.

I've been stung any number of times over my life. Once was out digging some stumps with my hoe and was stung about nine times. Was either 5 on face and 4 on arm or other way around.

Regardless, my face was puffy for a week and ached. (I'm sure it still pains my wife to look at it )

Fast forward a couple years and in LATE November, a lowely little wasp was very lethargic (cool weather) and climbed up my sock....stung me on the calf.

I ended up in the emergency room with several syringes of "stuff" being pumped into me via an IV connection.

My airway was constricting, my entire body was itching like a real SOB.

I ended up going to an allergist and went through the 5 years of treatment.

As it turns out in my case, I'm allergic to all the little stinging critters now. The LOWEST reaction I have is to wasps & bees. Yellow jackets & Hornets are off the scale for me. It was a lowely wasp that landed me in the ER.

I've since been stung by a yellow jacket. The moment it happened I remember saying something like "here we go... it's test time" (to see if the process was helping)

I went inside as per my Doctors orders. (stay cool)

I also went to the cabinet and took a couple chugs of liquid benedryl (only found it as Childrens Benedryl......cherry flavor of course!)

and I kept my epi pen handy as well as phone.

After an hour of nothing..... I concluded that I was not going to have a reaction like I had before.

Reported the story to the Doc at my next appointment and he was pleased to hear how it responded.

So I went from no serious allergic responses to landing in the E.R. after being stung by the least reactive offender. Had I instead been stung by a yellow jacket/hornet, my story might have been different.

I now keep an epi pen at home and one at my work. I'd keep one in my car but I understand they don't hold up well in heat.

Much like car insurance, the time to get a checkup to have any allergic reactions measured is before you might have another episode....not after.

 

[k0ua]

As a child I used to catch the Female Velvet Ants in a small jar, and put them in the freezer. They can last for several days and will revive in about 10 minutes if placed in the sun. They are very hard to kill by stepping on them, as you will just push them into most soils and they just get up and go on..you gotta use concrete!
That black stinger sure looks mean, but I have never been stung by one.

James K0UA

 

[LD1]

I was bored today and did a little resarch on some bees, and I found out (learned) some very interesting stuff.

First, Wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets are NOT bees. They are Wasps, and wasps are not bees.

Bees include honey bees, bumble bees, and carpenter bees.

Primary differences is:

Bees are harry and collect pollen. Usually loose their stinger so they can only sting you once.

Wasps: Scavengers and meat eaters. Not harry. Can sting multiple times.

I also found it intersting that thier venoms are totally opposite. Wasp stings are alkali based and can be neutralized with acid. Bee stings are acidic and can be neutralized with alkali.

I also found the following link interesting. According to it, The most painful sting of bees and wasps is the paper wasp. Followed by the honey bee, yellow jacket and hornet. Bumble bees arent on the list:confused2:

Schmidt Sting Pain Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[MotorSeven]

I agree with the others....get an EpiPen. I got zapped the other day, a pinching burning sensation, then a quarter red spot, then 3 days of insane itching. Any allergist or Gp will write you a script. I think mine cost $60....cheap insurance and it will keep in the fridge for a long time.

 

[General Lee]

I agree with the others....get an EpiPen. I got zapped the other day, a pinching burning sensation, then a quarter red spot, then 3 days of insane itching. Any allergist or Gp will write you a script. I think mine cost $60....cheap insurance and it will keep in the fridge for a long time.

I'm no expert but I would say your reaction is considered a normal non allergic reaction. Pretty much mu entire forearm was turned red and had minor swelling up my arm and around the wrist. It did itch for a couple days but not to bad.