Man dies after being stung over 500 times

[MoKelly]

Rickster:

Love your avatar. Go Cards.

MoKelly

 

[beppington]

Last Sunday 3 hornets got me: Right ear lobe, left shoulder & head. Right ear lobe is still bothering me.

Never saw 'em comin'. Those suckers are FAST, & there seems to be no getting away from 'em.

Eventually after I did run far enough away, & calmed down some, I slowly & very cautiously eased back toward where they attacked me, because I wanted my machete that I dropped back!, & eventually spotted them: A round hornet nest just about the size of a grapefruit hanging from a tree limb about 7' off the ground. Big ol' hornets buzzin' all around it. Doorway hole about the size of a quarter.

I decided to at least have a little fun: Got in my truck, rolled up the windows & repeatedly bumped the old fallen down fence that was touching the branch their nest is on. Man those suckers were mad! Flying all around & stinging my truck! Pretty fun for a few anyway, then I remembered my ear, shoulder & head still hurt

 

[MMagis]

I have a large piece of pasture to bush hog, I know we have seen ground bees nest in one area. I am thinking about keeping some wasp spray on board.

Wasp spray is of no use. If you're close enough to spray them it's too late, they're on you. The only thing you can do it keep an eye out for them swarming around the ground, and hope to get stopped before you get to them. I've hit more nests and been stung more times than I care to remember. 90% of the time it's yellow jackets, though one year I hit 7 hornets nests on the ground, plus a few yellow jacket nests. It took me a while to get good at spotting them, but it's been a couple years now since I've been stung. It's my number one focus while mowing these days.

 

[jimmyj]

Yikes. What a way to go. I got stung about 30+ times when I was a teen. I had to go to the hospital due to shock. Not nice.

 

[rd_macgregor]

At times like that I am really glad to have a cab. Last summer I sat in the tractor with the mower running on top of a ground hornet nest for a couple of minutes just to harass them a bit. Putting the wheels over the nest a time or two dazes them pretty seriously.
BOB

 

[Treemonkey1000]

I am lucky not to be allergic. Climbing tree's I try to look before I leap. Was doing some pruning at a commercial building. Climbed up on a ladder to lop off a branch. Got stung in the forearm. This looked like a yellow jacket on steroids. My arm swelled up pretty good. The nest was as big as a basketball. I had the building maintennance guy spray it that night.. Those underground nest are wicked when you step on them.....

 

[ArkLaTexSam]

If they're in attack mode spraying them will get u hurt or dead. Your only defense: avoid them suckers, use a cab, run like ****. Getting stung anywhere on the ear causes extreme pain that can make u cry like a baby.

ArkLaTexSam

 

[beppington]

I had the building maintennance guy spray it that night.

That reminds me ... The hornet spray can says to spray them in the early morning or at night, when they're sleepy.

 

[MMagis]

I am lucky not to be allergic. .

One thing I always keep in the back of my mind is that a person can "become" allergic at any given time. I've never had a reaction (other than cussing ), but I know it could happen. I'm often on the back side of the farm where I likely wouldn't make it home in time in an emergency.

 

[ArkLaTexSam]

I use a half filled bottle of gasoline. Turn it up over the hole and leave for a while during the night or early morning. Gas will vaporize them suckers.

Over the years I've been stung numerous times. Bears, snakes, bigfoot doesn't scare me. Killer bees do. After the first sting u will be swarmed and stung hundreds of times. Tree Hornets come in a close 2nd. The elderly and disabled don't have much of a chance to get away. Terrain plays a part in how fast u can run or drive away. It's hard not to swat at them when u are being stung but that's the worse thing u can do.

ArkLaTexSam