The nasty little bugs that are: Yellow Jackets

[ForzaFiori]

So, while working outside clearing some shrub, I got stung by a yellow jacket. One sting, on my pinkie. 5 minutes later, my face is swollen. Halfway to the ER, I started loosing vision and gasping. Right as we got there I passed out, but the benadryl I took kicked in. Been in observation for... 5 hours now. Just got home and are perfectly fine.

Here's the kicker. I've never been allergic to yellow jackets before. Last time I got stung, I was hit 8 times across the legs, then hiked down Table Rock.

Anybody else got strange allergy stories?

[Emperor Ing]

I might be allergic to sesame seeds. Yeah, you know those little white seeds on your hamburger buns? They make my throat and mouth itch and cause irritating stomachaches. It's not at all life-threatening but it's annoying as hell.

Also, stinging insects suck. I'm not allergic but they still suck. You have my sympathies.

[SaintRidley]

Not an allergy one, but I did swat a yellow jacket out of the air with a fencing sabre last month.

[DeadManSleeping]

I know a few people who seem to be continually developing more allergies and dietary intolerances...it makes me scared for my own future.

[Marnath]

Here's the kicker. I've never been allergic to yellow jackets before. Last time I got stung, I was hit 8 times across the legs, then hiked down Table Rock.

I don't know how true it is, but I've been told that every sting is worse than the last. I've been stung three times, and so far it's held true. It's sort of like the opposite of immunization.

[ForzaFiori]

I don't know how true it is, but I've been told that every sting is worse than the last. I've been stung three times, and so far it's held true. It's sort of like the opposite of immunization.

I don't know about if your not allergic, but my doctor said that normally, when you are allergic, the first one is always the easiest and they just get worse, usually until about the 3rd and then they settle down. With the one I had as my first though, my third one would almost certainly be faithful. Which means that now I pretty much can't go into the woods, which sucks, and when I"m outside in the country, I have to be extremely careful. I just so happen to live in 10 acres of woods in the middle of the country (like the non-urban areas, not like... Iowa.)

[Flickerdart]

I sat on a wasp once. The funny thing is that I had checked the seat for wasps beforehand - but the sneaky bastard was sitting on my butt where I couldn't see him.

[CynicalAvocado]

the only thing worse than a yellowjacket, is a hornet. hornets are born pissed off.

i once shot a hornets nest. not a good idea. before i had time to reload there was a line of em following the bullet trail straight to me

[Marnath]

I don't know about if your not allergic, but my doctor said that normally, when you are allergic, the first one is always the easiest and they just get worse, usually until about the 3rd and then they settle down. With the one I had as my first though, my third one would almost certainly be faithful. Which means that now I pretty much can't go into the woods, which sucks, and when I"m outside in the country, I have to be extremely careful. I just so happen to live in 10 acres of woods in the middle of the country (like the non-urban areas, not like... Iowa.)

You meant fatal, right? :smallconfused:

[TruorTupnm]

For an allergy story, I found out that I am allergic to tetanus shots when they gave us some for free, in middle school. Not fun. I had some kind of high fever, and the arm that got the shot poofed out to about three times its usual size. It felt quite similar to the muscle developing the desire to claw its way through my skin. I was told that, if I get another one of those, I could die. My evil mom lady worked at a hospital, at the time, and continuously threatened that it would be really easy for her to grab a tetanus shot, if I didn't clean my room. Anyways, I suppose that if I ever step on a rusty nail, I'll just die?

For a yellow jacket (or hornet) story, hey, I got stung by one on Table Rock, too. Huh. First time I've seen anyone else with the misfortune of living in South Carolina. Horrible accents. Ah, anyways, I am not allergic, but I have a story worse than just going to the Emergency Room. This is a tale of betrayal: There I was, a male of six years. Quite naive, to my evil older sister's delight. We had a mailbox with a hive in it, and she proposed playing with it. She would stand behind the mailbox with a large stick, and I would stand in front, ready to open it up and alert her, at the point that the things came out. Sounded fun, to myself! Outrace the little things! Woo as well as Hoo!

One...two...three...Bang! I dutifully opened the thing and screamed, "They're coming!" Huh. She had apparently run off, as soon as she hit the mailbox. Well, I ran after her, but I was too slow. They got me in the back of the neck. My evil older sister thought that it was quite funny. I learned to never trust her again. Well, you know, until she told me that she'd totally pay me back those many times she borrowed money from me. oh well. http://www.starwarsepics.com/forums/scarlet/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Blue Ghost]

Same thing happened to me when I was 8. Got stung by a yellow jacket, was sent to the ER. Managed to stay conscious the whole way, though.

[ForzaFiori]

First time I've seen anyone else with the misfortune of living in South Carolina. Horrible accents.

I love the accent, even though I don't have it. Gotta be upstate though. Y'all lowlanders talk funny (And I would know, my step-dad is from Bamburg). personally I love being from SC. We got mountains, forests, swamps, beaches (some of the best beaches, imho), all withing 4, 4.5 hours of each other, No really bad national disasters (aside from an occasional hurricane.)

[TruorTupnm]

I'm actually from Greenville. I was just raised by people from the north, who know how to speak. Ah, no offense to those with horrible Southern accents. I'm sure that you preferences when it comes to accents, too.

Anyways, another allergy story ---> My evil mom lady is allergic to alcohol. Even the smell starts to get her sick. At one point, we went to some church, where she was expected to sip some wine from a cup. Before the whole thing started, she told the dude who'd be holding the cup that she wouldn't be able to take any, but mayhaps they could pretend, and he could just put the cup to her lips, then move on. Apparently, he attempted to do so, but a bit of wine got in her mouth. It was kind of funny for myself, from the congregation, watching her turn pale, then run out of the place. It was a very nice-looking church that still has a stain on the wall, from when she got the wine out of her system.

[xPANCAKEx]

wasps are horrible little bastards!

[Bhu]

Allergic to penicillin, tetanus shots, mold, oven cleaner, and bees. I have a friend allergic to grass. A lot of us mow his yard for him because he can't come out during spring/summer.

[Lady Moreta]

I'm allergic to McDonalds :smalltongue: ... but only if I eat in. If I take it away, I seem to be fine. Also allergic to Subway - sometimes. Some days I'll break out, last Friday I had the exact same meal I always have, and nothing. No idea what's causing it.

I have random food allergies - to the point now that I no longer wonder what caused it just that 'oh allergic to something'. I also tend to be very sensitive to random things - dust mites are the only one I know off. Very allergic to them. I'm just now at the point where I don't go anywhere without antihistemenes because odds are good I'll need them at some point.

The one time I ended up in the ER I think was a dust-mite related allergy. I'd worn a top that I hadn't worn in a few months and it was dusty. I was covered in hives/rash quite literally from head to toe. That wasn't fun...

[Form]

wasps are horrible little bastards!

They're not so bad. Most of the time if you just don't make any sudden movements and leave them alone they leave you alone.

But it's still annoying to have them buzzing around you, yes. Or crawling on you as you wait for them to leave. I understand the temptation of swatting them when you can. :smallannoyed:


Allergic to penicillin, tetanus shots, mold, oven cleaner, and bees. I have a friend allergic to grass. A lot of us mow his yard for him because he can't come out during spring/summer.

It must be awful being forced to stay inside the whole or nearly the whole spring and summer. :smallfrown:

[Asta Kask]

I heard of a cat who ate live wasps. Swatted them so they lost consciousness and crunched them up. She was self-taught.

[Amiel]

Man, that sucks, sorry to hear that.


I was very nearly stung by multiple wasps at one point. I was walking around the block (doing the exercise thing), when I must have walked underneath a hornet's nest. They apparently considered me a threat and so dispatched (what I assumed were) soldiers to give me a warning (a directive the soldiers must have interpreted as "sting me repeatedly").
I'm unashamed to admit that I had to leg it; and the bloody things kept trying to mount an offensive on my hair, which I can only assumed smelled citrus fresh.
Luckily, I was not stung, and so, no agony or allergic reaction or anything else eventuated.

[CynicalAvocado]

i'm very allergic to poison ivy/oak/sumac. i once got in it and it spread so fast that i was covered by it on about 99% of my body. 3 steroid shots and a steroid regimen later and now i have a nice poison ivy scar on my elbow.

[Syka]

Forza, from what I know it's not unusual for it to only be a normal reaction, and then the next time it be severe. Something about the body overreacting, IIRC.

My sister is deathly allergic to fire ants. She always has to have an epi-pen on her, and I think it only happened the second time she was bitten.

Personally, while I'm allergic to a fair amount (dust/dust mites, pet dander (almost everything with fur or feathers), mold), the only real serious one I think is the mold allergy. The others make me pretty miserable with the runny nose and tearing eyes and such. Give me bleu cheese? I can't breathe. No runny nose or anything, but my throat just closes up and my chest gets tight. It's happened ever since I was a kid. I just don't eat bleu cheese much so I end up forgetting, lol.

But yeah...I finally figured out that the horrible reaction to bleu cheese is because of the mold in it. Go figure.

[Destro_Yersul]

in my not so humble opinion, anything small and insectoid with black and yellow stripes can bugger off and die. Except for bumblebees, because they're adorable.

[Kislath]

I used to be a beekeeper, but had to give it up when the stings started getting worse instead of better in typical beekeeper fashion. I haven't been stung since, so I don't know what to expect. Yellowjackets have always ignored me, but a bumblebee once lit me up but good.

[Cobalt]

I'm apparently allergic to pine tree needles. They cause an insane irritation everywhere on my body and my throat always starts to itch. And it's Christmas time, so you know what I'll be dealing with for the next couple months. :smallsigh:

[Bhu]

I heard of a cat who ate live wasps. Swatted them so they lost consciousness and crunched them up. She was self-taught.

The apartment complex I live in used to be stalked by a 30 pound skunk I liked to call "Mr. Grumpy." He preferred to attack as opposed to spraying, and one day I hear all this noise on my front porch. I go out, and he's ripping open a wasp nest to eat them. I decided there was nothing I needed outside that day...

[Asta Kask]

Skunks are my new favorite feral animal.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I apparently was lactose intolerant at some point in my childhood. I remember needing to drink this milk substitute that I could only stand on cereal because it sweetened the awful taste. Eventually though, it stopped being a problem, and I can drink milk just fine.

As for stinging insects of the yellow-and-black-striped variety, I am an avowed spheksophobic (that's a fear of wasps for those of you at home keeping track). I've always been scared of bees and wasps and it's thanks to that fear that I've managed to avoid being stung. I've stopped fearing bees now that I know more about them (and bumblebees ARE adorable), and I'm glad I live in Minnesota, outside Africanized bee territory. I always give their cousins a wide berth. In middle school though, I had a close encounter with one that crawled up my shirt sleeve while I was practicing my violin. I just sort of locked up until it got bored and flew away, but that was possibly one of the scariest moments of my life. Yet I have this odd thing about watching them. Like when there's one in the room, I can't help but focus on it and track it with my eyes.

Damn, it's the middle of November and it's freezing cold outside so the wasps are all dead, and typing this post STILL made my skin crawl!

[CrimsonAngel]

Allergic to Penicillin and its derivitives. :smallfrown: I get a scratchy rash on my arms and legs. It probably gets worse but it takes a long time to spread and I'm able to catch it quickly.

[TruorTupnm]

Why do people think that bees are cute, anyways? They look quite similar to wasps. Sure, of the two, I suppose that bees are cuter, in their way, but there aren't many insects that people commonly think of as cute, and bees are scarier than plenty of insects. oh well. I suppose that it's just how they are portrayed.

I don't have very many allergy stories. I now remember that my evil father is allergic to bee stings, fell while hiking, and stirred some up. His buddies had to get him out of there, since he not only had a bad reaction but also broke his back, in the fall. It was pretty funny, seeing him all poofed up and in bandages in bed for a while. Whoops?

[Tvtyrant]

I don't know how true it is, but I've been told that every sting is worse than the last. I've been stung three times, and so far it's held true. It's sort of like the opposite of immunization.

It has to do with your body creating anti-bodies to the venom. Your body overreacts when you get stung and sends out toxins in every direction to kill of the intruding venom, and each time you get stung it makes more of its weapons. A yellow-jacket does almost no damage to your body, but the body convinces itself that it is in danger.

[Katana_Geldar]

Skunks are my new favorite feral animal.

Skunks can be feral? As in, being in a place they're not supposed to be like cats and pigs?

Sort of funny story. Last gaming session the DM suddenly started screaming. Turned out he'd stepped on the wasp that we thought we had killed earlier with bug spray. It was a bite rather than a sting, and when the pain had gone down he attacked it with a shoe (and another one that had turned up) as he was feeling vengeful.

[ForzaFiori]

Damn, it's the middle of November and it's freezing cold outside so the wasps are all dead, and typing this post STILL made my skin crawl!

Not all of the are dead, obviously. Just the ones where you live. lucky.


Allergic to Penicillin and its derivitives. :smallfrown: I get a scratchy rash on my arms and legs. It probably gets worse but it takes a long time to spread and I'm able to catch it quickly.

I have something similar with latex, except it doesn't get any worse than an itch rash where ever it was touching me.

[Cobalt]

Not all of the are dead, obviously. Just the ones where you live. lucky.

Exactly. Have I ever mentioned that my entire house is infested with them?

Because it is. And it bites.

[Aystra]

Also allergic to penicillin. I've had it twice already (as a baby) and each time it got progressively worse. So if I have it a third time I'm pretty much dead.

On a different note, yellow jackets completely freak me out. Probably started in elementary school when everyday the yellow jackets would go after our food...

[Marnath]

Skunks can be feral? As in, being in a place they're not supposed to be like cats and pigs?

Naw, I think he means "wild." Feral is technically accurate, but confusing given the different usage in regards to normally domestic animals such as you mentioned.

[Melayl]

Yellow Jackets are evil abominations. I've been stung on two different occasions now (no serious allergic reaction, yet, thankfully).

The first was when I was about 6. There was a nest under our outside back staircase, and I must have gotten too close to it. I was stung up and down both arms.

The second was in my early 20's. I was working as a counselor at a summer bible camp. I had been off-site most of the week, and was back on the last day of camp that week. I was assigned to split wood with 3 other guys. My friend stood at the woodpile and threw the logs to me. I handed them to the guy running the splitter, and the last guy took the split logs and stacked them in a truck. My friend tossed me a large, hollow tree trunk -- that happened to be a very large Yellow Jacket nest. I was stung 8 or 10 times (I can't really remember), but I was on the outer edge of the pissed off little vermin, so I was able to get away. My friend had to run through the swarm (since he was trapped by 2 buildings and the woodpile), and was stung 26 times. The guy that was supposed to be stacking the split logs was screwing around with the radio at the time, fortunately. If he had been at his post, he would have had to run through the swarm as well. And he was anaphylactically allergic (as in, stops breathing) to yellow stinging insects...

Apparently, my 2 year old son is mostly immune to yellow jackets. He got stung on the hand this fall, cried for about a minute, and then sucked his thumb. The only mark he had after the sting was a 1/8 inch barely raised red spot immediatly after, and that was gone within a few hours.

[Lycan 01]

Alright folks, pull up a chair, and let Grandpaw Lycan regail you with a fascinating tale. A tale of childhood innocence abused by nature itself. This is the tale... of how Lycan learned he needed glasses. :smallcool:


I was 8 or so. My little brother and I had been having a water gun and water balloon war all around our house one warm Mississippi afternoon. Well, as I rounded a corner, I saw a reddish-orange bug thing fluttering in the sunlight. My childhood innocence automatically made the assumption of: butterfly. Monarch Butterfly, specifically. So I stood perfectly still, and allowed the red insect to flutter its way towards me. It bobbed and weaved through the air, coming straight towards me in a zig-zaggy way. As it drew closer, I thought to myself "Oh my gosh, a butterfly is going to land on me! This is so cool! This is so awesome!"

Well, the fluttering red insect landed on my forehead, and I very quickly discovered that it was not a Monarch Butterfly. It was, in fact, a Red Wasp. Which are extremely viscious, and have quite an agonizing sting. And sting is what it did. It felt like somebody stabbed me in the face. I promptly ran screaming for the door, crying incoherently as agony seared my skull. As it turns out, a stray water balloon had splashed a wasp nest built into the corner of our roof, and one of the little monsters was out for blood...


So yeah. My blurry vision resulted in what I thought was a butterfly stinging the crap out of my forehead. I dunno if that was the specific reason why, but a few months later, I got glasses...

[Thrawn183]

Heh, this one time we were taking a road trip through Texas I decided, in my youth, that I should take the biggest rock I could carry on the biggest fire ant hill I could find. Have you ever seen the ground explode? I have.

[Asta Kask]

Skunks can be feral? As in, being in a place they're not supposed to be like cats and pigs?

Language difficulties. Wild.

[Amiel]

Speaking of insects, apparently there's a death's head moth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acherontia_lachesis.jpg)
Nature, please explain

[Jimorian]

I've only had 2 stinging incidents in my life, both happening while riding my bike.

First was coming home from school when I saw/felt some kind of insect impact with my neck and go down my shirt. WHAM WHAM WHAM! 3 quick stings on my chest by a wasp before I could grab him in a fold in my shirt and squish the little bastich. I had to sit on the ground for about 15 minutes to get the tears out of my eyes enough to shakily ride home the rest of the way.

A few years later, I'm riding along and something bounced against my lower lip. I didn't really feel the sting itself, but apparently I ran straight into the ass-end of a honeybee because I could feel the stinger as I carefully scraped it off. Slight swelling, but no real pain, just a bit of numbness that went away in a couple hours.

[DeadManSleeping]

Speaking of insects, apparently there's a death's head moth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acherontia_lachesis.jpg)
Nature, please explain

Oh, I just made you humans see yourselves in everything. You guys are so CUTE when you're self-centered! Which is, like, all the time. Like how you think the moon has a human face on it? I mean that's some wacky stuff right there! Not to mention all the stuff that you think looks like a penis...I swear, I was worried for a second that your Freud guy was gonna catch on to my little joke.

But, uh, yeah, totally not a human skull on there. You all just think I was designed around you. As if I care. You know what'd be funny? I think I should step up making birds sentient. Maybe a couple million years...well, if you all manage not to die out before then, we'll see.

Sorry about that.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Why do people think that bees are cute, anyways? They look quite similar to wasps. Sure, of the two, I suppose that bees are cuter, in their way, but there aren't many insects that people commonly think of as cute, and bees are scarier than plenty of insects. oh well. I suppose that it's just how they are portrayed.

Well, I suppose it's because they're fuzzy. That's big brownie points there.

[Eldan]

I've been stung at least half a dozen times. Comes with the job. For me, it hurts a little, but isn't really that bad. Now I mostly work with bees that don't really sting humans.

Anyway, I actually think most insects are cute. At least a little.

[Kuma Da]

Wasps are evil.

That more or less exhausts what I have to coherently say on the subject, but if you would like a more eloquent rant, nothing is stopping you from googling "something awful" "bees" and "hound of tindalos" together.

Be forewarned. The result is more or less typical for SA humor, but I think it makes a valid point.

Also, on topic, I have some family members who've become progressively more allergic to the wasps around my house, to the point where a sting means exciting trip-to-the-ER times. They're currently seeing an allergist, which is helping a bit.

[Gitman00]

Strange allergic reactions? Well, here's one that's somewhat R-Rated. Spoilered for the faint of heart and you innocent youngsters. :smallwink:

There is a product called VCF - Vaginal Contraceptive Film. You insert one before sex and it dissolves and acts as a spermicide. My wife and I have used them a few times. It occasionally causes a mildly unpleasant burning sensation for me, but nothing unbearable.

Until last night.

I experienced the usual mild burning at first. Then, afterwards, I went to relieve myself. The neighbors probably heard my scream. It was, hands down, the most intense pain I have ever experienced. I may as well have been peeing razorblades, and the effects are still lingering.

[DeadManSleeping]

There is a product called VCF - Vaginal Contraceptive Film. You insert one before sex and it dissolves and acts as a spermicide. My wife and I have used them a few times. It occasionally causes a mildly unpleasant burning sensation for me, but nothing unbearable.

...

I think that makes the rest just Darwin's way of peeking in to let you know that you're being watched. :smallamused:

[Gitman00]

...

I think that makes the rest just Darwin's way of peeking in to let you know that you're being watched. :smallamused:

Yeah, have your guffaws. :smalltongue: But much like spicy food is still enjoyable, a (very) little burn can be a turn-on. It's why peppermint oil and capsaicin are used as "aids". :smallwink:

As a wise man once said, "Blessed is he who can laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be amused."

[faceroll]

I've been stung hundreds of times by wasps and ants. When I was a kid, I drowned a yellow jacket nest under a wooden board rebarred into the ground that was being used as a curb for parked cars. I spent most of the day shoving a hose down in there and flooding them out. Dozens of stings, but after awhile they hurt less. I remember brushing one off my arm such that it tore his poison sac out, which stayed attached to the stinger buried in my skin. The sac continued to pump poison into me. Pretty cool.

I killed their whole nest, though.

Once, when I was climbing around in a stream bed, I wrapped my arm around a log that was swarming with tiny black ants. I felt prickling, followed by growing pain as hundreds of stingers began stabbing me. My upper arm was swarming with the black bodies of these super tiny ants. A rubbed them to death vigorously. The pain was pretty bad, but eventually turned into a dull ache, then an itch. By the evening, my arm was covered in white pustules. That night I scratched them open in my sleep (my god they itched), and the arm got a little bloody. I had scar tissue there for a year or two afterwards.


Anybody else got strange allergy stories?

That's not a strange allergy story, really. Repeated exposure to potential allergens often cause more severe reactions. Poison ivy, poison oak, yellow jacket stings, and such, with repeated exposure, can eventually result in really terrible symptoms, like anaphylaxis and death.

The tasmanian jumping ants can kill a person after a couple stings, because people almost instantly develop an allergic reaction to them.


Anyways, I suppose that if I ever step on a rusty nail, I'll just die?

Only if the rusty nail has poop on it.


Skunks can be feral? As in, being in a place they're not supposed to be like cats and pigs?

Probably. I'm pretty sure pet skunks released into the Outback would turn feral almost immediately.


Sort of funny story. Last gaming session the DM suddenly started screaming. Turned out he'd stepped on the wasp that we thought we had killed earlier with bug spray. It was a bite rather than a sting, and when the pain had gone down he attacked it with a shoe (and another one that had turned up) as he was feeling vengeful.

If it was really that painful, it was most likely a sting. Most Hymenoptera, Vespids included, deliver their venom with a sting. The exception being some of Formicidae, which sprays formic acid and rends the skin open with bites, like carton ants.

[Gitman00]

If it was really that painful, it was most likely a sting. Most Hymenoptera, Vespids included, deliver their venom with a sting. The exception being some of Formicidae, which sprays formic acid and rends the skin open with bites, like carton ants.

However, wasps do often bite to hold on while they deliver their sting.

[leakingpen]

Allergies tend to come and go in 7 year cycles, I've noticed. (Not incidentally, the amount of time it takes for every cell in your body to have divided then died, meaning that in roughly 7 years, no cell that was in you roughly 7 years previously is still there, excluding, of course, the brain. )

Also, you can develop allergies to things you were never allergic to before.

As for me, Codeine (it makes me hallucinate) and marijuana. (a friend thought it would be funny to give me "magic" brownies without telling me... Rash, swollen face, and praying to the porcelain god ensued. )

[ForzaFiori]

Allergies tend to come and go in 7 year cycles, I've noticed. (Not incidentally, the amount of time it takes for every cell in your body to have divided then died, meaning that in roughly 7 years, no cell that was in you roughly 7 years previously is still there, excluding, of course, the brain. )

Also, you can develop allergies to things you were never allergic to before.

As for me, Codeine (it makes me hallucinate) and marijuana. (a friend thought it would be funny to give me "magic" brownies without telling me... Rash, swollen face, and praying to the porcelain god ensued. )

I've heard of a Codeine allergy (which, by the way, also usually mean allergies to the other "ines" such as morphine and it's derivatives) but never a marijuana allergy.

[leakingpen]

Never had any of the other -ines, (will have to watch for that if i ever have to take Demerol, i guess. ) but I am also almost immune to the -caines (novocaine, ect. ) Makes dentists visits with surgery FUN! takes me 2 minutes to numb up, and its worn off 5 minutes later. sigh.

I know a few people who are allergic to the smoke, and while I've not partaken, I've been around people who are, and it doesn't bug me. Just ingested, it seems.

[Eldan]

Smoke... I don't know if it's an allergy, but if anyone smokes within about ten meters of me, I get coughing fits that don't stop until I'm out of reach. I can hardly breathe when it happens.
Only cigarette smoke, though, I've noticed. Fires aren't really a problem.