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Myth or fact?
- Thread starter Travis
- Start date
Finch
Whats it to ya?
PlantAKiss
Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
I heard (from a friend who contacted an emergency room after multiple stings), that if you have a stinger in you, you should not pull it out with your fingers as that squeezes more poison in you. You should use a credit card and gently scrape the stinger out. I don't know if it makes that much difference but that's what the ER told her.
Sorry to hear of the bee sting. I haven't been stung by a bee in many a year other than the nasty little sweat bee that flew up and stung me in the corner of my eye.
Sorry to hear of the bee sting. I haven't been stung by a bee in many a year other than the nasty little sweat bee that flew up and stung me in the corner of my eye.
well, I've NEVER been stung by a bee, which is pretty amazing... but I have been stung by wasps multiple times. he he he... when I was little I got stung by a paper wasp (the big red ones) and my friends thought I was going to die! LOL
then I stepped on a yellow jacket nest and got stung five times... I've also been stung by wasps other times, and by ants probably hundreds of times. one time I stepped on a fire ant nest (I was little and it was at night) and got stung/bitten all over my legs.
a good remedy are matches and saliva. You wet the match with your saliva and then rub it in the sting. Someone also told me a baking soda paste is also good but I haven't tried it.
anyway... I know that honeybees do leave their stinger behind because it's barbed at the end, while wasp stingers (wasps are carnivorous as larvae- the adults have to paralyze/kill caterpillars and other arthropods to feed their young) are smooth so they can sting many times.
Finch, that makes perfect sense... I searched but couldn't find anything about it though. I know some bees don't sting though.
then I stepped on a yellow jacket nest and got stung five times... I've also been stung by wasps other times, and by ants probably hundreds of times. one time I stepped on a fire ant nest (I was little and it was at night) and got stung/bitten all over my legs.
a good remedy are matches and saliva. You wet the match with your saliva and then rub it in the sting. Someone also told me a baking soda paste is also good but I haven't tried it.
anyway... I know that honeybees do leave their stinger behind because it's barbed at the end, while wasp stingers (wasps are carnivorous as larvae- the adults have to paralyze/kill caterpillars and other arthropods to feed their young) are smooth so they can sting many times.
Finch, that makes perfect sense... I searched but couldn't find anything about it though. I know some bees don't sting though.
Thanks. I tried the cc method the next day *on Sunday*, I got home from an air show and the power was out due to a thunder storm. I never saw the stinger so not even sure it came out. It does not help that I slapped my arm pretty hard when I felt it. I swear it was just a fly bye...Just felt something hit my arm for a second then that was it.
Those are good I ideas Alpha Wolf...I will have to remember that for next time.
Those are good I ideas Alpha Wolf...I will have to remember that for next time.
PlantAKiss
Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
I guess I used "bee" generically to include wasps, yellow jackets, bumblebees, etc. To me, they are all lumped together as BEES...flying insects with stingers. I like bumblebees because they are rational, even-tempered, nonchalant bees unlike yellow jackets that are hot-tempered, vindictive and aggressive.
Well, you might lump them together as stinging insects, but bees and wasps are definitely different critters. Wasps, as was noted, have smooth, hypodermic-like stingers that allow for multiple attacks. They do tend to be more aggressive than most bees.
*Most* bees have barbed stingers, that are left behind after a sting, and the bee flies off to die. The ER report is right - you shouldn't grab a stinger and pull. If you look at one freshly left after a sting under a magnifier (I know, why would you ever do that?) You can still see the venom glands on the end of the stinger pulsing for a few moments afterwards.
The credit card method works most of the time. You can also use small tweezers and a magnifying glass, just avoid disturbing the little gland of venom at the end. Sometimes if the stinger is deep, it helps to use a razor to cut the skin slightly, but you should only do that if you know what you are doing...
As for me, although I've been in close proximity to bees and wasps frequently, I've only been stung once, due to my own stupidity. I was walking barefoot in some clover and stepped on a honeybee! DOH! I scraped out the stinger, and iced my foot for a bit, and I was fine, although embarrassed. Luckily I am not allergic to stings. Some folks are.
I like bees, and tolerate wasps. They are pollinators for many important plant species, so I give them their space.
*Most* bees have barbed stingers, that are left behind after a sting, and the bee flies off to die. The ER report is right - you shouldn't grab a stinger and pull. If you look at one freshly left after a sting under a magnifier (I know, why would you ever do that?) You can still see the venom glands on the end of the stinger pulsing for a few moments afterwards.
The credit card method works most of the time. You can also use small tweezers and a magnifying glass, just avoid disturbing the little gland of venom at the end. Sometimes if the stinger is deep, it helps to use a razor to cut the skin slightly, but you should only do that if you know what you are doing...
As for me, although I've been in close proximity to bees and wasps frequently, I've only been stung once, due to my own stupidity. I was walking barefoot in some clover and stepped on a honeybee! DOH! I scraped out the stinger, and iced my foot for a bit, and I was fine, although embarrassed. Luckily I am not allergic to stings. Some folks are.
I like bees, and tolerate wasps. They are pollinators for many important plant species, so I give them their space.
Trapper7
Loves VFT's!
Why not use tweezers?I have been stung many times by waspes,but one time was really bad.I was outside suntanning and they are attracted to the smell of the suntan lotion,so one landed on my back and i freaked out so it stung me and as i was trying to get it off me it stung my thumb as well,then i finally got it off and i rolled over it and it stung my thigh,lol.It really hurt!I've been terrified of them ever since.Everytime I see one,I go running in the other direction,my friends and family think it's hilarious,lol. ~Niki~
Finch
Whats it to ya?
PAk, i love sweat bees. Really pretty. Not as freindly as bumblebees but several nest right in the garden. I reecetly discoverd a whole whorde of ambush bugs eating them so i moved them to a yellowing flowering shrub so theyd eat the flies and wasps instead.
Ambush bus are really neat and easy to observe closely. Anyone else ever seen one? IV seem them eating wasps 5 times their size., mostly to iv seen them eating flies and bees.
That may work but my wife read about (and has used a bunch) a paste of meat tenderizer. It neutralizes the venom from the sting.[b said:
In general, the bees that you see on flowers are critical to our environment and are are undergoing a crisis with their populations. The Xerces Society has published a few good books on the subject. "Forgotten Pollinators" is one and "Pollinator Conservation Handbook" is another.
actually I think it's more like a bunch of minutes[b said:
lol, if you haven't found it by now you're never going to find it. It's really quite obvious. You probably just brushed it off, or misidentified it as a bee instead of a wasp?[b said:
I like both bees and wasps, and they are VERY important for the environment. Both pollinate everything ranging from orange trees to milkweed, wasps help control pests like some caterpillars (farmers release parasitic wasps around their crops... which I think is horrible since the wasps also kill other species of insects which are cool/beneficial), aphids, etc. and they're just plain cool. Look at this wasp I found - http://groups.msn.com/_Secure....2985751
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure....9068018
If you're wondering what the cotton swab is for, I cought the wasp and wanted to take pics so to make it sit still I made sugarwater and dipped the cotton swab in it, then offered it to the wasp. It also works wonders with moths and butterflies.
Like I said, I like them... although I am a little unnerved if they come too close.
I also wouldn't consider yellow jackets aggressive. They're curious and bold, which freaks people out, and then they get stung because of swating them and stuff. I've taken pics of them, I had them land on me, a friend even cought one with his bare hands (it landed on his open hand and for some crazy unexplicable reason he closed it just to realize what it was and opened it again) and the yellow jacket just flew away (well, it did try to sting when the hand was closed, as my friend said he could feel the stinger, but when he opened his hand and shook it the wasp just flew away)... and the only time I've been stung by a yellow jacket was when I stepped on their nest... which more than justifies them stinging me. heck, and they only stung 5 times! I step on an underground nest and only 5 stings? I got off easy if you ask me.
I may have... a tiny one... but I didn't get to see it very well... I forgot why. I've always wanted to see them though.[b said:
Trapper7
Loves VFT's!
yep, it's a wasp. cooler in real life too. The color kind of shifted a little.
here's a couple more pics-
yellow jacket
another wasp
from the long stinger i'm guessing this is a parasitic wasp.
<a href="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SACbAvEU9!Dix6e1WFXW*vvb2S2BVsGea0ikBOa2uGkPLYrFyJBg0xN*90pbc2oOVvFuooS6lv09M7WeDWF*wpXbGQTvl0bCq
biMbuBs8yBXAAAAynIPAg/DSCN0113.JPG?dc=4675532417666209081" target="_blank">bad picture of a green metallic bee</a>
<a href="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SAAAAPUU9OHix6e1WFXW*kP121UZhb20Av*jyX3jKKT2oCe2e41tPTinD9xmEN*pskI0Jh6xV52bEV5NjkFQlhQqD
TZnjo!L!XcNVHNBBqYAAAAAAAAAAA/DSCN0126.JPG?dc=4675532417756684954" target="_blank">carpenter bee</a>
closeup of carpenter bee
here's a couple more pics-
yellow jacket
another wasp
from the long stinger i'm guessing this is a parasitic wasp.
<a href="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SACbAvEU9!Dix6e1WFXW*vvb2S2BVsGea0ikBOa2uGkPLYrFyJBg0xN*90pbc2oOVvFuooS6lv09M7WeDWF*wpXbGQTvl0bCq
biMbuBs8yBXAAAAynIPAg/DSCN0113.JPG?dc=4675532417666209081" target="_blank">bad picture of a green metallic bee</a>
<a href="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SAAAAPUU9OHix6e1WFXW*kP121UZhb20Av*jyX3jKKT2oCe2e41tPTinD9xmEN*pskI0Jh6xV52bEV5NjkFQlhQqD
TZnjo!L!XcNVHNBBqYAAAAAAAAAAA/DSCN0126.JPG?dc=4675532417756684954" target="_blank">carpenter bee</a>
closeup of carpenter bee
Clint
Stay chooned in for more!
oh... no they're not.
wikipedia:
Carpenter bees are often mistaken for bumblebees. They are similar in size and coloring. The primary physical difference is on the abdomen. Carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen. Bumblebees have a fuzzy abdomen with some yellow coloring.
I already fixed it, thanks!
wikipedia:
Carpenter bees are often mistaken for bumblebees. They are similar in size and coloring. The primary physical difference is on the abdomen. Carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen. Bumblebees have a fuzzy abdomen with some yellow coloring.
I already fixed it, thanks!
