Scorpion Sting

[ga. prime]

Got stung by one on the hand this morning moving some firewood around. Didn't hurt more than a minute. The hurtingest sting I know of is from those demonic Yellow Jackets. Man, those hurt bad for hours and hours. I got into a nest of them the other day on the tractor while mowing around the edge of some woods. Took my hat off to swat them out of my face and got stung twice on the head and on each elbow. I felt like I'd been hit over the head with a ball peen hammer for about twelve hours. Elbows didn't feel too good either, but my hurting head kept my mind off the elbows.

 

[Jogeephus]

Yellowjackets are demonic. I hate them with a passion. I think its going to be a cold winter cause the hornets are nesting close to the ground. Last Wednesday I was beating my way through some six foot high galberry and kissed a hornets nest. I know what Rodney King must have felt like but at least they don't hurt for days like the yellow jackets do.

 

[ga. prime]

That's seriously scary bumping into a hornets nest, Jo. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a hornets nest about the size of a basketball hanging about ten feet off the ground on a limb of a young pine tree. It was right on the edge of a firebreak I was working. Fearing that I might bump the tree with the tractor, I hung the .22 out the pickup window and shot the limb off. Next morning, armadillos or hogs or something had torn it to shreds.

There's a place I especially want to mow a lane through with my tree cutter mower that is thick with galberry, titi, vines, briars, fetterbush, bay, etc. I started backing in on it the other day and chickened out. I couldn't see six inches behind me. I just knew if I kept going I'd run over a hornets nest or yellowjacket nest. Most likely if I wait till freezing weather, the place will be too boggy to go through. I've been thinking what if I got a beekeepers suit and wore it on the tractor? I'd be invincible to insect stings, right? Where can beekeeper suits be traded for and what denomination of compensation is required to consumate such a trade?

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

If you have a canope on your tractor tie survey flagging on it the more the better tie it any where it will blow and wave. The yellow jackets will attack the flagging and you won't get a sting. I have done this for years on my bulldozer and never get stung.

 

[ga. prime]

Very interesting suggestion red bull. What color flagging?

 

[grannysoo]

We don't see the yellow jackets very often, but have quite a few hornet nests scattered around. Try making one of them mad at you....

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Color dosen't matter Ga. just lots of it brighter colors seem to get the most jackets on them. Never been got by hornets using the flagging.

 

[Jogeephus]

Color dosen't matter Ga. just lots of it brighter colors seem to get the most jackets on them. Never been got by hornets using the flagging.

That sounds reasonable since a guy I know who has run a dozer all his life told me to toss your hat if they attack you and they will chase it. He said to sit still after you throw it. I think they must go after movement. I ran over a big hornets nest with my tree cutter and the ground just boiled will mad hornets. I sat still and waited for the inevitable. But the hornets chased the debris going out of the rear of the tree cutter and I never got stung.

As for the bee suite, I have no idea how much they cost but I think the hat would be the big thing along with long sleeves and loose fitting clothes.

Also on shooting them with a rifle. I learned the hard way that they will somehow follow the bullet trail back to the shooter if you choose to just plink the nest to make them mad. I won't ever do this again. 100 yards is not far enough cause they will get you.

 

[ga. prime]

.

Also on shooting them with a rifle. I learned the hard way that they will somehow follow the bullet trail back to the shooter if you choose to just plink the nest to make them mad. I won't ever do this again. 100 yards is not far enough cause they will get you.

That's why I shot them from the window of my pickup. As soon as the limb fell I rolled the window up.

 

[Jogeephus]

.

Also on shooting them with a rifle. I learned the hard way that they will somehow follow the bullet trail back to the shooter if you choose to just plink the nest to make them mad. I won't ever do this again. 100 yards is not far enough cause they will get you.

That's why I shot them from the window of my pickup. As soon as the limb fell I rolled the window up.

So you already knew this. I knew you were a smart fella! Unlike like me, I thought sniping them from a distance was going to be clever and fun. Boy was I ever wrong. I even repeated this process a couple years later and got the same results so there must be something to it. :nod:

 

[ga. prime]

:lol2: Well, I didn't really know it but had strong suspicions.

 

[john250]

You Georgians just post this stuff to make the rest of us jealous. :lol2:

 

[Jogeephus]

You Georgians just post this stuff to make the rest of us jealous. :lol2:

John, I think some more research on this subject should be conducted in Indiana to see if this is a universal phenomina. Might get one of those research grants. I hear they can pay quite well, maybe well enough to get a camo bee suit. :nod: