YELLOW JACKETS!!!

[nmurph]

Shall we start wearing these to bush hog?

I wear a Tyvek suit with my camo head net and gloves with the cuffs taped shut. I adopted this after I mowed a hornet's nest down about 5 years ago. I took three strings bf I could knock it out of gear and bail off. None of those city boy tractors with cabs in my farm...

I went back to the camera where I got into the YJs. The nest had been plundered. I pulled the card and I had pics both an armadillo and raccoon digging where the nest had been. A couple of the pics with the coon looked like he was swatting YJ. Regardless, the YJs were gone and there were lots of deer pics. I was worried they might abandon the crossing bc of the 40oz gas I poured on the ground and all of the foot traffic, but they seemed oblivious to the commotion.

 

[hambone76]

Man, I hate that for you. YJ’s are the one thing that I despise the most.

Last time I got stung while in the woods I was at Piedmont NWR, scouting the day prior to the hunt. I stepped over or near a nest and got popped on the right thumb. I took off running with an API Grand Slam climber on my back and got away with only the one sting. By nightfall my whole entire hand was swollen and my fingers looked like link sausages.
I took some Benadryl and hoped that the swelling would go down by morning.
Next day, it was still swollen. I ended up having to shoot a buck left handed. It seems that my tolerance to stings has waned as I’ve aged. 25 years ago one sting wouldn’t have bothered me.

Y’all be safe out there and watch where you step.

 

[donblfihu]

The neighbor got stung while hunting groundhogs. He was lucky his brother was there. His brother had to load him onto the atv and took him to the hospital. Doc said he'd died if his brother hadn't been there. Never had a reaction to bee stings before. I found packs of Benadryl with two tablets at gas station I carry with me. Might save my life!

 

[j_seph]

Guy at club one year was bush hogging as we stood and conversed watching. He got into a yellowjacket nest and got them stirred up. Far as I know he never got stung. As I stood there minding my own business one decided to come to me and ended up on my lip, tangled in mustache. I was ready for someone to punch me in the mouth to get some relief. That sucker 3 years if not more would still at times puff up where he had stung me.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Been stung a few times over the years, but it's been 35 or more years since I've been covered up with them like I was a few times as a kid and in my teens. Reading your story brought that horror back.

Glad you are alive and kicking.

 

[dank1296]

I thought about getting one of those electric bug zappers that look like tennis rackets with fresh batteries and taping the switch to on and placing over yellow jacket hole and electrocuting the suckers at my parents house. In the end went over at dusk and poured gas in the hole. Still would like the zapper experiment.

 

[fishfryer]

Shall we start wearing these to bush hog?

That veil won't do, you might catch china flu from a deer or a bear. You need a full face respirator,and heavy rubber gloves or kevlar might be better.

 

[Seminole Wind]

I got stung inside my mouth by a yellow jacket while sitting around camp sipping a cold one. Learned to keep my thumb over the mouth of my beer bottle after that. That's the one and only time I tried chewing tobacco. It helped a little.

 

[ucfireman]

I was got today while cutting, Just 1 got me on the hand and then I took off as fast as I could, they were swarming all around but just the 1 sting, thankfully.

 

[uturn]

I got stung inside my mouth by a yellow jacket while sitting around camp sipping a cold one. Learned to keep my thumb over the mouth of my beer bottle after that. That's the one and only time I tried chewing tobacco. It helped a little.

Ouch! That ain’t right!!!

 

[44magpastor]

Yellow jackets are demons from hades

 

[cnowery13]

A/C and protection from bugs - that's the way to bush-hog.

 

[southernman13]

FYI ice on a sting as quickly as possible will ease the pain a swelling. In googled it after having got into a swarm and got hit bout 5 times. I was skeered fosho. I’m not allergic that I know of but the swelling stays with me a few weeks and I hadn’t been stung that many times before. It was amazing how it worked

 

[Greene728]

I despise them servants of satan with a passion!

Last year I had a blast with em! They were going into the side of my house under the vinyl where the hose spigot comes out, no way to get to the nest. Found a video on YouTube where you can use a ShopVac on em. So the night before I taped the hose of the vacuum to the water spigot, and turned it on at daylight. It was awesome! Watching them fly in and try to fly out and instantly sucked up! It gave me this indescribable joy! After a couple morning running for 4 hours at a time and a couple hours late evening, they were gone. Spray a little killer if some type into the nozzle before cutting them power though. I bet I easily sucked up 500-750!

 

[Rabun]

That's a great idea! I bet that was fun....i hate those little balls of fire!

 

[nmurph]

I despise them servants of satan with a passion!

Last year I had a blast with em! They were going into the side of my house under the vinyl where the hose spigot comes out, no way to get to the nest. Found a video on YouTube where you can use a ShopVac on em. So the night before I taped the hose of the vacuum to the water spigot, and turned it on at daylight. It was awesome! Watching them fly in and try to fly out and instantly sucked up! It gave me this indescribable joy! After a couple morning running for 4 hours at a time and a couple hours late evening, they were gone. Spray a little killer if some type into the nozzle before cutting them power though. I bet I easily sucked up 500-750!

I bet there were that many in this nest. I've stirred up nest before and seen swarms, but I've never seen one close to this size, and it stayed stirred up (my brother rode back done a couple of hours later and he said they were still swarming).

 

[Lindseys Grandpa]

I keep a eye out for them when bushhogging , they usually get you on the 2nd pass so i try to spot them swarming . When i do i return right at dark and watch them fly back in till it appears everybody is home and i then pour gas in the hole.