Anaphylaxis: Wasps 2, me 1

[sleddriver]

I dispise those nasty [censored] that live in the ground. They're actually a hornet, capable of stinging you multiple times, & very aggressive. I too was stung multiple times while mowing once. They'd built a nest in a hole-in-the-ground I'd made while aerating the ground!

Glad you're OK!

A few notes:

• When you do locate the hole-in-the-ground where the nest is, plan your attack either in the morning or evening when they'll all be there. Heat about a gallon of water up to about 150°F, then add a healthy squirt of dish detergent & stir. Dump it down the hole all at once, stick a small rock on top and stomp it in. Complete annihilation and closure. 100% effective and dirt cheap. Also great on big ant beds.
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• When you need relief in a hurry, finely crush any tablet, dump into at least 8oz of water, stir and drink. It gets absorbed far faster that way. Given your sensitivity, you could even make up two of these ahead of time in a small glass bottle with a screw cap. Store in the frig. When seconds count....
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• The greatest wasp/hornet/bee swatter ever is a badmitton racket. Very light, easy to quickly swing, large surface area, very effective against multiple targets. They can't feel it coming either. I keep one hanging in the garage. Don't leave on a picnic without it.
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• I like the foaming hornet bomb the best. In a pinch, you can make an effective one using a pump up sprayer, water and dish detergent. I use this on red wasp nests, which get aggressive at times. Add enough of the later to make the water really slippery. A Tblspn in a gallon isn't enough! How much depends on how hard your water is. Now you have a whole gallon with plenty of pressure. It won't immediately kill them, but they will immediately drop to the ground en masse and remain there where you can step on them. They can't fly with water stuck to them: Their wings are ineffective and they are too heavy.
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[TWG1572]

My grandpa always used gasoline and a match to get rid of yellow jacket and bumblebee nests. I'm not as brave, and given my sensitivity to stings I try to stay as far away as possible. I found a product called Demon Max, which is cypermethrin. I wait till night, put it in a hose end sprayer and drench about a 10x10 area around the nest. I've seen a full kill in 1-2 days. No close contact necessary.

 

[fdcg27]

Thanks for all of the good suggestions.
The best might be for me to see an alergist, since while getting rid of a known nest is easy (it will also be fun in a retributive way), you get stung by little demons out of the nest you don't know is there.
I know that the little guys were merely defending their nest against what they perceived as an attack by some warm-blooded intruder, but all I was really doing was mowing the back yard and I could have done without what may have been a more life-threatening event than what I realized at the time.
Incidentally, the Tecumseh ran great through really tall, thick grass, the product of well above average rain this summer.
Oil used was Valvoline 4T 20W-50 syn, three bucks a quart on clearance with additional discount from AZ.
Thought you'd all want to know that

 

[Whitewolf]

I learned that Yellow Jackets are not just wasps when we moved into our then new property. Where I come from wasps sting sometimes, given enough provocation but that's it. Welcome! I was clearing some ivy that had invaded the lawn when a 'wasp' stung me. I swatted it and then the fun started. To cut a long story short they chased me until I managed to get into the house by which time we counted that I had been stung over 30 times. I still didn't know the seriousness until the folks at work told me how lucky I was. I got rid of them by pouring petrol (gasoline) down the hole and then lighting it.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572
My grandpa always used gasoline and a match to get rid of yellow jacket and bumblebee nests. I'm not as brave, and given my sensitivity to stings I try to stay as far away as possible. I found a product called Demon Max, which is cypermethrin. I wait till night, put it in a hose end sprayer and drench about a 10x10 area around the nest. I've seen a full kill in 1-2 days. No close contact necessary.



I've used gasoline, but no match, you don't need to light it.
After dark , know where the hole is and pour 1 cup gasoline in there. The vapors will work. The next day, check around to see if there is another entrance they are working out of and then if necessary hit both holes again.

 

[BRZED]

Animals that attack despite this meaning suicide are creepy. I just found out that I am not very reactive to wasp venom. Other than me cursing like a sailor nothing happened when I got stung in the fleshy pad below my thumb just an hour ago. A little welt is all. No numb tongue or Corellian fever.

 

[Whitewolf]

Guess what, we, or rather one of our dogs just got attacked this morning. He trod in the nest and out they came. They chased him and my wife back to the house and in the process he was stung several times (she was lucky). He seems ok now but he is still limping a bit. I think that I have taken care of them now.