Too Many Wasps
Elder User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 544
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geez flash, im so sorry to hear about your dad, you can be sure that your story is a lesson to me and will be to everyone i know. and you can bet i'll be buying some benadryl on my next trip to the store. i wonder how many of us dont think about that when packing for a camping or fishing trip. thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 717
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Yup, gotta have Benadryl or its ilk. My brother went hiking with a friend and they put Deet on. Well, the friend had a reaction and they had to sit for a couple hours while they waited for it to wear off. Luckily it did and now they carry Benadryl with them. I,and a nurse, told em they need an Epi-pen, just in case, but ya needs a Rx for that.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 431
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From: Midwest
Given the location was probably the cause of the reaction. A sting elsewhere on the body may not have had an effect as stated. But what you need to remember is the neck has two major arteries. So a sting that close the toxin could have been pumped directly into the heart or brain. Also what may have not been noticed as an allergic reaction somewhere else on the body may have caused a severe case of anaphalactic shock that close to the airway. IF in the right location it does not take much swelling at all to oclude the airway. Your windpipe is approximately the size of your pinky finger.
T. Roberts
UFD Local 1147
T. Roberts
UFD Local 1147
Banned
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,457
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From: Grande Prairie, AB
Make a look- a- like nest. Eg, use newspaper and stuff it full of newspaper or what not and hang it somewhere you spend alot of time. Seems to work, in many cases.
Wasps are terrible this year, cant eat outside without a thousand flying around you. Im allergic to them aswell. Sorry about your Dad Flash, thanks for sharing that.
Wasps are terrible this year, cant eat outside without a thousand flying around you. Im allergic to them aswell. Sorry about your Dad Flash, thanks for sharing that.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 807
Likes: 1
From: Idaho
Flash, I know exactly what your deal is. When I was 10, I got stung and almost died. I went in the house and was lying on the couch, I was feeling really bad. My father just happened to walk by and saw me, chucked me in the car and down to the doctor's, his friend. Luckily, he was home and gave me a shot of something. I've been stung lots of times since, but never had that reaction. The doc said I probably would have been dead within a half hour. Now, it's me against the wasps, bees and hornets. The wasp spray is very effective at night, when they don't want to fly. But, being the mean, vengeful, nasty, well you get the idea...... I prefer brake cleaner or WD and a lighter. By the way, wasps are very closely related to ants. Funny, I named my boat HORNET. 
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,371
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From: just outside of Phila.
I agree with all of the people saying auto cleaners. You more than likely have some in your garage too, this is an automotive forum. STP foaming engine cleaner has always worked for me, for all viscious flying bugs...very quickly too. I also agree with mil1on's idea of the trap. It's natural for them to fly in, but not be able to get out. Get one of everything on this board since there's so many wasps and so any options...then tell us the resuts.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 21
At work we had problems with them getting onto rooftop disconnect and electrical boxes, and stinging us when we shut the power off or went in them. We put one mothball in the box, no more wasp. Only put one mothball in a box as the stuff is slightly corrosive and don't put them in boxes that are sealed with gaskets.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: Tally-ho
I GOT LIT UP BY 30 YELLOW JACKETS YESTERDAY EVENING! started up the mower behind the shed.....1 or 2 came out of ground- thought nothing of it...10 secs later im in a swarm and now i have probably developed an addiction to benadryl. better believe i came back there is a 10Gal bucket of 87 octane. no more bees
Siyé
Siyé
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 796
Likes: 1
From: KCMO
Yellowjackets
Had a bunch of them yellow jacket hornets move into a hole in my back yard, and they would attack my boy and I whenever we would mow the grass. Finally, after finding their main entrance, I made a jumper for the seat switch on my riding mower, drove it right over the top of their hole and dropped the deck, and just let it sit there running for about an hour. The noise and vibration would really pi - agitate them, and they would fly out full speed into the blade, which dispersed their body parts in a wide arc across my backyard. I almost wish they would come back, so I could do it again and film it.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 3
From: So Cal
You can develop an allergy to wasps, ie you can get stung plenty of times and nothing happens. Then next time, wham.
I found a surprise wasp killer that is also good for most of the woodwork on your house.
I discovered that Thompson Water Seal will knock down wasps so fast they don't fly even a few inches, they just drop like flies. I used one of those airless sprayer backpack units, that has a hose and the spray head, I forget the brand but you probably have seen them, make a loud buzzing noise when you pull the trigger. I mention using the backpack model since you have less risk of tilting the sprayer too far and loosing the spray just when you need it. I guess the one with spray bottle will work as long as it isn't tilted too much.
I was spraying under the eaves of a shed of mine to water proof for the winter. When all of a sudden a bunch of little black ***** fell out from underneath. They were wasps that were totally incapacitated and dead within a few seconds. And the shed was water proofed to boot.
May be worth a try. It worked great on those black and yellow striped paper wasps.
Jim Henderson
I found a surprise wasp killer that is also good for most of the woodwork on your house.
I discovered that Thompson Water Seal will knock down wasps so fast they don't fly even a few inches, they just drop like flies. I used one of those airless sprayer backpack units, that has a hose and the spray head, I forget the brand but you probably have seen them, make a loud buzzing noise when you pull the trigger. I mention using the backpack model since you have less risk of tilting the sprayer too far and loosing the spray just when you need it. I guess the one with spray bottle will work as long as it isn't tilted too much.
I was spraying under the eaves of a shed of mine to water proof for the winter. When all of a sudden a bunch of little black ***** fell out from underneath. They were wasps that were totally incapacitated and dead within a few seconds. And the shed was water proofed to boot.
May be worth a try. It worked great on those black and yellow striped paper wasps.
Jim Henderson
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,420
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From: Langhorne, PA
I am sensing alot of negative waves here, I think these critters are universally hated. This week, two of my co-workers went to the hospital for one and three stings, respectively. I have been seeing alot of yellowjackets lately, I haven't been stung for a long time, and If I do get stung I probably will not want to go to the hospital. So....
What kind of Benadryl do I need to keep with me??? Some kind of pill or is it a lotion or what?? I drive a truck and can't afford to be stuck somewhere unable to get the rig home.
What kind of Benadryl do I need to keep with me??? Some kind of pill or is it a lotion or what?? I drive a truck and can't afford to be stuck somewhere unable to get the rig home.