ITS WAR

[Littlemarten]

It took me over 40 years to get over my fear of them from that early childhood experience. After a lot of trying, I now have something more like respect. If one appears interested in me, I simply say, "Go away, sister, there is nothing here you want or need." Though sometimes I have to repeat myself, it generally works. If they appear agitated, I figure I'm near a nest, and slowly move away. I swear they can sense emotion. "Fear" means a threat to them. Calm consideration means no threat. I suspect that's how bee keepers do it. But I'll never keep bees—not going to push it!

 

[Littlemarten]

Nothing worse than diving into a placid lake, feel the rush of calming cool water as you glide below the surface, only to come up and have one of those tormentors land on your head.

How I hate biting flies! Sitting in a canoe, fishing, wearing water shoes, and they go after my ankles. Any fishing trip when I catch no fish but kill two or more of those biting @!@#$^&%! is a successful trip!

 

[128mm Tank Killer]

... which brings to mind those blasted deerflies, land on your head and leave with a half-pound of flesh.

Nothing worse than diving into a placid lake, feel the rush of calming cool water as you glide below the surface, only to come up and have one of those tormentors land on your head.

A deerfly bit me about ten years ago on the leg...ended up overnight in the hospital taking in IV antibiotics. Not fun.

 

[BOATMAN]

A deerfly bit me about ten years ago on the leg...ended up overnight in the hospital taking in IV antibiotics. Not fun.

DID YOUR LEG all swell up as i had a bleeder bite my leg an it swell up an i could hardly walk on it so painfull an hate bugs exceptin for bees an butterflys
chrisb

 

[kevin]

Here on coastal Massachusetts in the marshy areas we got horseflies ( green heads ) got a wicked bite and leaves a substantial welt for days. You can't just show them away, they'll keep coming after you. I get more satisfaction killing one of them than any other insect.

 

[128mm Tank Killer]

DID YOUR LEG all swell up as i had a bleeder bite my leg an it swell up an i could hardly walk on it so painfull an hate bugs exceptin for bees an butterflys
chrisb

No, it didn't. But...my leg turned red (infection) and was slowly creeping up from the bite. A resident asked if she could use a marker on my leg to ascertain the progress of the infection after i was receiving antibiotics. The redness did not progress any further and I was released the next afternoon. Don't want that to ever happen again.

 

[Edbert]

I've heard of and been bitten by a horsefly, is a deerfly the same thing?

 

[BarleyBop]

... I have seen both, horse fly is bigger, and apparently the bite more painful.

But in this area (outside of the city), deerflies seem to be more common, and annoying. You know its July when you see these delta winged tormentors circling your head, midday, looking for blood. An open meadow, or close to lakeshore on the water seem to be favourite haunts.

 

[Edbert]

Thanks, it is always a bit hard to discern when colloquialisms come into play. I'm from Texas, we get a lot of nicknames for things, like the aforementioned "yellow jackets" which are not.

 

[Littlemarten]

But in this area (outside of the city), deerflies seem to be more common, and annoying. You know its July when you see these delta winged tormentors circling your head, midday, looking for blood. An open meadow, or close to lakeshore on the water seem to be favourite haunts.

I dream of 1/72 and 1/48 scale fully functional antiaircraft batteries.

 

[Rimmer]

Since moving to North Wales I've seen many an infestation of horrid little buzzing creatures that ruin the local area - they're called 'Tourists' apparently. I've tried spraying them and hitting them with Badminton Rackets but nothing's worked yet.

 

[Edbert]

Since moving to North Wales I've seen many an infestation of horrid little buzzing creatures that ruin the local area - they're called 'Tourists' apparently.

We have those in Texas too, stay away from the tourist sites and you do not see many of them. The problems we have with invasive species are the ones who move in and stay. We call them Californians, Chicagoans, and New Yorkers; I hear those in Florida suffer as much or more from this.

 

[martin9428]

yes its WAR as i havnt been in my shed for a week or two but went in yesterday an got stung on my arm by a bleedin great wasp an i looked around where it was an there it was building it paper nest up in the roof as the shed is all wood so got the wasp killer out an give it a good sprayin an later knocked down the nest just as well i went in there to yesterday or there would have been loads of them an i would have been kicked out of my shed AARRGGHH ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS PROBLEM ?
CHRISB

I have gotten stung a number of times reaching up to unlatch the shed door . Right now it's was with earwigs, next will be stink bugs and the Asian beetles. Once the drier weather arrives, most of these will disappear.

 

[pengbuzz]

If you have to spray hornets, bees or wasps, spray them at night. They are more dormant at that point and most of them are inside the nest.

 

[BOATMAN]

THANKS GUYS for the info as yes its no fun bein kicked out of your shed by insects that sting esp when they really have a foothold an their is thousands of them an if enough stings in you can put you in hospital an we dont want that do we
chrisb

 

[martin9428]

I remember one November while deer hunting from a wooden blind and as the sun was coming up and warming the inside of the blind, I started by seeing one hornet which I killed, then another. I had a couple land on me. I started thinking, what the heck? I happen to look up and there must have been five or six nest above me and as it started to warm up, the hornets started to get active and were falling out of the nest. Mind you, they were less than two feet above my head. I could no longer hunt effectively from the blind and ended up going back to the lodge.

 

[Edbert]

We've made a habit out of checking the hunting blinds before the season starts and sometimes on Friday night upon arriving at the property BEFORE going out the next morning.

We've had wasps before, but also Black Widows which can hospitalize a man. Worst I've ever seen is a rattlesnake in a ground blind or an Owl in a tower stand. The owl was both cool and disgusting, I did not know at the time but they swallow a lot of prey whole, and then barf up the skeletons/hides later. Saw entire creatures remains, rats, lizards, crayfish and even squirrel skulls in that horror show. But I could imagine climbing the ladder in the dark with a rifle on the shoulder only to have the owl fly out towards you unexpectedly. !!!

 

[BOATMAN]

I remember one November while deer hunting from a wooden blind and as the sun was coming up and warming the inside of the blind, I started by seeing one hornet which I killed, then another. I had a couple land on me. I started thinking, what the heck? I happen to look up and there must have been five or six nest above me and as it started to warm up, the hornets started to get active and were falling out of the nest. Mind you, they were less than two feet above my head. I could no longer hunt effectively from the blind and ended up going back to the lodge.

WOW id have been terrified as now when i enter my shed i always look around to see if any sqautter are in there buildings a nest as we now have very hot wheather in the uk
chrisb

 

[stevethefish]

There's a YouTube channel I came across of an exterminator in America who shows how he destroys wasps and hornets and their nests. He shows different ways of dealing with infestations. Interesting for a short while, at least.

 

[BarleyBop]

"Go away, sister, there is nothing here you want or need."

Ha, as kids we played for hours in the fields behind our house... when a bee came round, we'd stand still and repeat the mantra: "bread and butter, bread and butter, bread..."
Apparently that was to keep them from stinging; don't know if that was just an Ottawa thing.

More recently, I was spared the trouble of getting rid of ground bees which had settled into a pile of sod beside the house after setting up a vegetable patch. They have a vicious rep. The night I chose to attack, I found the sod scattered with bits of nest and honeycomb. Later I found out that skunks just love eating bees!