[quote]Renton wrote:
Looks like BigRagoo was spot on with suggesting an Asian Hornet.
Here’s another pic.
Still agree with belligerent - Fuck. That.[/quote]
See? Proof that God doesn’t exist.
Ragoo,
I’ve seen some giant looking hornets (1.5" to 2" in length) in northern VA. I’ve only seen them solitary so I just assumed, in my ignorance, they were queens. Any idea what I saw?
Btw, I steered clear. I’ve been stung enough in my life by f-ing normal sized hornets and yellow jackets and wasps, etc.
DB
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_hornets.shtml
I ended up in the hospital after accidentaly brushcutting one of these nests open. I thought I burst into flames from the gas tank of the brushcutter. They had built it in the twigs of a wild rose bush that was growing in a complex I was a groundskeeper on. The rest of the crew just thought I went nuts until they noticed the dark swarming cloud around me. All told, I ended up with to many sting sites to count, and too many stings per site.
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_hornets.shtml
I ended up in the hospital after accidentaly brushcutting one of these nests open. I thought I burst into flames from the gas tank of the brushcutter. They had built it in the twigs of a wild rose bush that was growing in a complex I was a groundskeeper on. The rest of the crew just thought I went nuts until they noticed the dark swarming cloud around me. All told, I ended up with to many sting sites to count, and too many stings per site.
[/quote]
Damn that doesn’t sound pretty.
I’ve been chased by a huge swarm of bees at school in SA after a bunch of us aggravate a nest of them - luckily they gave up about 500m down the field.
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_hornets.shtml
I ended up in the hospital after accidentaly brushcutting one of these nests open. I thought I burst into flames from the gas tank of the brushcutter. They had built it in the twigs of a wild rose bush that was growing in a complex I was a groundskeeper on. The rest of the crew just thought I went nuts until they noticed the dark swarming cloud around me. All told, I ended up with to many sting sites to count, and too many stings per site.
[/quote]
Those are the most aggressive beasts I have come across. I’ve been stung by those m-fers just for looking at them sideways. Come within 10 ft of them and they will chase you. Few things are as satisfying and simultaneously scary as putting one of their nests in a bucket of gasoline at night, cutting the branch and covering it with a piece of plywood. It is truly a kill or be killed moment.
DB
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
SkyzykS wrote:
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_hornets.shtml
I ended up in the hospital after accidentaly brushcutting one of these nests open. I thought I burst into flames from the gas tank of the brushcutter. They had built it in the twigs of a wild rose bush that was growing in a complex I was a groundskeeper on. The rest of the crew just thought I went nuts until they noticed the dark swarming cloud around me. All told, I ended up with to many sting sites to count, and too many stings per site.
Those are the most aggressive beasts I have come across. I’ve been stung by those m-fers just for looking at them sideways. Come within 10 ft of them and they will chase you. Few things are as satisfying and simultaneously scary as putting one of their nests in a bucket of gasoline at night, cutting the branch and covering it with a piece of plywood. It is truly a kill or be killed moment.
DB[/quote]
Yup. Fortunately for me there was a hospital close by. I came out on the losing end of that encounter, but it didn’t end as badly as it could have.
The pain from those little bastards is extrordinary.
This thread is just proving to me that I should never leave the UK again.
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_hornets.shtml
I ended up in the hospital after accidentaly brushcutting one of these nests open. I thought I burst into flames from the gas tank of the brushcutter. They had built it in the twigs of a wild rose bush that was growing in a complex I was a groundskeeper on. The rest of the crew just thought I went nuts until they noticed the dark swarming cloud around me. All told, I ended up with to many sting sites to count, and too many stings per site.
[/quote]
Bald faced hornets get pissed easily if you even get too near the nest. They aint nice when it’s time to sting. You’re pretty lucky you didn’t get sick from so many stings. Those bastards are tenacious.
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
Ragoo,
I’ve seen some giant looking hornets (1.5" to 2" in length) in northern VA. I’ve only seen them solitary so I just assumed, in my ignorance, they were queens. Any idea what I saw?
Btw, I steered clear. I’ve been stung enough in my life by f-ing normal sized hornets and yellow jackets and wasps, etc.
DB[/quote]
Was it this guy? This is a cicada killer. Solitary nester. Likes loose soil with little grass.
[quote]BigRagoo wrote:
Bald faced hornets get pissed easily if you even get too near the nest. They aint nice when it’s time to sting. You’re pretty lucky you didn’t get sick from so many stings. Those bastards are tenacious.[/quote]
I was laid up for about 3 days. Just a very generaly bad fluish feeling. That was also after having gotten a big shot of cortico-steroids of some sort and a litre of fliuds.
When I did landscaping and tree work I was stung a lot, both often and numerous. I’ve also had some infection and necrosis develope after other stings. I guess some bees have bacteria that live on their stinger or in the venom sac and when they sting it is like a direct injection. Those suck just as bad as the sting.
I’ve developed an allergy to Wasps/Hornets. I don’t get sick, but if I get stung on the hand my whole arm swells up. The itching I get is truly intolerable.
[quote]BigRagoo wrote:
dollarbill44 wrote:
Ragoo,
I’ve seen some giant looking hornets (1.5" to 2" in length) in northern VA. I’ve only seen them solitary so I just assumed, in my ignorance, they were queens. Any idea what I saw?
Btw, I steered clear. I’ve been stung enough in my life by f-ing normal sized hornets and yellow jackets and wasps, etc.
DB
Was it this guy? This is a cicada killer. Solitary nester. Likes loose soil with little grass.[/quote]
Ding ding ding.
DB
Tarantula Hawk
[quote]Grimnuruk wrote:
Tarantula Hawk[/quote]
Now this bad lady is truly a work of art. She is a huge solitary nester that packs a mean punch. I had said earlier that wasps that hunt prey with their stings don’t hurt and irritate as much as colony wasps, but she is an exception. Reports from stings of this giant are severe pain and swelling. I guess it’s the combo of being a large wasp that injects more venom per sting than the smaller ones, and it’s venom is stronger due to the fact that she hunts the largest of the spider species. Beautiful wasp none the less.
Oh, she, like most other solitary nesters aren’t very aggressive. You can peacefully observe them as they go about their daily routine. Just don’t deliberately mess with them. And by that I mean physically touching them aggressively.
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
BigRagoo wrote:
dollarbill44 wrote:
Ragoo,
I’ve seen some giant looking hornets (1.5" to 2" in length) in northern VA. I’ve only seen them solitary so I just assumed, in my ignorance, they were queens. Any idea what I saw?
Btw, I steered clear. I’ve been stung enough in my life by f-ing normal sized hornets and yellow jackets and wasps, etc.
DB
Was it this guy? This is a cicada killer. Solitary nester. Likes loose soil with little grass.
Ding ding ding.
DB[/quote]
Yes, these are large hornets, like the Asian. These can be found buzzing the ground in search of nesting site and in the limbs of trees looking for cicadas. They exclusively prey on cicadas, which is for their larva. They bring the cicada to the established nesting hole, drag it underground, lay her egg, cover and leave.
A really docile hornet despite it’s intimidating size and look. They are really active druing the months of August and September, as this is the peak season of cicadas.
It’s also reproted that the sting from this lady isn’t as bad as imagined. Sure it hurts, but it’s been compared to a bumblebee.
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
BigRagoo wrote:
Bald faced hornets get pissed easily if you even get too near the nest. They aint nice when it’s time to sting. You’re pretty lucky you didn’t get sick from so many stings. Those bastards are tenacious.
I was laid up for about 3 days. Just a very generaly bad fluish feeling. That was also after having gotten a big shot of cortico-steroids of some sort and a litre of fliuds.
When I did landscaping and tree work I was stung a lot, both often and numerous. I’ve also had some infection and necrosis develope after other stings. I guess some bees have bacteria that live on their stinger or in the venom sac and when they sting it is like a direct injection. Those suck just as bad as the sting.
[/quote]
Man that sucks. And yes, bacteria can be present on stingers, which can be inserted into the wound. It adds insult to injury, ahaha.
Btw, just fyi I have been stung numerous occasions by: paper wasps, bumble bees, honey bees, yellow jackets, and a potter wasp.
The majority of stings I suffered were from the paper wasps, mainly from accidently disturbing nests. As far as the most painful, I think the bumble bee hurts more. The sting doesn’t just swell and burn, it also throbs and sends the pain radiating down the nerves surrounding it.
Wow Ragoo, you really know your shit when it comes to vermin. What gives?
[quote]Blood is Metal wrote:
Wow Ragoo, you really know your shit when it comes to vermin. What gives?[/quote]
Studying, identifying, and even collecting insects and
arachnids have been a fascination since childhood. (Birds and reptiles are also high on my interests, but I don’t collect those, I watch and identify those.) And I made my college studies in this, for the most part. I loved invertebrate zoology.
Here’s a fav of mine. The red velvet ant, or aka, “cow killer”. It’s acutally a hairy wingless wasp. It has a long sting, and from what I’ve heard people say, it’s sting is very painful.