Just Got a Wasp Sting (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

I was out starting the gas grill when a couple wasps stung me at the same time. One on my right calf and one on my right arm. The one on my arm really got my attention. They’ve apparently built a nest in the fireplace vent on the side of our house. I was allergic to bee stings as a child but perhaps I’ve grown out of that. There’s only a tiny bit of swelling but there is some ongoing irritation. I went to Walmart and picked up some wasp killer and this gel that has Benadryl in it. That helps a little.

I don’t remember my last sting if it wasn’t my childhood sting in which I really swelled up. Anyway, I’m ok.

The wasps are dead but I felt guilty spraying them with the stuff.

 

[Clinton McClure]

When I was a kid I helped my grandpa haul cattle from farms to the livestock auction where my job was to hose out the cattle trailers. Anyway, there were plenty of wasps around the livestock barns during the summer and I got stung several times a year. I remember my grandpa spitting tobacco juice on the sting and it helped a ton. While it’s pretty gross, it’s effective as long as you’re not allergic to the sting.

 

[Johnny Angell]

When I was a kid I helped my grandpa haul cattle from farms to the livestock auction where my job was to hose out the cattle trailers. Anyway, there were plenty of wasps around the livestock barns during the summer and I got stung several times a year. I remember my grandpa spitting tobacco juice on the sting and it helped a ton. While it’s pretty gross, it’s effective as long as you’re not allergic to the sting.

That is a vice I don’t plan on starting. Thanks for the idea.

 

[David Norman]

None of these treat or prevent allergic reactions, but are among about 1000 home remedies that have been reported actual help with the local discomfort.

Many of these have really been shown to be a bit more placebo than effective, but if it works for you it really doesn't matter

Vinegar works pretty well on Wasp stings -- less useful on classic honeybee sting.
Baking soda/Water in theory works better on honeybee whose venom is already acidic (wasp much more alkaline)
Fresh garlic 'juice' is a classic in some places

Tobacco -- I think the idea tends to be that the nicotine is a bit of an anesthetic
Same idea with a paste with a dissolved aspirin tablet.

I've heard Adolph Meat tenderized which supposedly dissolves the actual protein in the venom though it's unlikely that it penetrates deep enough to really do a lot of good.

 

[BobO'Link]

I'll vouch for a tobacco poultice - take some tobacco, put it in a tissue, fold it up inside keeping one side with a single layer of tissue, wet it (not too wet but not too dry), put the single layer side over the sing area. The few times I've been stung in the past 20-30 years that's worked great to practically eliminate any swelling or pain. I've also been fortunate to have a smoker around when those happened (I quit smoking just over 40 years ago). If I got stung more often I'd likely pick up a tin of Prince Albert for those occasions.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Be thankful they were wasps and not yellowjackets. Those things are down right mean and will sting you just for being in their way while flying.

 

[BobO'Link]

Be thankful they were wasps and not yellowjackets. Those things are down right mean and will sting you just for being in their way while flying.

This... When I was ~10 I climbed a short wooden gate going into the school yard. It had a yellowjacket nest under the top that I didn't see. Those things hit me on the legs as I was going over and followed me the half block to my house slamming into my back the entire way (and I was running as fast as I could). Fortunately I only got 5 or 6 stings, mostly on my legs, but they really hurt. I didn't climb that fence again during wasp season (and it wasn't needed to get onto the school grounds - it was just a cool swinging gate across the gravel drive way and fun to climb on).

 

[Todd Erwin]

This... When I was ~10 I climbed a short wooden gate going into the school yard. It had a yellowjacket nest under the top that I didn't see. Those things hit me on the legs as I was going over and followed me the half block to my house slamming into my back the entire way (and I was running as fast as I could). Fortunately I only got 5 or 6 stings, mostly on my legs, but they really hurt. I didn't climb that fence again during wasp season (and it wasn't needed to get onto the school grounds - it was just a cool swinging gate across the gravel drive way and fun to climb on).

For me, it was a dock on a lake and I didn't see that several were flying back and forth across the dock. I was around the same age as you, 10. My Dad saw that I was being attacked and told me to jump in the water, which I did. I managed to walk away with a few bites on my right ear.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Be thankful they were wasps and not yellowjackets. Those things are down right mean and will sting you just for being in their way while flying.

Man, I got stung by a yellowjacket the other day (the first bee sting of any kind in MANY years) as I was buckling one of the granddaughters into a car seat.

Holy Sh&t I could not believe how much that hurt! It got me right under my right shoulderblade and was painful for four or five days and still makes itself known to me now a couple weeks later! The area surrounding the sting got really hard.

I went and got some post-bite ointment (called "After Bite) at the local pharmacy to put on it. It had some aloe in it. The only active ingredient is baking soda.

When I was a boy of about 10 or 12, I was mowing my grandparent's lawn (next door) and ran it over an in-ground nest of some yellow-jackets. When I realized the swarm around me I ran off leaving the mower running and directly over the nest! I ran into our own yard where my dad happened to be. He grabbed me and dragged me in the house and pushed me under the shower until he was able to manage to make me safe. Ouch! I got several stings.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I never got stung like that, I mean multiple times. My father did when he was clipping the hedges in front of our house. I mean, he got really nailed, I can still remember the bumps on his face and arms. It pissed him off so much that he waited until it got almost dark and poured gasoline over those hedges and lit them on fire. The next weekend, he uprooted what was left and planted some new ones. My mother wasn't happy about it.

 

[Clinton McClure]

My brother got into a nest of yellow jackets while mowing a neighbor’s lawn when we were kids. He ended up in the hospital for a couple days with an allergic reaction.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Where I live now in Michigan, I hardly see any bumble bees, you know the black and yellow ones. When I was a kid in Connecticut, they were plenty of them always around flowers and such. I wonder if mankind destroyed them too with our pesticides? This summer I have seen fewer wasps, hornets and yellow jackets. We had a rough winter so I wonder if that played into it?

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I don't see nearly as many bumblebees now as I did when I was younger.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Where I live now in Michigan, I hardly see any bumble bees, you know the black and yellow ones. When I was a kid in Connecticut, they were plenty of them always around flowers and such. I wonder if mankind destroyed them too with our pesticides? This summer I have seen fewer wasps, hornets and yellow jackets. We had a rough winter so I wonder if that played into it?

I don't see nearly as many bumblebees now as I did when I was younger.

I think they all migrated to Arkansas. We’re lousy with wasps and bees.

 

[The Drifter]

Re: a wasp/bee sting, agree completely with the the baking soda paste suggestion re: helping with the pain/keeping the swelling down. Just get some baking soda & mix this up with a small amount of water until it's reasonably thick - then, apply this to the area. This has really helped me in the past.

I hate wasps & bees. I've gotten stung multiple times over the years. Where I currently live, each summer I have to watch out for nests forming around my place - though thankfully it doesn't seem to be as bad now as in the past.

I used to have a large bush (that was an eyesore) in the back of my place. This became a haven for wasps/bees - I suspect they were attracted to the wood; what was especially terrible would be how they would "hide" in the leaves/branches, then come out when you least expected this - dangerous. I hated the sight of this & hated the wasps/bees - so got rid of them, and eventually cut it down. This also went a long way towards decreasing the amount of bees/wasps in my area.

My opinion is that if you have a lot of wasps/bees around, they're congregating somewhere close by - typically in a nest.

I understand the benefit that bees provide (i.e., making honey) but if all wasps became eradicated I would be happy about this.

 

[usrunnr]

I swear by benedryl orally to reduce swelling and cortisone locally to relieve pain.

 

[bmasters9]

I understand the benefit that bees provide (i.e., making honey) but if all wasps became eradicated I would be happy about this.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Scott Strang]

I saw a couple sting kits on those Coyotte Peterson Brave Wilderness shows. They come in little crushable tubes.

 

[bmasters9]

Be thankful they were wasps and not yellowjackets. Those things are down right mean and will sting you just for being in their way while flying.

So if you're in their flight path, jackets will hit you, regardless of provocation or lack thereof?

 

[BobO'Link]

So if you're in their flight path, jackets will hit you, regardless of provocation or lack thereof?

They will sting when they feel that their security is jeopardized, are very protective of their nest, and will sting if you approach their nest. It is not uncommon for them to sting even if they are not attacked, for no apparent reason. If they decide you're a threat they'll follow you for some distance before giving up and they can fly fairly fast (up to 30mph). Their stinger is also smooth so they can, and will, sting several times.