Last week, we were working on a project in Florence county whereby we were removing trees from off of a ditch bank to reconfigure the landowners yard after they purchased the contiguous land.
The ditch was a little less than a 1000’ in length and our goal was to incorporate this ditch into the yard (cover it up) and reroute the drainage. They presently have a beautiful yard and this redesign would square off the property and put the finishing touches on their treasured landscape.
Well, we worked the field side of the ditch first, cleaning out the invert of the drainage and then removed the smaller hardwoods littered along the bank before we moved to the other side.
The way the ditch was shaped, it had all of the pines on the yard side which was higher in elevation. About the third tree I pushed over, I felt that fiery needle on my arm from that venomous sting and knew immediately what it was.
I backed the trackhoe up and got away from them since I had the door open.
I looked at the base of that tree and saw thousands swarming, looking for what had disturbed them. Cold chills ran up my back after seeing them swarm, because even though I am not allergic to them, the possibility of their numerous stings and its effect could be life threatening.
So, we let them calm down and moved farther down the ditch to continue working.
Lo and behold, we got into another nest as large or larger farther down the ditch.
They attacked us again, and yes, more stings. It was very frustrating, because we are on a tight schedule especially since that storm was coming our way
In my 35 plus years of working in the woods, I can count on two hands how many times I have been stung – God has certainly protected me from them – I can’t think otherwise.
Here are a few things I have learned over my years about these mini monsters and I want to pass them on to you.
First off, late summer to early fall seems to be the time of the year they are most aggressive.
Apparently, their palate turns from protein to sweets and they are scavenging for food – so they are very active and ticked off because they will light you up if you disturb them in their quest for groceries.
Unfortunately, they are usually found right close to where we work and play.
They are usually found in a burrow from rodents or in the hollow of a stump, but can be found between walls and yes, the eaves of your house. Wherever it is easiest for them to make a nest.
Homeowners and landscapers beware: they love flower beds. With you leaning down working these fall beds, you are in close proximity to their domain and they will cover you before you know it causing extreme pain and sometimes worse.
In the event you are allergic, I would hope that you would have your EpiPen with you at all times, because if you got stung by these scoundrels, you could have some truly adverse effects other than the pain of the sting site.
By the way, they can sting you multiple times, unlike a honey bee who loses their stinger in the immediate wound.
The venom from the sting can cause pain, swelling, and itching. But worse, anaphylactic symptoms can occur.
They range from dizziness, hives, and vomiting but the worst part, these symptoms can cause death from the trouble you would have breathing and/or swallowing.
In this event, if these latter symptoms occur and you don’t have an EpiPen at your disposal to administer immediate relief, call 911 immediately and get someone to come to the victim. The outcome could be tragic if you didn’t.
The takeaway is this: be careful.
We come within feet and inches of things that can harm us – both natural and man made everyday.
From a natural standpoint, however, make yourself aware of all the pitfalls that coincide with your environment.
Don’t be afraid of nature. Embrace it, enjoy it, but be knowledgeable and alert of what you may come in contact with. It could be the difference between life and death.
May God bless You!
