Bee 🐝 or wasp

The pain and terror of a wasp attack




BERNARD SHAPIRO
Last updated 16:28, December 18 2017






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Anyone who's ever suffered a single wasp sting will know exactly how painful it can be. When they attack in numbers it can be life-threatening.



Our Taiwanese/Kiwi family had recently made the move from Christchurch into Banks Peninsula, welcomed by the local community with warmth, BBQs and humour.
Loving the mixture of native bush and tussock-land scenery, my wife and I took our two boys walking to open them up to the joys of life in the country.
Puffing up the powder-dry dirt road, trees craning their shadows on us as we passed, the chuckle of an invisible stream below; we were being orbited repeatedly by two little monsters aged 8 and 6 as they screamed and laughed along the track.


Our ageing spaniel Peppy was at heel, unfettered by any lead (she was well trained, stock-aware and worked as a possum dog on farms for years), looking up at us with the furry joy of a recently retired gun dog.

We clambered over a gate grown thick with kanuka and into a pine plantation for a blue view of the distant hills.
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The family photo - seconds before we had unexpected visitors.



Feeling hot, we stopped to give the boys a break and to take a quick photo on a steep, rocky slope under the shade of pines.
"What's going on with her?", my wife said. Her comment turned my head to my heels; our poor dog was completely surrounded by a buzzing dogfight of angry yellow wasps
"Run!", I shouted. "Run, uphill NOW!".
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Our very sore dog, Peppy, after the wasp attack.



My wife and the boys scrambled away, sending rocks tinkling and skipping behind them. I entered the boil and grabbed Peppy's collar, dragging her out of the trees. I threw her over a fence and into the tussock downhill.




Intense stabs of pain shot through my arms, shoulders, hair, face and neck like the prickle of sweat on a bad sunburn.
I set about striking at the dog all over with a shirt as tiny insect bodies came apart in her fur. I raked my boot across her body as if she was some kind of doormat while she whimpered in pain and fright.
Voices called out in the distance, some fool shouting at them to stay away and walk back while I dragged my poor dog downhill, swearing loudly and seeing red.
There was a field of tussock between me and the pines, I was no longer seeing the wasp cloud. I picked my dog up and flung her over my shoulders, as one last winged assassin plunged its tiny stiletto into my neck five or six times. I shrugged the villain into silence.
When we finally returned home, neck aching, our dog whimpering in a quiet corner. The fever, pain and anger made me irritable and short with my words. I was stung more than 40 times that day.
I looked down as my spaniel, waiting at heel, snorted and looked up at me typing; Two little monsters aged 9 and 7 wanting me to help them build a hut in the bush.
I clicked the 'submit' button.
- Stuff Nation

They are attracted to the front of the Camry. I reckon it's the dead insects.

Don't anger them or they'll attack you. They are aggressive.

Wasp powder in the cool of the evening sounds the way to go Mr. Chops.

Have had to deal with a couple of nest of these wasps. One was the hole in the ground. The other was in the wall of the house. That one I drilled a small hole and emptied a bug bomb through the hole. Boy that wall hummed for a bit. My dad used to encounter Sirex wasps when cutting down pine trees. European wasps are tame in comparison. Dad apparently could put on a good turn of speed when he encountered a nest after cutting a pine tree down. For some unfathomable reason the wasps where not amused after crashing to the ground from a great height. [biggrin]
Cheers Hall

Best wasp poison for nests in the ground is a litre of two stroke ( must be two stroke not straight petrol ) the fumes last longer. Then cover the hole with dirt, has worked every time and is cheap and easy.
Must be done at night and don't shine the torch directly onto the guard wasps.

We bring our dog feed bowl inside if the wasps are around. Last year the poor dog must have tried to bite one and got stung in the mouth several times. It took her a day to recover.

We also have the wasps hanging around the fruit trees for the pears and apples.

Ian
Bittern

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ranga

We saw heaps of them around the high country also. They swarmed around my radiator, even though we were pretty close to the Mitta Mitta River. Reckon they might have been attracted to other dead insects on the radiator.

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Yep they love the dead insects on the front of a vehicle.

Well, that sucks somewhat.

Put the powder in the hole a week ago, went to clean it all up today,, remove the dirt etc that I used to cover it all up, and then clean it all down with the pressure washer.
Next thing, I see this wasp making its way on the concrete. So, with a bit of an inspection of the area, I see a few more poke their heads out, a couple managed to fly away, but I got most of them,,, sprayed a bit more powder around and covered it all up again. :bat:

So, I have a question for the brainiacs out there that have maybe dealt with these before. How long does it take for these suckers to die, and is there a better way?
Being underneath a false floor (about 10'x 10'), its a bit hard to just leave it and say cover it up. The original plan was to rip this floor and pond out all together,, which is what I need to do, as its deteriorating quite rapidly now.
Can't rent the place out and have this here, so it has to go.

I've never had them last more than a few days. Is there another way in that you've missed? How must dust did you use?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by theelms66

If using a torch make sure you cover the light with RED celphane otherwise they will bolt out and attack the torch and you

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X10

There was a story in the paper maybe 10 years back of a bloke riding his horse in the VHC. Horse kicked a nest. Wasps attacked. Bloke ran ( don't blame him ). Bloke came back later. Horse dead.

I got stung 4 times when moving some firewood. Came up in orange sized lumps. Doc said STAY AWAY from them. I now have an EpiPen.

Call the pros.

Diesel down the hole also works. It’s oily so gets on to them. The smell also kills them. Fill a small soft drink bottle, upend it into the hole and leave it there to block the hole. Probably the same as two stroke. Just don’t use straight petrol unless that’s all you have.