The exterminator came over today.

[LuckyCharms]

To deliver the death blow to my in-ground wasp nest.

I'm was pretty sure I got the whole nest after they stung the piss out of me the other day, but today I saw this one that was flying kinda fucked up like near the hole in the ground.

I was going to dust it myself this weekend just to make sure the nest was wiped out...ordered a duster and insecticide dust from Amazon. However, I had such a bad allergic reaction from the stings, I decided that would not be wise.

The guy who came here is a nice fella. He wore his mask and I talked to him out the window as he dusted and sprayed. He explained to me how the wasp venom moves through your body, and that the amount of time it can take for the swelling to clear varies widely from person to person. He also said that he would not use an Epi-pen unless he felt himself to be really in dire straits. He said it could cause a heart attack. I'm going to research this tonight. I was going to ask my health provider if she could write me a script for one...

I've been brutally ill the past few days from those stings, and I prefer not to go through this again.

The end.

[soothsayer]

1. Yikes! Hang in there

[LuckyCharms]

3. Thanks, soothsayer...

I actually started crying yesterday.

At least I wasn't 3 stories up on a ladder. The exterminator was one time when he was doing a job, and got 8 hornet stings on his head. He had to get down the ladder and run to his truck. They chased him.

I've taken care of probably 20 nests in my life without getting stung, but never an in-ground one like this time. I first hit the hole with spray, and then flushed it with detergent. I happened to step on one of the dead ones when I was doing the detergent. I learned that with yellow jackets, that crushed one lets off some kind of scent or something that tells the other ones to come and kill you.

[cayugafalls]

2. I hope you feel better soon.

Sorry to hear you had such a bad reaction.

Get well...

[LuckyCharms]

4. Thanks cayugafalls.

[Phoenix61]

5. Good call getting someone else to do that.

I knew a family many years ago. The little boy was playing with a bow and arrow and shot an arrows into a ground nest. He started screaming and his mom ran out to get him. They got her really bad and she had a bad reaction. Put her in a coma for many, many years before she finally died. I’d definitely talk to your doc. I don’t know if they can do an allergy test for wasp venom.

[LuckyCharms]

7. Oh no, what a sad thing.

I'm really sorry to read this.

Here's the thing...I've been stung before by wasps in random encounters (never while doing a nest until this time). I never had a bad reaction before.

I posted about this a few days ago, and another kind DUer warned me that allergies can develop if you get enough stings. Well, I did some research and he/she was entirely correct. Felt fine when I went to bed, but when I woke up the next day, it was like the world ended.

[Lasher]

6. i used to wipe out yellow jackets with a cup of gasoline

Just pour it in the hole at night when they are all there. The fumes asphyxiate them.

[LuckyCharms]

8. It was where my driveway meets the garage.

I was considering it, but the flames likely would have traveled up the exterior wall.

EDIT: Oh I see...just gasoline without lighting it...sorry.

[Lasher]

10. In my youth I first thought I had to light it.

But eventually I learned the joy of just suffocating the bastards to death. You really don't need to use much gasoline at all.

[dweller]

9. actually it freezes them

of the equivalent of freezing them ... lowers their body temp to terminal

✌🏼

[Lasher]

11. And so lighting the gas is counterproductive

And that's the reason it works better with no fire. It's safer too.

[Bayard]

12. I've been allergic to any kind of bee sting since I was a kid

Wasps, hornets, bumblebees, even little honeybees and sweat bees. Not anaphylactic shock, but major swelling, pain, hives.

Funny thing is, since I've been back home in KY, I've been stung more than ever. And though it still hurts, and swells some, its nothing like the reactions I used to get.

[dweller]

13. i had this same experience with underground wasp nest

over several years ... always gassed them at nite

last time i was mowing, went over the nest and was stung twice or more on my wrist, and stopped and went to the house for cover, stung 3 more times on the way ... went inside and took Benedryl and waited 20 minutes or so..
stepped out on my porch and was stung 2 times more from 20 yards away from the neet where they were circling ..
found out that once stung, you emit a pheromone or some such that draw them again.. and they attack
did the gas after dark, and on the web learned if you put a bowl over the opening, they can't get out, and die (they don't have an exit plan)
so i also put a medium glass mixing bowl over hole, and it sat there for 2 years
removed it this summer and stamped down the hole to close it...
the underground yellowjackets are mean little shits...
my hand and wrist blew up 2x size, looked horrible, felt worse.. but i got them
in the end, and got my mixing bowl back

✌🏼

[diva77]

14. We used to keep meat tenderizer on hand to denature the sting protein

Might be a home remedy to keep on hand in case the epi pen idea doesn't work out

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/insect-stings

SNIP
What is the treatment for insect stings?

Large, local reactions do not usually lead to more serious generalized reactions. However, they can be life-threatening if the sting happens in the mouth, nose, or throat area. Swelling in these areas can cause breathing difficulties.

Treatment for local skin reactions may include the following:

Remove the stinger by gently scraping across the site with a blunt-edged object, such as a credit card, a dull knife, or a fingernail. Do not try to pull it out, as this may release more venom.

Wash the area well with soap and water.

Apply a cold or ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth to help reduce swelling and pain (10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for a total of 30 to 60 minutes).

If the sting happens on an arm or leg, keep the arm or leg raised to help reduce swelling.

To help reduce the pain and itching, consider the following:

Apply a paste of baking soda and water and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes.

Apply a paste of nonseasoned meat tenderizer and water and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes.

Apply a wet tea bag and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes.

Use an over-the-counter product made for insect stings.

Apply an antihistamine or corticosteroid cream or calamine lotion.

Give acetaminophen for pain.

Give an over-the-counter antihistamine, if approved by your healthcare provider.

Watch the person closely for the next hour for more serious symptoms.
SNIP