Wasps

[001]

Last Saturday I was at the Eastnor Castle Show. I was aware that there were a few wasps about and when I sat down for a sandwich, one started buzzing around my head and trying to land on my food. I thought it was well out of the way and took a bite of my sandwich. I immediately felt a pain in the side of my tongue and spat the contents of my mouth out. At this stage I was quite worried that my tongue might swell right up. I went to where the First Aid tent was supposed to be in the programme and found that it wasn't there so I had to ask at the flight line.

I found the Red Cross tent and was well looked after by the staff there. They went to a food stand and brought back some ice cubes, to suck, thanks everybody. After 20 minutes or so the swelling was not  much worse and I went back to the show. Several youngsters at the show had been stung, mainly on the face, not nice.

Luckily I was not allergic to the sting, but for somebody that was, this could have had very serious results. So, be careful, if there are any wasps about try to keep your mouth shut! And, if you are at a public event make sure you know where the first aid is situated when you get there. If the Red Cross or St. Johns are around with their tins give generously, they are volunteers.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Not much fun Richard. Did they give you some of those anti-inflammatory tablets?

You're right, we always take these volunteers for granted until we need them..... 

[001]

Hello David, thanks for asking, no tablets, just ice cubes. The point is that I knew that the wasp was around, and was being careful, but if it gets to your food as it enters the mouth, you just cannot see it. I was also aware that people have died from being stung in the mouth/throat.

[birdy]

Thank goodness for you being alive/ the red cross.

[Fog Dart]

Glad your ok.

 Having sat on a wasp before on a bus i can recommend avoiding that too as its not much fun!

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[flytilbroke]

The wee bug==rs are quite common this year. At the Loch Leven splash-in the ladies in the barbeque/food tent were having a ball zapping them with one of the leccy fly swatters. They make a decent "cracking" sound when slapped with them , the spark is pretty too . The rest of us wanted a zapper too.

[JohnnyB]

Strangely enough I've noticed, here in the Northampton area, that wasps are very rare this year. I work driving Tate & Lyle sugar lorries (dry and liquid) and last year in our yard there were literally thousands of them around the parked up tankers. Whenever I had to get to my cab, I had to walk up between several trailers, often colliding with the odd wasp as the air was really thick with them. Never got stung once - with all that sugar they were probably in a good mood.........

This year though I've only seen the odd one or two. Earlier in the year though I did have one try to start a nest in the roof of my modelling shed - I managed to persuade her to find somewhere else!!

John.

[Owen Hailey]

Hi all.

We have had them in our shed, with the garden tools, and in the loft, if you get rid of the nest they will come back next year, but if you leave the nest alone they stay away from that spot,. may bee this is to stop the spread of disease from one nest to another, hoo knows.

buzz of Owen. 

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Owen Hailey]

Hi Eric.

We have been lucky so far this year, not to many so far, but no doubt the wurst is yet to come. I try not to think about them, as I have a bad reaction to stings.

bee good Owen.