Oh boy you call it. What do you think happened?

[bnw]

When I was a kid, I was walking up our rather long driveway when about a hundred of those evil fuckers swarmed my head. No provocation. Just minding my own business. I sprinted up the hill swatting and shaking my head. Got bitten all over my head. All I could think of was WTF!?!

About three weeks later it happened again. This time I was ticked. I snuck back down to the barn and found a gallon of lacquer which I poured down their hole. I then lit the hole. It was great. At first a flame about a foot high was shooting out of the hole with the nasty little things burning with it. Then the flame died down a bit and was invisible. Invisible until one of those dickheads flew over the hole. It looked like a little orange flame would reach up and grab them. THAT's good entertainment right there.

I hate yellow jackets but they started it. And don't get me started about yellow jackets and hunting.

Gasoline in the past but being on the top of a ridge riddled with joint sets it can be an uplifting and unpleasant experience. The foam is much better but does lack the entertainment factor.

 

[bluecoconuts]

When I was a kid, I was walking up our rather long driveway when about a hundred of those evil fuckers swarmed my head. No provocation. Just minding my own business. I sprinted up the hill swatting and shaking my head. Got bitten all over my head. All I could think of was WTF!?!

About three weeks later it happened again. This time I was ticked. I snuck back down to the barn and found a gallon of lacquer which I poured down their hole. I then lit the hole. It was great. At first a flame about a foot high was shooting out of the hole with the nasty little things burning with it. Then the flame died down a bit and was invisible. Invisible until one of those dickheads flew over the hole. It looked like a little orange flame would reach up and grab them. THAT's good entertainment right there.

I hate yellow jackets but they started it. And don't get me started about yellow jackets and hunting.

In the Army we had a yellow jacket problem, so we made a make shift flame thrower (And I don't mean WD40 and a lighter, I mean it was something that would be banned from use in war) and shot it into the nest. It was amazing.

 

[1maGoh]

Yes sir, and a few weeks back we had the no-see-ums real bad too.

What on the world is a no-see-um? I'm absolutely positive I'm going to feel very stupid when you tell me, but my complete terror of all flying stinging insects is making me too curious for caution.

 

[RamFan503]

What on the world is a no-see-um? I'm absolutely positive I'm going to feel very stupid when you tell me, but my complete terror of all flying stinging insects is making me too curious for caution.

Here they are tiny gnat type things that bite like a flea only more painful. You can see them so the name is a little lame.

 

[RamFan503]

Gasoline in the past but being on the top of a ridge riddled with joint sets it can be an uplifting and unpleasant experience. The foam is much better but does lack the entertainment factor.

What's a joint set?

 

[1maGoh]

Here they are tiny gnat type things that bite like a flea only more painful. You can see them so the name is a little lame.

Luckily I assumed they weren't invisible, just hard to see. Biting gnats makes sense. I freaking hate biting stinging bugs that fly.

 

[Memento]

Fuck wasps and all of their relatives. I remember two incidents quite well. One time, I was in Indiana during Thanksgiving. I was on a hike with my dad and brother. I brushed some leaves out of my face, and a fucking wasp stung me in the throat. No lasting damage, but it hurt like a motherfucker. Needless to say, I did not continue my hike.

The second time, there was a hornet that my cat, Phoenix (fate rest his soul, he was put to sleep last December, and I still miss that lovable coward) was trying to eat. I thought it was dead, so I got a tissue and picked it up. The fucking thing bit me. It didn't sting at all; it just bit my finger through the tissue. I let it go outside because I was barefoot and couldn't step on that stupid fucking thing as a result.

Long story short? Wasps and their relatives are little shits. Bees are all right, I guess, but only because they make honey.

 

[bnw]

Here they are tiny gnat type things that bite like a flea only more painful. You can see them so the name is a little lame.

I suppose that depends upon the size of the no-see-um and your near vision. Here they are very small and you can see them only if the sunlight is right. They can really get your attention but thankfully they are soon gone.

 

[bnw]

What's a joint set?

Symmetrical cracks in bedrock. On top of a ridge the soil layer can be very thin and the cracks can be open beneath the soil. Gas fumes can build up in the cracks and when ignited the soil flies up along the crack. Looks the same as when a lightning bolt catches a mole tunnel with water in it.

 

[Selassie I]

What on the world is a no-see-um? I'm absolutely positive I'm going to feel very stupid when you tell me, but my complete terror of all flying stinging insects is making me too curious for caution.

No-see-um is the most common name for the almost impossible to see flying BITING insect. You really can't see them coming... they will bite the shit out of you and that's when you'll realize that they are even present.

And it should be noted... their bites are amazingly painful for such a tiny tiny insect.

Down here in Florida we mainly encounter them when around water during certain times of the year. We call them Air Sharks because of the painful as shit bite... and the fact that we encounter them when around or on the water.

 

[Mackeyser]

freak wasps and all of their relatives. I remember two incidents quite well. One time, I was in Indiana during Thanksgiving. I was on a hike with my dad and brother. I brushed some leaves out of my face, and a freaking wasp stung me in the throat. No lasting damage, but it hurt like a motherfreaker. Needless to say, I did not continue my hike.

The second time, there was a hornet that my cat, Phoenix (fate rest his soul, he was put to sleep last December, and I still miss that lovable coward) was trying to eat. I thought it was dead, so I got a tissue and picked it up. The freaking thing bit me. It didn't sting at all; it just bit my finger through the tissue. I let it go outside because I was barefoot and couldn't step on that stupid freaking thing as a result.

Long story short? Wasps and their relatives are little shits. Bees are all right, I guess, but only because they make honey.

Bees are awesome because they pollinate 2/3rds of all the fruits and vegetables and grains we eat. It's why Colony Collapse Disorder could do more to endanger us than a pandemic.

That said... freak wasps.

 

[Mackeyser]

No-see-um is the most common name for the almost impossible to see flying BITING insect. You really can't see them coming... they will bite the crap out of you and that's when you'll realize that they are even present.

And it should be noted... their bites are amazingly painful for such a tiny tiny insect.

Down here in Florida we mainly encounter them when around water during certain times of the year. We call them Air Sharks because of the painful as crap bite... and the fact that we encounter them when around or on the water.

I thought I got bit by sand fleas when one of my kids was at the beach (one of the Bradenton, FL beaches out on Anna Maria Island) and by the time I assessed the damage, I had over 100 bites on my legs. It almost became a problem because of so many bites.

And you CANNOT SCRATCH THEM. They form a little pustule like red ants and if they break, it creates an open wound that's even more painful than the bite.

One of the few times I took an opiate AND Benadryl and tried to just be unconscious for about 3 days...

 

[Selassie I]

I thought I got bit by sand fleas when one of my kids was at the beach (one of the Bradenton, FL beaches out on Anna Maria Island) and by the time I assessed the damage, I had over 100 bites on my legs. It almost became a problem because of so many bites.

And you CANNOT SCRATCH THEM. They form a little pustule like red ants and if they break, it creates an open wound that's even more painful than the bite.

One of the few times I took an opiate AND Benadryl and tried to just be unconscious for about 3 days...

Sounds like you have some sweet tasting blood Mac. Apparently they couldn't get enough of you. LOL

They are terrible. I always have bug repellent in the boat because of those bastards. You only have to experience them 1 time... then... you'll NEVER forget.

 

[Mackeyser]

Sounds like you have some sweet tasting blood Mac. Apparently they couldn't get enough of you. LOL

They are terrible. I always have bug repellent in the boat because of those bastards. You only have to experience them 1 time... then... you'll NEVER forget.

Yes, my blood is haute cuisine for blood-sucking insects. I create a feeding frenzy for mosquitos, which in Florida is not a good thing.

And you're right about not forgetting. I woulda bought mittens so I couldn't scratch, but good luck finding mittens in Florida!!! I coulda tried Amazon, but I chose to be whacked out instead...

 

[Selassie I]

Yes, my blood is haute cuisine for blood-sucking insects. I create a feeding frenzy for mosquitos, which in Florida is not a good thing.

And you're right about not forgetting. I woulda bought mittens so I couldn't scratch, but good luck finding mittens in Florida!!! I coulda tried Amazon, but I chose to be whacked out instead...

Believe it or not... I have the same problem with mosquitos. I am always the person they bite 1st and the most. Sometimes I'm the only person they will bite. It's weird.

Problem is... I'm allergic to their bites. Their bites swell up on me and I too will scratch through all layers of my skin if I don't restrain myself. I found my saviour though... and it's not the repellent.

It's benadryl gel. It comes in a tube (almost like toothpaste) with a flip top cap. I have tubes of that stuff in different places all over the house, and I keep tubes in both vehicles and the boat. It's like magic gel... it almost instantly stops the itch and swelling.

 

[bubbaramfan]

As a teenager, on my G-parents farm in Iowa, I got chased by hornets while picking blackberries, I headed for the pond and jumped in to get away. Little did I realize what a mistake that was. That pond was the cattle's latrine,

I didn't come out of that "smelling like a rose".

 

[LesBaker]

Technically yes it is a wasp however all wasps are not created equal. And for yellow jackets that is the case too since these were the Southern Yellow Jacket (V. squamosa) which have the nasty venom and can have colossal colonies. I hope this was a very small nest. I spray foamed it good but never saw any dead ones which usually are present at the hole. So either I got it good or will get it worse if there is another entrance nearby. Winter was really mild so it could be a multi-year nest which is very bad.:eek:

Don't fuck around with that shit. Wait until later in the night when they are dormant then pour in a can of lighter fluid and put a lit match in the mix.

Problem solved.

 

[Mackeyser]

Believe it or not... I have the same problem with mosquitos. I am always the person they bite 1st and the most. Sometimes I'm the only person they will bite. It's weird.

Problem is... I'm allergic to their bites. Their bites swell up on me and I too will scratch through all layers of my skin if I don't restrain myself. I found my saviour though... and it's not the repellent.

It's benadryl gel. It comes in a tube (almost like toothpaste) with a flip top cap. I have tubes of that stuff in different places all over the house, and I keep tubes in both vehicles and the boat. It's like magic gel... it almost instantly stops the itch and swelling.

That's awesome! I'll have to get some because I'm allergic as hell to mosquitos, ESPECIALLY to some of the varieties here in FL. I've had single bites grow so big, they look like wasp bites. Crazy. So yeah, gonna have to fill up the basket when I find them.