Another wildlife encounter

[happybird]

Was out smoking on the deck and felt something crawling on my ankle. Swatted at my ankle and felt a sharp pain on my middle finger. As usual, I’m thinking “spider” and about to freak out.

Nope. It was a ginormous hornet. At midnight. Gah!
That sucker had to have been 3” long.

Google tells me it was a European Hornet.
Yay.

My finger should throb and swell for a couple hours, then really swell up tomorrow. Have ice on it now. The pain isn’t much worse than a regular honeybee sting. I’ve definitely had worse stings, but peeling and deveining those 20 lbs of shrimp at work tomorrow will be fun.

Seriously. I’m getting too old for this shit. I’m ready to move to a condo with no yardwork, no snakes, no spiders, public water and sewer service, trash pick up, and no giant trees falling during storms. And no murdery hornets lurking on my deck at freakin’ midnight.

[Nictuku]

1. Oh man, that has got to hurt!

I feel for you. Not sure about how useful your hand will be tomorrow.

[Skittles]

2. glad you are OK

a friend visiting me was stung by a wasp as he was coming up the outside stairs......ten minutes later I was rushing him to the emergency room when his face and neck swelled so much he was hardly recognizable.....I couldn't believe how something that small could bring down someone that big! He was OK after they gave him a shot.

[happybird]

7. Thank you

Now that I live alone, allergic reaction crossed my mind. I’ve been stung before so, as far as I know, I’m not allergic. But out here in the middle of nowhere with no one but the cats to save me has made me nervous on more than one occasion.

I took some benedryl and have been paying very close attention to how my throat feels, monitoring my breathing, and checking for hives. So far, so good. I also have my nearest neighbor’s number pulled up on my phone, just in case.

[Skittles]

8. I asked the guy, jeez, haven't you ever been stung before?

he had not.....it was crazy how fast he felt ill, and how quickly he came around after he received a shot at the ER....now he has to carry one of those Epi pens on him. I too live alone, and it does make me wonder. I think if I ever have major health issues I will get one of those life alert things.

[zanana1]

10. I have one of those Life Alert thingies.

Most of the time, I forget to wear it.

[Skittles]

14. LOL

that would be me, for sure.....argh

[bottomofthehill]

3. This may sound a little crazy but when I worked for a landscaper

I got stung a lot. Learned a few home remedi
Apple cider vinegar. Liberally dose a paper towel and hold on the sting for as long as possible. It will help draw the bee “venom”

Adolphs meat tenderizer, make a little past and apply on the sting, again, as long as possible.

Baking soda, again, make a paste and apply.

Take a Benadryl at bedtime

I am sure there are smarter more modern fixes, but they worked for me and I got stung a lot that summer. A lot.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Amen to the meat tenderizer! The active ingredient is papain, which is also found in ...

some enzymatic contact lens cleaners (the dissolving-tablet type). If you can't run to the pharmacy this late, and you happen to wear contacts, there's a possibiity. Other lens cleaners contain pancreatin or subtilisin but might be worth a try anyway. Or even a slice of fresh papaya ...

[lastlib]

11. I use the vinegar/soda paste when I get stung

The meat tenderizer does indeed work, and so does Benadryl.

If you can use these, I don't think you need anything else, unless you have an allergic reaction.

Disclaimer: I got my medical degree at tRump University........

[bottomofthehill]

12. With you, my MD came from the school of Hard Knocks

I never thought of the vinegar and baking soda paste together.

[lastlib]

13. I got my computer science degree at HKIT*!

(*"Hard Knocks Institute of Technology&quot

[csziggy]

15. I used to make a paste of meat tenderizer, baking soda, and benadryl cream

And slather that on stings. Unfortunately, my reactions got worse and worse so it didn't help as much.

[Karadeniz]

5. A small bag of frozen peas... we keep one handy in the freezer... Is easy to mold to where it's

needed...you can secure it with vet wrap or whatever it's called for people.

[Laffy Kat]

6. That sounds horrible. Do you have any Benadryl? It would help, I'm sure.

I've noticed the wasps and bees are becoming lethargic right now. I think it's because it's getting so cool at night until mid-morning. They are walking around on the ground and the porch instead of flying and I'm afraid my doggos are going to get stung.

[zanana1]

9. I got tired of all that homeowner's work, too.

I now live in a first floor apartment. I'm happy not to have to shovel snow, mow the lawn or the rest of the work involved in being a homeowner, but in the summer I get alot of spiders. I even bought a book about spiders so I could try to like them. It didn't work.