General Chat

hope your ok hun, <3

i always thought bees were black and yellow, big n round, then i went to a honey farm, and wondered why i was surrounded by wasps, of course there bee's but i never realised till then that their very similair in apparance, and always assumed, they were so differnt looking

AnnCardiff I use an ice pack.................. when the skin is wet from the ice gentle rub an aspirin around the affected area, unless you have an old blue bag hanging around, I think that's what we use to call them. :-D

thanks Lesley - I did use an ice pack for a while - it's not hurting half as bad as it was but I am still very aware of it - if you donlt hear from me again - well :-( ;-)

I hate wasps - spawn of Satan, they are. Once got stung on the eyelid, what a mess - whole left side of face all swollen.

gawd 'elp us - I just looked at that website Carole has quoted - nasty, really nasty

Thanks Errol for your input, and may I say how delightful you look in your new outfit - particularly like the shades - cool

:-D :-D

I noticed eRRol too Ann and thought how smart for your summer weather.

However, bleedin' wasps.. I was sitting at dining table reading paper and eating a scrummy melting moment and I felt a flick of something by my shirt, I brushed my hand down and yeoww right through my jeans one wasp sting into my upper leg. I dropped melting moment onto table, leaped up and was pulling my jeans off (good thing we did not have visitors that would have been an ungainly sight) danced around holding my leg yelling to himself to get me some ice. The ice didn't do that much for it really except cause water to stream down my leg. Frozen peas helped a bit. Then I looked around and here was himself taking a huge bite out of my melting moment (he is not meant to have sweet stuff).. the swine he is.

Next day leg had a swollen lump with a very red centre and then sort of red rings around it gradually fading till it was normal. I was still sore and so we went down to local A & E for anti histamine which I didn't want to take as it makes me decidedly dopier than I normally am. Israeli doctor shut door and asked me to down trow.. which I did, he had a look then left the room leaving door open so who is worried about visitors when there is a waiting room full of people to see me in this state. He then took a marker pen and drew three circles on my swollen bit of leg so it now resembled a dart board. The various red colours were to stay within the lines. I guess I would have been rapped over the knuckles if it had gone outside the lines. Thank goodness it remained confined.. I can't remember what he gave me if anything.

I was asked for description of wasp to which I said I did not get its registration number, however, himself knew what it was.

Persie

coo - Persie - what an episode - mine still hurts but hope by the morning it will have improved, otherwise I spose I'll have to take a trip to the doc

Sounds like a Mortar bee they are small and build in walls and earth we had a nest last year in the garden they dug a tunnel through the earth and had 2 entrances one in one out I suppose, we left them alone and then in winter very cautiously I might add I dug down but there wasn't much to show some white stuff but the earth was lovely and crumbly . I too got stung yesterday from a bee felt dreadful as I saw it die as there are not so many of these important insects around have only seen about 6 this year, but hey it did sting but poured vinegar over it and ok today :-)

could be Nolls - a fair sized hole in the garden under a rose tree

One of the most beautiful things I have seen, was a potter wasp's nest.
First time I saw a 'real' potter's wasp nest was on the borders, it was attached to a shrub, and it looked like a pot!!.

http://collections.glasgowmuseums.com/viewimage.html?oid=471526&i=396783


A few years ago, I had 2 small paper wasp nests, like small bamboo pots, attached to the inside of my shed roof - I felt privileged.

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/queen-paper-wasp-perching-over-paper-cells-high-res-stock-photography/72892955

As a child, living in a caravan, the loo was a bucket with a seat in a shed next to the caravan. One year, we had a hornet's nest above the shed door - on the inside.
Dad told us not to fuss and they'd leave us alone - they did - but you didn't sit there reading War & Peace!!

Maggie those are amazing pics.
Do you realise that you can buy artificial wasp nests and hang them in the garden to keep other wasps from building a nest in your garden?

Ann it sounds like Mortar when we dug down was quite disappointed there was no honey lol! But Mortars don't do honey :-(

The paper wasp nests were extremely delicate, and beautiful - about 2 - 3 cm across.

Have to admit to getting the mortar wasp in my house wall removed :-(

I found one of those paper wasps nests hanging from the roof of my shed - beauiful it was

See Ann - they're not all evil!! :-D

Though I do detest the picnic wasp and the alcoholic wasp - that haunts pub gardens :-|

If you are stung, spray the affected area with WD 40. I've tried it, it works too.

Good Morning Ann, hope your feeling better Sunshine, and if you are not then get off to the Docs <3 <3 <3

In my part of the world a wasp nest is called a bike.
I had one destroyed last week.
They were nesting in a cavity inside a garden wall.

I paid the counciil up front for the job, but they asked me first to double check that they were definitely wasps and not masonry bees as my £49 fee would not be refunded if they were.
No, definitely wasps!


As luck would have it, there are masonry bees in the other side of the garden.... they dont live in nests and I'm told that they dont sting!

A few years ago, my OH phoned me from his car which had just pulled into our drive.
He asked me to close all the windows as his car was surrounded in a huge swarm honey bees
I ran upstairs and did what he said ,and saw the most amazing sight.
It was like a cartoon sketch.
Hundreds of honey bees were swarming about but, suddenly made a "bee line" and every one of them collected themselves in a large ball on a small ornamental tree. ( it took less than a minute)

It hung about 6inches off the ground and was a cause for concern... little children dogs were particulary interested!
The ball of bees stayed unmoving for about 3 or 4 days until a bee keeper was found to take it.... the WHOLE ball was taken as one.

He said that the original colony had become too big, this swarm had broken away and were looking for a new nest site.

well I live to fight another day!! all the skin fell off around the site of the sting - I am still aware of the sting but it's much better than yesterday - thanks all - ben down to check the spot where I was stung and there is a fair sized hole in the garden where they lived - until I zapped with an aerosol can of Wasp Nest Destroyer!!!