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Author Topic: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket  (Read 24515 times)

Offline Georgia Boy

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Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« on: February 28, 2013, 10:02:21 pm »
Honestly don't remember if I've been stung by a Honey Bee or not but I do know I've been stung by a couple of Yellow Jackets last year.

I didn't have a bad reaction to the stings other than they hurt like hell.

Is it safe to assume that I will also survive Honey Bee stings or are they that different?

Need to know since this is the first year I'll be keeping bees.

Thanks

David

PS.  Please don't tell me to just get stung and see.  :)
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Offline AllenF

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2013, 10:05:21 pm »
No 2 stings are the same.   But sting for sting, I think the yellow jacket hurts worse.   Maybe it is because that he hits you over and over while he can.  Maybe it is all just in my head. 

Online Kathyp

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2013, 10:34:52 pm »
just get stung and....oh... :-D

never assume that you won't react to a sting.  you can be stung 100 times with no problem and then have an allergic reaction to the 100 and 1st. 

http://allergycases.blogspot.com/2005/06/venom-allergy-short-review.html

true allergic reactions are pretty rare, but large reactions like mine are common.  having been stung by both, i'll take the  honeybee anytime if only because they don't keep after you and if you run, they (usually) leave you alone in a short distance.

i keep liquid benadryl all over the place.  it's in my barn, truck, car, house....i highly recommend having it and it's cheap. 
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2013, 04:08:27 pm »
Honey bees and yellow jackets have different venom.  You can be allergic to one and not the other.  Odds are you're not allergic to either.
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Offline Georgia Boy

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2013, 01:15:40 am »
Thanks guys,

Wasn't really overly concerned about it.

I've been hit by hornets, yellow jackets, sweat bees, and probably a honey bee in my life.  Haven't died yet, but you never know.

Thanks for the feed back. Glad to know I have y'all to fall back on.

I know I will need much more advice soon.

David  :)
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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2013, 11:55:09 am »
This thread got me to wondering how a bumble bee sting rates in regards to honey bee and yellow jacket stings.

I got a spinal tap from a bumble bee several years ago.  I was driving a delivery truck in west Alabama on highly congested  :roll: AL #10.  The old truck's a/c wasn't working (summer) and I had the window vents turned all the way out pulling the wind in.  Well, I heard a loud POP!!! but didn't see anything and I kept cruising down #10.  A half mile down the road I suddenly had a hot dagger in between my shoulder blades.  A bumble bee had hit the vent window, came inside the cab, and ended up between my back and the seat!!!!  Thankfully I managed to stop the truck ok, but MAN!!!!!....what a surprise!!!!

Ed
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

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Offline fshrgy99

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2013, 12:22:11 pm »
When I was young (er) I drove a Norton Commando (motorcycle) for a time. Arrived home one day with what appeard to be bumble parts on my cheek and a bruise under my eye! Luckily I didn't get stung but it felt like a rock! Glad I made it home :)

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2013, 12:37:14 pm »
I’ve never been stung by a bumble bee yet, but I have read people on here report a bumble bee string is much worse than a honey bee.  I duuno. :idunno:  I’ve been stung a lots by wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and of course honey bees.  I find the bald faced hornets the most painful of the bunch, but I usually get more swelling from the honeybees. 

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2013, 12:38:20 pm »
When I was in Bermuda back in the 70's I was driving my little honda 90, on the road next to the runway, and was hit by a bumble bee in the chest. He stung me on the bounce, fast and hard. Don't know how they can sting that fast.
I would rather bee stung by 10 honey bees than one bumble bee.
Jim
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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2013, 12:49:40 pm »
Ya know, I don't remember any swelling or itching from the bumble bee back stabbing, though.  That's kinda odd.

Speaking of bees and motorcycles.  I was coming back from SEFF (radio control airplane show) over in south central Georgia a few years ago (before I started keeping bees).  I was just northeast of Georgetown, GA coming back to Alabama when I went down into a bottom where a small bridge was (two hills on either side naturally).  I was on a jeep and as I neared the bridge I saw a cloud of "something" covering the entire road over the bridge.  When I hit the bridge honey bees splattered all over the jeep....a swarm!  Well, I started up the hill when a guy on a motorcycle (yelp  :shock:) topped the hill headed towards the bridge.  I hung my arm out trying to waving him down and flashed my lights at him...he kept going.  I slowed down enough to see him approach the bridge, see his brake lights come on, and see him continue on up the opposite hill.   I don't know if he got stung or not (good chance he did) but he maintained the bike in the proper orientation (shiny side up).  My jeep was plastered  with goo so I stopped in Eufaula and washed the honey and bee parts off...I can only imagine how that motorcyclist was coated!!!

Ed
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

Offline Georgia Boy

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2013, 12:55:35 pm »
Have to admit never been stung by a bumble bee even though as a kid we did trap many of one in Rose of Sharon flowers.

For the most part I think they are like honey bees very focused on their job and you almost have to touch, step, sit or lay on them for them to sting you.

Unlike one Hornet I once ran into. While cutting grass one day went through one part of man yard and zing, felt a sharp stabbing/burning pain shoot through my calf. Looked around and didn't see anything.  Came around two more times and two more zings.  Finally saw the biggest hornet I had every seen go back into a hole in the ground. Needless to say he never got to come out again. darn thing hurt like hell but nothing but a little red bump where he stung me. No reaction thank god.  Was home alone and it was a time before cell phones.

Don't like hornets.  :(

David
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Offline Georgia Boy

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2013, 12:57:59 pm »
Nothing like bugs for breakfast. :-D

Hard to get them parts from between your teeth.  :)
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Offline KD4MOJ

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #12 on: March 07, 2013, 12:12:54 pm »
 Yellow Jackets I hate... ran over a nest with my lawn mower and got about 20 stings on my legs. PAINFUL!

honey bees don't hurt much or swell on me... but I'm deathly allergic to Guinea wasps... those critters that like to hide in boxwood plants... After several trips to the Docs office, she prescribed an Epi pen to me.

...DOUG
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Offline iddee

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #13 on: March 07, 2013, 02:33:57 pm »
In my opinion, on a scale of 1 to 10, a honeybee is a 2, a doctor's needle a 3, a yellow jacket a 7, bumblebee an 8, and a hornet an 11.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline Santa Caras

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2013, 05:06:04 pm »
Been stung by lots of things:
Bumblebee as a wee tot walking hru the Grass barefooted. Hurt like the dickens!
Motorcycling and had a wasp end up in my belly button and stung...hurt like hades!!
Recently dealing with Honeybees and being stung....kinda nuthin really....hurt for a few mins and gone like ice on a summer day.
But recently i got stung by something that gave me a WHOLE NEWPERSPECTIVE on pain: A bleep Caterpillar.
OMG!!!! leaned against the house and smashed one with my forearm accidentally.  A lil pain like a wasp and wiped off a red smear that I thought was his blood but turned out to be his venom. A few hours later my whole arm hurt from the end of my fingers to the armpit and down into my chest. I hurt for days afterwards. After reading on the internet I found that they are one of the 10 most poisenous bugs in America. A lot of people wind up in the emergency room but theres little the doctors can do. Ice paks... a lot of em!  I have an oval scar on my arm to prove it.
After that, my ratings for sting pain go: HB-2  BB-4  Wasp-4-5  PC- freakiin off the chart! You havent experienced the pain yet till one of these git a holt of ya!!  Avoid these like the plague!!

Offline Oblio13

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2013, 05:31:01 pm »
Honey bees, yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets all seem about the same to me: not too bad, almost anti-climactic. Paper wasps, though, seem very painful.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #16 on: July 31, 2013, 06:03:22 am »
Been stung by lots of things:
Bumblebee as a wee tot walking hru the Grass barefooted. Hurt like the dickens!
Motorcycling and had a wasp end up in my belly button and stung...hurt like hades!!
Recently dealing with Honeybees and being stung....kinda nuthin really....hurt for a few mins and gone like ice on a summer day.
But recently i got stung by something that gave me a WHOLE NEWPERSPECTIVE on pain: A bleep Caterpillar.
OMG!!!! leaned against the house and smashed one with my forearm accidentally.  A lil pain like a wasp and wiped off a red smear that I thought was his blood but turned out to be his venom. A few hours later my whole arm hurt from the end of my fingers to the armpit and down into my chest. I hurt for days afterwards. After reading on the internet I found that they are one of the 10 most poisenous bugs in America. A lot of people wind up in the emergency room but theres little the doctors can do. Ice paks... a lot of em!  I have an oval scar on my arm to prove it.
After that, my ratings for sting pain go: HB-2  BB-4  Wasp-4-5  PC- freakiin off the chart! You havent experienced the pain yet till one of these git a holt of ya!!  Avoid these like the plague!!

What type of caterpillar are they, what do they look like, do you know it's name?
Jim
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2013, 10:17:45 am »
The only time I remember being stung by a bumble bee was when I was pretty little.  I didn't have a lot of perspective, but it seems to me it was worse than honey bees (which I stepped on barefoot all the time)...
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Offline Santa Caras

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #18 on: August 05, 2013, 04:02:47 pm »
Sawdstmaker....the Caterpillar is called a Puss Caterpillar. I noticed in my first post it was bleeped out but just in case subb Tabby Cat with the word "P". They're called by that name because of the fur on them gives them a resemblance to a Persian cat. ( I dont see it but I didnt name it either) They're brown with orange tips on the fur and both the hair is poisonous and and underneath they have venom sacs too. They are most active between June-Sept and hang around oak trees. My only consolation is that it was me and not one of my grandchildren. I am very very carefull now. On a sidenote...I went to change the bulb in my nightlite that hangs up in the tree this weekend. it's one of the big ones that light up a whole yard...well stuck my hand up there and undid the light and a swarm of paper wasps(about a doz-2doz) come out where they had nested, flying around my head, got me about 4 times on my hand but i came down that ladder (about 25" up) like a fireman on a pole! Ouch and a few sailor words mixed in!
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Offline BlueBee

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Re: Stings?? Honey Bee vs Yellow Jacket
« Reply #19 on: August 05, 2013, 04:16:18 pm »
After that, my ratings for sting pain go: HB-2  BB-4  Wasp-4-5  PC- freakiin off the chart! You havent experienced the pain yet till one of these git a holt of ya!!  Avoid these like the plague!!
OK, I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at that!

So that caterpillar looked like this?



Never even seen one of them before, but I'll know to avoid it now!  Up here we have IO moth caterpillars with venom filled spines.


 

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