Why bee stings hurt…

Take the Sir Robin approach…

They are all super organisms as colonies rather like Ants, so yes the desire to protect and ergo sting when under threat is always there. As a Beekeeper being stung is a hazard of the hobby (I’ve developed bad reactions I’ve been stung so often) and one of the outcomes when stung is the sting pheromone leaves a chemical trail on the victim so often I’ve found myself being followed into the house by Kamikazi guard bees. It’s no fun sometimes I can tell you! :flushed:

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Yes we’re on it here also. Do have Verroa but in very small numbers.

Thank you fascinating thread. On wasps I guess pesky little creatures but essential nonetheless?

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Essential pollinators. Also eat garden pests.

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You can get them from pet shops, there’s always a few in the window :laughing:

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Does the usual method of “spinning around, waving your hands in the air aimlessly, doing an African dance, and screaming at the top of your voice” not work?

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Unfortunately so.

To paraphrase Basil Fawlty:
“Forgive and forget but god knows how, the bast@rds”

Wasps can be nasty pasties but they are pollinators so I’ve stopped killing them over recent years … even so they’re hard to admire! :joy:

One of my friends was stung twice by our native hornets, when we accidentally disturbed their nest.

First was on the back of his hand and the second cheek under the eye.

He said, that he could feel his hand for a week and his face felt like it had been repeatedly thumped.

So, these Asian ones, must be a lot worse.

DG…

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They’re a bigger threat to the honey bee as they prey on our bees outside the hive, picking them off :man_shrugging:t4:

:joy::joy:

Wasps in Britain only become a nuisance late summer to early autumn when their other food sources are finishing and they are attracted to the sweet things humans eat and drink, often outside. The key to not being stung is to look before taking a bite of food or sip of drink and absolutely NOT try shoeing them away vigorously. In my intention normally they have no intention of stinging, and you can let them land on you and lick traces of food off your hand without stinging, but if you scare
With them, or make them feel threatened, or anger them in any way, then, of course they will see you as a target. My brother in law is particularly bad, trying to shoo them away, flailing his arms wildly, and as a result, he tends to get stung, making his action worse – while the rest of us sit there, calmly living with the wasps as you have to if you sit outdoors that time of year…

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To be fair though for many it’s easier said than done.

Early last summer I found a wasp nest in the cotoneaster under the kitchen window. Although tempted to “deal” with it I left it alone as it was a thing of great beauty. We had no trouble at all with wasps even though the window was left open most days. We even managed to sit on the bench adjacent to the bush with no problem.

I’d agree with @Innocent_Bystander, wasps only really become a nusance towards Autumn.

I used to keep bees much to the dismay of an elderly Italian lady in the hamlet who demanded that I get rid of them because she was afraid to sit out in her garden. Explaining that they had no interest whatsoever in her and were far more interested in the wild flower meadows in the opposite direction to her garden failed to placate her. Some people just have a thing about insects.

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