Bumble bees, hornets and wasp… oh my!

By Andy Anderson

It’s August, which means hunting season is right around the corner. Hunters will soon begin to venture back into the woods to start prepping. Part of this annual ritual is checking out the deer stand, camp area and to getting things cleaned up. This is dangerous and will make you scream for your mamma if you are not prepared!

A few weeks ago I was clearing some fence line out. I had just cut the wire and kicked the wire fence to push it out of the vegetation and away from the T-post. It was then I realized I had just entered into a very painful situation. Now, I’ve been stung by honey bees, wasp, hornets, ground hornets and more, but what I had just angered was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

As I stepped back to move down to the next post, I heard a buzzing sound and the all too familiar bug flying around my face. I gave a quick swat of a hand, a swat that seemed to kick it all off. All of a sudden, BAMM! Before my mind could catch up and process what was happening, I had been hit four or five times in the head. As I turned to run, two more hit me in the back and right above my belly button.

I felt like I got a little distance from the attackers, but as I turned to check my six wounds, I see this black mass emerging from the ground, forming into a ball. I pick up the pace. I am digging in with each step in near panic, wanting to scream in fear of the pending pain that’s about to rain down me. As I am looking back, running as hard as I can at the moment, I trip. My combat training kicks in: I go with the fall, roll out left and pop up quick to get back on my feet. BAMM! One more hits me right between the shoulder blades.

I slide around the front of the truck like Bo Duke, grab the driver’s door handle and jump in. A dirty little aerial assassin followed me into the truck! I jump out quick; it follows me out. I jump back in.

As I sit there, covered in sweat and dirt, the pain starts to radiate throughout my body, specifically my head. I had been stung at least nine times; six of the most painful were in the back of my head. My belly was on fire! As I am catching my breath, trying to think of my next move, I look up. Hundreds, if not thousands of those black and yellow angry bumble bees were swarming my truck. I couldn’t believe it! They were literally ramming the windows, –you could hear each impact.

As the pain sets in I begin to develop a sense of a need to retaliate. As soon as it was safe to do so, I jump into my cabbed skid steer equipped with the equivalent of a brush hog. I shred the area where I thought they emerged from. There were thousands of them, vicious and fearless. They were attacking and trying to sting the equipment.

I pull back and wait to see if they will go away. Nope. After applying eight cans of wasp spray with no success, I call an exterminator. There were two, possibly three, hives underground. It was bad, and of course I had to find it.

The pain lasted two days, my head swelled up and my stomach turned red. I had always been told bumble bees had the worst sting and would chase you down. Well, I can confirm that statement.

A week later, as I head out to the woods to start prepping for this approaching hunting season, I am reminded of what I will more than likely encounter.

My experience with the bumble bees has changed my approach to dealing with wasp and such. I take a much more cautious approach, stopping to watch for any flying to and from to help identify where the nest is. Then a hit the igniter and open the fuel system with the gentle squeeze of the handle. The flame grows and intensifies. With a sweeping motion I cover the entire deer stand with the flame thrower, burning it to the ground along with all those stinging little…ok, not really, but it’s what I imagine I’m doing as I spray them down with wasp spray.

Bottom line, I was lucky. Bee stings in general are no joke, worse if you happen to be allergic to them. I took a bunch of hits when any one of them could have caused an allergic reaction and possibly death.

People do die each year from bee stings, mainly because they couldn’t get help fast enough. Before you enter the woods or head out to work that fence line, go prepared. Get some wasp spray, pain reliever, an epi pen and a flame thrower!