# Gardening Suprise...*UPDATE*



## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

My mom came to visit today, so before she left, I went out to the garden to dig some potatoes for her to take home...Well, little did I know a colony of yellow jackets decided to make themselves at home in the potato patch and when I starting pulling up the straw they got really angry and dozens of them started flying out of the ground. I only got stung once--on the hand--and now it's so swollen it hurts to type this...

So the question is...How do I get rid of the suckers without contaminating my potato crop??

*UPDATE*

Hubby Sevin dusted the bee hive and layed plastic down over the opening. He went out after work the next day and most of the bees were either dead or close to it. He dug up the hive and got rid of it...so it looks like the Yellow Jackets are gone for good. 

I ended up going to the ER on Thursday night for the sting on my hand because more than 36hrs after I got stung the swelling was still growing. It was more than twice the size of the other hand and swollen up to my elbow. It was also very red, hot, and painful. Then I noticed that I had red streaks running all the way up to my shoulder. 

Anyway, it turned out to be infected and I had to get injected with tons of antibiotics in both shoulders and the started on an oral antibiotic as well. I didn't even know that a bee sting could get infected like that. I guess the bee must have sat on something nasty before it stung me. The swelling has gone down a lot since I've been on the antibiotics but my arm was in a splint for the past couple days which is why I haven't been on much...But I am back now and feeling much better!


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: Gardening Suprise...*

No idea, but I would have run screaming!!! Thats scary! I hate stinging bugs, bees, ect.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Gardening Suprise...*

Those nasty buggers are fierce, please be careful.........what works for me is to wait til dark and with a flashlight get as much sevin dust into and around the hole, then take a glass longneck beer bottle and shove it into the hole, none will escape unless there is another hole,the sevin will get them :greengrin: OR do as above and spray bee spray with the 25 foot stream directly into the hole, then plug it.


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

*Re: Gardening Suprise...*

Thanks! Hubby is outside with the Sevin dust right now...he doesn't react as badly to the stings as I do...


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Gardening Suprise...*

LOL....It's usually me taking care of those buggers, my DH has anyphylatic reactions to the stings :greengrin:

btw....those are what killed a friends' 4 month old mini togg doe


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

*Re: Gardening Suprise...*

Yeah, they are dangerous...they almost killed my younger brother when we were kids. We were out in the woods walking around and he stepped on a nest...my older brother and I yelled at him to run but he just stood there until my older brother grabbed him. He got stung A LOT and by the time we got to the ER my mom had to carry him in...he was barely breathing.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Gardening Suprise...*

once you disturb their nest like they tend to close up shop and move on. But it never hurts ot be sure and get rid of them


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

Yep, we got rid of them to be on the safe side.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I am sorry.... you where stung ..and that you had to go to the doctor.....but thank God... you are OK........ :hug:


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## Shantarskiye (Apr 15, 2009)

EEK!!! That had to hurt! 

Do you know a way so that you will have no swelling from bee/yellow jacket stings, snake bites and spider bites?

Plantain!!!

You might ask....and _what_ is plantain?

It is a "weed" that people try to get rid of in their lawns. It is a *wonderful* "weed"! 

Here's how you do it:
Find the nearest plant to you.
Tear off several leaves and chew them up.
Once they are a big gooey mess in your mouth, spit the big gooey mess on your sting/bite. Keep it there for 1/2 hour and repeat from 3-5 times. You can wrap some gauze around your hand (or wherever the sting is) to keep the big gooey mess on and go on as before!! :clap: You can use baking soda to make it stick together too.

:wave: to all. I have been kind of absent for a while. 4-H, camping, going to friends house for a week for seminar, getting ready for school.... :hair: And on top of that all, I'm sick :sigh:

Enough complaining....

Hope you can identify the plantain and use it later!


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

Thanks, I definitely know what plantain is but had never heard of using it for a bee sting. I'll keep that in mind as I am sure I will be getting stung again sometime.

Unfortuantely, in this case, I think most of the swelling was due to the infection and not the sting itself--I do usually experience some swelling with bee stings though, so I'll have make sure I remember where the plantain is growing.


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## Mully (Jun 23, 2009)

I hang traps to attract the yellow jackets and now this year I have no problems with them as in years past ....you might want to get 2-3 traps next year


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

I can remember my dad making a flame thrower when I was a child to get rid of yellow jackets. He put the nosel in the hole and killed them with fire. It worked well. I have also heard of using gas to burn them out but that sounds dangerous to me. We currently have yellow jackets in out chimney but my husband has bees so he used his bee suit to go up and spray them.


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