PSA for Tailgaters: Beware of Yellowjackets

bac2therac

Hall of Famer
Jul 30, 2001
238,626
168,341
113
That time of the year. They are everywhere

A few years bac one of these critters flew into my beer bottle and i took a swig unknowingly and luckily realized something was in my mouth and spit it out before she stung or I swallowed
 

Section124

Heisman
Dec 21, 2002
16,815
18,392
96
Thanks for the warning. I have noticed a lot in my gardens this week. They seem to get "dumber/slower" as the weather gets cold.
 
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Joey Bags

All-American
Sep 21, 2019
5,175
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They’ve been a menace all summer after they all overwintered last year. Had to remove two huge nests back in July.
 

MulletCork

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2012
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They will bite you and keep biting you too.
I was clearing out my mom’s yard some quiet Sunday a couple years ago middle of nowhere NJ. Moved a tarp in the backyard and they were on me immediately. I had to strip all my clothes off and spray the hose immediately. Hurt like a bastard. Must have been 25+ bites.
 
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MulletCork

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2012
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Also got black poison Ivy that weekend too which was a treat unlike any other.
Anyhow watch those yellow jackets !
 

mikebal9

All-Conference
Oct 15, 2005
5,732
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Here's a pro tailgating tip. Bring a second table that you don't need. Place it close enough to attract bees near you, but far enough away that they won't migrate back to you. Usually about 10 yards. Then spill about 3 shots of Fireball on the table. Bees swarm to it, get drunk, get stuck in it, and die. You're welcome.
 

RULoyal

Heisman
Jul 28, 2001
14,871
17,584
113
That time of the year. They are everywhere

A few years bac one of these critters flew into my beer bottle and i took a swig unknowingly and luckily realized something was in my mouth and spit it out before she stung or I swallowed
Yellow jacket colonies are at their largest this time of year just as their food sources start to dwindle. Makes for grumpier yellow jackets.
 

AreYouNUTS

Heisman
Aug 1, 2001
120,522
53,331
113
That time of the year. They are everywhere

A few years bac one of these critters flew into my beer bottle and i took a swig unknowingly and luckily realized something was in my mouth and spit it out before she stung or I swallowed
#'s beat me to my response....you really left yourself wide open for this one...or, at least, your mouth!
 
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RU#1fan

Heisman
Mar 7, 2003
23,098
11,867
113
That time of the year. They are everywhere

A few years bac one of these critters flew into my beer bottle and i took a swig unknowingly and luckily realized something was in my mouth and spit it out before she stung or I swallowed
Same thing happened to me with a Heineken bottle. Unfortunately I got stung in the mouth.
 

ashokan

Heisman
May 3, 2011
25,325
19,686
0
I haven't been stung in years but a pixie yellowjacket got me as I walked past a crack in a stone foundation where they had a nest. Three cans of bee killer did nothing. A tube of caulk at 11PM did the trick. I had friends get stung this year too - deffo a y'jacket year
 

Joey Bags

All-American
Sep 21, 2019
5,175
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I haven't been stung in years but a pixie yellowjacket got me as I walked past a crack in a stone foundation where they had a nest. Three cans of bee killer did nothing. A tube of caulk at 11PM did the trick. I had friends get stung this year too - deffo a y'jacket year
If it’s in the ground that’s fine, if it’s in the siding NEVER seal the hole until they are all dead or they will tunnel inward and enter your house en masse, chewing through the drywall. True nightmare fuel.
 
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MulletCork

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2012
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Curious … I never heard the term black poison ivy before… what is it?
They call it black spot poison Ivy too. At the time I got it, I read it’s like exposure to a high level of the Ivy and then being on your skin long enough it oxidizes. I have some disgusting pictures of my arms but I have no idea how to post a picture here. I was cutting some dead small trees and carrying the stuff into the woods behind my childhood home to get rid of the logs.

I live like a half hour away from that house and by time I got home both my forearms had what looked to be black grease spots on them. Maybe 5 hours later after the tree work. My wife gave me alcohol wipes to clean them and it didn’t come off. Next day I woke up with black patches up and down each arm. Disgusting. And then got stung by yellow jackets. What a weekend



Copied this from a medical journal below


Conclusions: Black-spot poison ivy is a rare phenomenon and usually poses a diagnostic challenge. It usually presents after exposure to a higher concentration of uroshiol on Toxicodendron plants. Patients present with black-spot deposits on the epidermis with underlying poison ivy dermatitis. The black deposits cannot be washed off the skin and are followed by itchy blisters. They eventually peel off and the skin heals without scarring.
 

charliem24

All-Conference
Jul 18, 2005
16,857
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Here's a pro tailgating tip. Bring a second table that you don't need. Place it close enough to attract bees near you, but far enough away that they won't migrate back to you. Usually about 10 yards. Then spill about 3 shots of Fireball on the table. Bees swarm to it, get drunk, get stuck in it, and die. You're welcome.
Great tip, gonna try it on some relatives at the next family BBQ.
 

rurichdog

Heisman
Sep 30, 2006
116,807
14,389
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The breeze kept a lot of the yellowjackets at bay. They circled around my grill when I was cooking but they weren't super aggressive. Yet.
 

ashokan

Heisman
May 3, 2011
25,325
19,686
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If it’s in the ground that’s fine, if it’s in the siding NEVER seal the hole until they are all dead or they will tunnel inward and enter your house en masse, chewing through the drywall. True nightmare fuel.
Thanks I wondered about that.
Alas my bees were in some cracks in mortar from a thick stone wall foundation.
Its been about three weeks with no bees so I think score is Ashokan 1 and Bees 1 (the one that stung me)
 

mdh2003

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2003
4,859
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Just saw this. One flew right into my wife’s champagne cup before she even took her first sip! We got buzzed a few times more, in back of yellow.
 

Njbound1

Junior
Jan 29, 2020
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If it’s in the ground that’s fine, if it’s in the siding NEVER seal the hole until they are all dead or they will tunnel inward and enter your house en masse, chewing through the drywall. True nightmare fuel.
If you have them in the siding or soffit, don’t bother using the canned spray, it will do next to nothing. Get Bayer Delta Dust (you’ll need a little bellows powder sprayer). Will kill the entire colony in no time.