[ajgoodkids]

This discussion has been going in the Crawford Lake Attempt trip report. Let's mainline it. I read once that the stinging little yellowjackets out in the woods are bald-faced hornets. They seem to go on a nest-protective stinging frenzy in mid-September. Twelve years ago, we ran into one nest after another on the trails to Boulder Basin. Everyone got stung multiple times. My son and I got nailed pretty badly this weekend. We had a good time despite the stings. About five years ago, there was a bumper crop of yellowjackets around civilization. There were newspaper articles about it. I don't know if there were more out in the woods. Is this is a bad year for hornet stings? In folks' experience, when is the frequent-sting time window? Have folks been stung often outside September relative to the amount of time they've been out? On our hike out, my kids wore fleece, raingear, mittens and headnets. They were pretty much sting-proof. It was raining and we were going through brush, so the gear was appropriate anyway. Does anyone do anything to protect themselves when the hornets are abuzz?

[Dante]

Baldfaced hornets may be best described as large, black and white, heavy-bodied wasps about ¾" long. They typically build exposed, mottled grey nests in trees or shrubs. Occasionally, the wasps will build nests under roof overhangs, in attics, crawlspaces and wall voids, or under decks or porches. The nests are constructed of a paper-like martial formed from chewed wood. The nests are often described as "football shaped", but they may exceed a basketball in diameter. Yellowjackets are house fly-sized wasps with distinct yellow and black markings and a few hairs. They construct a similar type of paper nest; however, it will be tan in color, much smaller in size compared to the hornet nest, and is usually found in an underground cavity. Common locations for nests are in lawns, particularly in sandy exposed areas, as well as at the base of trees or shrubs. Occasionally, yellowjackets will nest in attics or walls voids of houses or storage buildings. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/horn-yj.htm I've been told by a guy who collected some bald-faced wasps from our house for medical purposes that nest population peaks toward the end of the summer, which makes the inhabitants more ornery. I've also been told that the venom gets stronger as the bugs age, so late summer/early fall is a bad time to upset a nest.

[Bushwacker]

By the description, it was a bald-faced wasp that stung me. If the information is correct, and I have no reason to believe it isn't as to venom strength, it's off to the doctor for me, for an Epi-pen. Better to be safe. And having severe allergic reactions in the past, there is no reason for being stupid. Anaphlaxis is not something to screw with. Thanks for the info. BW

[Sore Feet]

I've ran into Bald Faced Hornets twice in Olympic - once at Wolf Creek Falls where I either walked just under a nest and didn't notice, or I steped on a nest built into the ground (in which case it may not have been Hornets), and got stunk 3 times, and then once at Olympic Hot Springs where they missed me, but my brother got stung 5 times (in the same area that a group of people coming out just got attacked). Those little @#$&ers hurt like hell when they sting you. Fortunately neither of us are allergic. We've had lots of Wasps take residence under our eves on the house, but they've never been a problem. There was a big bee's nest in the trunk of a big pine tree in our yard at one point, I think we just hosed them out and they never came back. Only other times I've been stung was 1 - when I swatted at a bee once and accidentally hit it in the stinger, and 2 - I opened the front door, and literally a second later something stung me on the back of the neck, as if it were trapped under my shirt or something (I think that one was a Wasp or a Yellowjacket). Took me a couple seconds to realize what the hell it was...

[Tsolo]

I've run into yellowjackets on the trails quite a few times over the years, and it's always in September. The last time was about 10 days ago on Heliotrope Ridge Trail, just 2 minutes onto the trail, over the first creek. I set my pack down next to a log to get some suntan lotion, and all hell broke loose (8-10 stings). I'm always amazed that you still have signs of the bites weeks later; they must do some weird things to your flesh. I carry antihistamine pills (e.g., benadryl), and take one immediately after an attack. I also carry benadryl cream. Any other treatment recommendations out there?

[Mike Collins]

Some animal out there (I always imagined it was bears) likes to dig out the yellow jacket nests from the ground. I have come across several nests over the years that have been thrashed. Bears do like larvae as there is a high fat content to them. Ounce to ounce they provide more caloric value than sugar filled fruits. That is why they like to tear apart logs to get at the eggs of the ants. Have any of you come across torn apart yellow jacket nests?