Does anyone know about wasps/hornets?

[Aurelia]

I'm not interested in keeping them as pets or anything, but I would like to know a little more about them. One landed on my neck today and I think it bit me, because I looked in the mirror and there were little red marks. It didn't hurt like the last time I got bit on my finger. When one bit my finger it swelled up, turned purple, and felt like a knife was stabbing through my joint.

I know like next to nothing about wasps and hornets. Are they venomous? Was it a dry bite? I couldn't tell you what species bit me, I threw it to the ground and stomped on it because I was a little taken by surprise and freaked out. :8o At a glance it looked gray and black.

 

[Warren Bautista]

hmm? I hear that they have wings. JK heres a site:
http://www.adamspestcontrol.com/pestid/beeswaspshornets.htm

 

[Aurelia]

Okay I did a bit of reading and now I understand it that some wasps bite but don't sting, others sting but don't bite. I'm guessing I got bit because I had no reaction to any sort of venom.

 

[Matt K]

Seriously ?!:wall:

It frustrates me to no end that users never use the search function on any website that has it...

This guy "Tleilaxu" keeps wasps and knows a lot about them. Here is an example:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=129576&highlight=wasp

A simple search for "wasp" and you would have seen all this info. Look up his posts and personal page.

Sheesh.:wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:

 

[Aurelia]

Okay, first of all, I DID do a search and I didn't find what I was looking for. I even used google and came up with answers that were confusing and contradicted each other. I always search first before I ask. I started a new thread because I wanted to share my experience and get feedback.

Second, get over yourself. Seriously!

 

[Matt K]

Perhaps you should have then considered the source of the info you were reading before you posted....Seriously! ...that and your personal experience of the prior bite... obviously there was a lack of thinking this through.

A post on this forum is not liklely to bear medical results but rather experiences from other hobbiests who will have differing opinions which you are apparantly try not to get.

"I'm not interested in keeping them as pets or anything, but I would like to know a little more about them." -Hmmm.

"One landed on my neck today and I think it bit me, because I looked in the mirror and there were little red marks. It didn't hurt like the last time I got bit on my finger. When one bit my finger it swelled up, turned purple, and felt like a knife was stabbing through my joint." - Simple deduction and common sense applied tells you everything you need to know.

"Are they venomous?"- Why else would it "...swelled up, turned purple, and felt like a knife was stabbing through my joint" ???

"Was it a dry bite?" Legitamate question, finally.

Simple Google search provides the following answers:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2076.html

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/bee_and_wasp_stings/article_em.htm

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec24/ch298/ch298g.html

...and much more.

Hope this helps you.

 

[mushiking]

Did you know that the Tarantula hawk is a wasp that has a very painful sting. And it hunts tarantulas.

 

[Aurelia]

Hmm well basically I wanted to know whether they bite or sting,and I've come to the conclusion that the first encounter was a venomous sting, and the second one was a non-venomous bite.

If you have a problem with my posting a new thread, take it up with a mod instead of picking apart what I say and using it against me. As far as I'm concerned, I did nothing wrong.

 

[ctsoth]

I got your back OP.

I think your research is correct, some bite some sting. You may be excited to know that yellow jackets are actually wasps. Many people refer to them as bees. They are a beneficial insect [like all wasps IMHO] and they are awesome to have around.

I have found that wasps and hornets are far less "aggressive" than most people would have you believe. When I tend my garden I have yellow jackets and various types of wasps and hornets buzzing around me with no ill effect. When they decide to buzz around my head I just brush them away. I haven't been stung in years.

I have a very nice wasp nest on the underside of a deck railing. I commonly lean against the deck rail directly above the nest, literally inches away. They are very docile and rewarding to watch.

You can watch for defensive behavior in wasps and hornets similar to you would in a tarantula. Just pay attention to the wasp paying attention to you. You can tell when they are watching you. You can also tell when they are watching you and they don't like what they see.

 

[Aurelia]

Interesting! Thanks for that info. I know when I got stung the first time I was eating a roast beef sandwich outside, and the hornet came up and I got stung as I was trying to shoo it away. I wonder why the other hornet landed on my neck the other day. Perhaps I was just in its way or maybe I smelled good... I'm just glad I got bit instead of stung that time.