Killed by yellow jackets

[danyk]

That title could have been me, yesterday. It turns out there is a yellow jacket nest in my yard that is at least 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet.

I mowed part of that nest yesterday, on a riding mower.

A cloud of thousands of yellow jackets was quickly on me. The sound of the mower was drowned out by buzzing. The air around me was darker, shadowed by the little devils.

It's hard to count the number of stings, but hundreds I guess. They were all over me, but more on my back and right arm. I ran for the screened pool, maybe 150 yards away. I fell twice and couldn't figure out why my limbs weren't responding. Turns out with enough stings, you don't have to be allergic. The venom can kill you outright. I was a little worried I would lose consciousness in the pool, but it was better than being stung to death.

I jumped in the pool, and that stunned the ones that were clinging to my skin and clothing. The screen door also trapped a cloud of them outside, which more or less gave up once they could no longer reach me. Although, the next day, there were still occasional yellow jackets batting against that door, looking for whoever was marked with the target pheromone.

I yelled for my wife, and she took me to the emergency room. On the way there, my vision turned white. Not like blacking out, but similar. I became so sensitive to light, that my vision was like an overexposed photo. For a while I couldn't make out anything even with my eyes wide open. Just bright white, and the occasional spec of a darker object in my field of vision. My wife started telling me to breathe, and I realized I had to consciously think about doing so... if I forgot, I would just stop breathing, or breathe very, very shallowly.

I'm not sure if the nurses that saw me knew what to do about yellow jacket stings. They gave me benedryl and anti-inflammatories, which is good. They didnt know what to make of visual disturbances and extreme nausea, but they did become alarmed that my spO2 readings were dipping to around 70%. They stuck oxygen tubes in my nose. That reminded me that my "automatic" breathing was apparently broken, or stunned, so I watched the oxygen level and took deep breaths.

For the next few hours, yellow jackets would appear... they crawled out of my pockets, my shoes, my socks. Just when I thought I had seen the last of them, they would find their way out of some other unlikely place. The shirt I took off in the pool had plenty of them, still latched on with the mandibles, but drowned at the bottom of the pool.

I guess the moral of the story is, beware unexpected encounters. The most unlikely things can happen, and they tend to come when you least expect them. The exterminator expressed disbelief that someone survived a nest this size. He's seen a few bigger, but this was in the upper range. Certainly deadly. Just search for "Florida man killed by yellow jackets," and you'll find stories of people less fortunate. If I had been 1-2 seconds slower in the 150 yard dash, I would likely be typing this message from underground.

Keep up your fitness, and be aware of your surroundings, as much as possible. Be grateful for what you have.

My eyes are open like the "wow" emoji. That is a f@#$%#$ hell of a day. So thankful that you lived to tell the tale! Can't even imagine. -- You did a great job describing what happened for what it's worth.

 

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[StrikingViper69]

That's crazy. Glad you're ok! Quick thinking there about getting in the pool... wow.

 

[Gepi]

That title could have been me, yesterday. It turns out there is a yellow jacket nest in my yard that is at least 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet.

I mowed part of that nest yesterday, on a riding mower.

A cloud of thousands of yellow jackets was quickly on me. The sound of the mower was drowned out by buzzing. The air around me was darker, shadowed by the little devils.

It's hard to count the number of stings, but hundreds I guess. They were all over me, but more on my back and right arm. I ran for the screened pool, maybe 150 yards away. I fell twice and couldn't figure out why my limbs weren't responding. Turns out with enough stings, you don't have to be allergic. The venom can kill you outright. I was a little worried I would lose consciousness in the pool, but it was better than being stung to death.

I jumped in the pool, and that stunned the ones that were clinging to my skin and clothing. The screen door also trapped a cloud of them outside, which more or less gave up once they could no longer reach me. Although, the next day, there were still occasional yellow jackets batting against that door, looking for whoever was marked with the target pheromone.

I yelled for my wife, and she took me to the emergency room. On the way there, my vision turned white. Not like blacking out, but similar. I became so sensitive to light, that my vision was like an overexposed photo. For a while I couldn't make out anything even with my eyes wide open. Just bright white, and the occasional spec of a darker object in my field of vision. My wife started telling me to breathe, and I realized I had to consciously think about doing so... if I forgot, I would just stop breathing, or breathe very, very shallowly.

I'm not sure if the nurses that saw me knew what to do about yellow jacket stings. They gave me benedryl and anti-inflammatories, which is good. They didnt know what to make of visual disturbances and extreme nausea, but they did become alarmed that my spO2 readings were dipping to around 70%. They stuck oxygen tubes in my nose. That reminded me that my "automatic" breathing was apparently broken, or stunned, so I watched the oxygen level and took deep breaths.

For the next few hours, yellow jackets would appear... they crawled out of my pockets, my shoes, my socks. Just when I thought I had seen the last of them, they would find their way out of some other unlikely place. The shirt I took off in the pool had plenty of them, still latched on with the mandibles, but drowned at the bottom of the pool.

I guess the moral of the story is, beware unexpected encounters. The most unlikely things can happen, and they tend to come when you least expect them. The exterminator expressed disbelief that someone survived a nest this size. He's seen a few bigger, but this was in the upper range. Certainly deadly. Just search for "Florida man killed by yellow jackets," and you'll find stories of people less fortunate. If I had been 1-2 seconds slower in the 150 yard dash, I would likely be typing this message from underground.

Keep up your fitness, and be aware of your surroundings, as much as possible. Be grateful for what you have.

That is one hell of a story.
But the most impressive thing, at least for me, was how detached and calmly you stated all the "facts" about what was breaking loose around you.
Maybe in the actual event this was different, but you seem to have had some kind of really objective view about everything that was happening! Nothing about being scared ****less or something....
Glad it turned out ok.

 

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[Simon Angel]

Damn man, I had no idea how much 150 yards were in meters (137). That's quite the distance you've ran while yellow jackets unleashed a giant attack on you . Survival instinct and adrenaline sure is something, huh?

You're going to remember that day as the day you almost became a Florida Man.

By the way, when my father was about 7 and living in rural Bulgaria my great grandfather had taken him higher up in the mountains to graze the sheep they owned at the time. My father went to take a leak a bit off the road into a bush and apparently stepped on a ground nest, so for the next 10 minutes he ran down the path while my great grandfather whacked him in the head with his walking stick and palms, lmao. Ended up using an emergency kit somewhere along the road. He recalls he got stung at least a 100 times in the head alone.

 

[Flint]

Damn, glad you're ok man!

 

[SteveO]

I missed the "and left me outside" part. That's just horrible.

I added that on an edit. The first iteration was not clear.

 

[Cyberthal]

Ever since I was a kid at camp and got nailed in the forehead walking into a mess hall by some kind of wasp that felt like getting hit with a bat, I have hated and feared wasplike things buzzing around my head.

I just realized that I always felt a bit like a pussy about it until I read your post. Once or twice I've been mocked for dodging when buzzed by something stinger-armed. Now I feel my aversion is entirely healthy.

There are better ways to die! Congratulations on surviving by your own steely nerves. Darwin approves; have some kids.

I suppose the lesson is that when operating with power tools or lethal quantities of potential energy such as long drops or high-tension wires, one should first investigate and mitigate the known means of death and maiming.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Wow man, what a truly terrifying story. Glad to hear you made it out alive, for sure it will be one of those experiences that you never forget.

Looking back, do you think there was anything you could have done while mowing to prevent running over their nest or any way to prevent them from attacking you?

 

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[NMdad]

Holy moly! Glad to hear you're OK!

 

[Black_Dragon43]

It's possible I might have found the nest on foot first, if I checked everything before mowing. Then again, I might have found it by falling into it. Then I would have been partly underground and surrounded by wasps. The main thing is whether you notice a few half-inch bugs buzzing by, when coming out of the bright sun into a shaded area under mossy tree boughs. If your vision adjusts miraculously quickly in this situation, you might see them first.

I guess in the future I could be suspicious of areas that transition between full sun and full shade. Trim the tree branches higher for better visibility. Eradicate all fern beds, since they hide ground nests apparently. Make the whole yard flat and uniform so that anything different stands out like a sore thumb. Maybe that's why we invented these silly uniform lawns with mowed grass in the first place... to make a large easy to understand space where something abnormal can be recognized at a glance.

I'll tell you... I went out today and trimmed some things, broke down rotted wood, eliminated some areas that could be future nests or that prevent me from nerfing the terrain. We're on a few acres, so there are lots of hiding places. Making those places less likely to grow wasps, or water moccasins, or whatever else might come, seems like a reasonable reaction to me. Well, it's my reaction anyway.

Still, sometimes there's nothing you can do. Things will take you by surprise. You will or won't survive. I think living in fear of random accidents would be foolish... there are things you can learn from, and things you can anticipate, but there are plenty of things you just have to live your life in spite of, and react as best you can when you encounter them.

@Creed mentioned to me that Hans Scheepmaker, a well known director in the Netherlands, just died as a result of falling into a wasp nest. He was not allergic. I empathize with the man, and I'm sorry to hear someone died this way so recently. I suspect there is no reasonable way he could have had foreknowledge that he would stumble into a nest. In hindsight maybe we could think up a plan to prevent this one thing, but every bad situation is different. React and learn as appropriate, but don't let the possibility of bad things prevent you from pursuing the good things.

Wow man, even after such an incident you still have such a positive and healthy attitude. I agree with everything you said above wholeheartedly. Many times the fear one can get after such events is worse than the risk of any such event happening.

Have you always had such an attitude towards things, or is it something you've worked at and developed over the years? Just asking because I find this admirable in you!

 

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[Saavedra]

I'm glad you are okay.

Sounds like a reason to get a robot lawnmower? If you paint it yellow/black then it might become the queen for them.

Why in gods name nature make bees die off and let wasps remain, guess we are being punished for pollution.

Where I live wasps are not that big, but they do build small nests, specially during dry summers. Have removed two small nests the size of a closed hand, it was pretty satisfying. To h* with them.

 

[Cyberthal]

What we need is a hat with a US Navy miniaturized point defense system spraying insect neurotoxin and CO2. Potential productocracy! Wasp Whacker™

 

[AFMKelvin]

Wow man, even after such an incident you still have such a positive and healthy attitude. I agree with everything you said above wholeheartedly. Many times the fear one can get after such events is worse than the risk of any such event happening.

Have you always had such an attitude towards things, or is it something you've worked at and developed over the years? Just asking because I find this admirable in you!

There must be a wasp/hornet infestation throughout the country. Maybe its those Chinese hornets because I was almost stung by wasps 2 days ago. I was out in the yard cutting off a branch and didn't realize there was a hornets best above me. Luckily they didn't sting me because I heard them before they they even got close to me. I had my wireless earbuds with ambient sound on which amplifies the sorrounding sounds.

 

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[Ocean Man]

They can be pretty well integrated into the surroundings. This is a photo of the main opening post-exterminator, but before he came back to dig it up. You can see a bit of structure sticking up, but it's mostly covered in pine needles and leaves. Mostly, I think, you have to notice the drones zooming in and out of the area.

View attachment 34411

Holy cow... I’m glad you’re okay, @Rabby.. What a close call .

 

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[Jon L]

My first thought about all this is, "Ok, I'm going to wear a beekeeper's outfit every time I go outside." ... but then, I'll probably end up being taken out by an asteroid or a local mountain lion.

 

[BlackMagician]

If I had been 1-2 seconds slower in the 150 yard dash, I would likely be typing this message from underground.

This made me laugh
Glad that you are safe buddy.

 

[Kid]

Damn, glad you're ok @Rabby

They can be pretty well integrated into the surroundings. This is a photo of the main opening post-exterminator, but before he came back to dig it up. You can see a bit of structure sticking up, but it's mostly covered in pine needles and leaves. Mostly, I think, you have to notice the drones zooming in and out of the area.

View attachment 34411

(Just because we're into entrepreneurship):
What about small camera in visible or infrared light
that would be coupled with computer to make visual recognition.
Basically detecting patterns of movements above the grass .
Or zoom and scan whole field.

The thing could be mounted above the doors or even tree.

EDIT: On a second thought, maybe it wouldn't have to be camera but
radar capable of detecting small objects.

 

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[Rabby]

Damn, glad you're ok @Rabby



(Just because we're into entrepreneurship):
What about small camera in visible or infrared light
that would be coupled with computer to make visual recognition.
Basically detecting patterns of movements above the grass .
Or zoom and scan whole field.

The thing could be mounted above the doors or even tree.

EDIT: On a second thought, maybe it wouldn't have to be camera but
radar capable of detecting small objects.

Yeah, I've been discussing anti-yellowjacket inventions quite a bit lately. Most half serious. But detection would be valuable. They tend to catch people unawares.

This made me laugh
Glad that you are safe buddy.

Thanks

 

[Cyberthal]

If you want a device that will save your life when you run over a nest, I can think of two:

1. A CO2 sprayer that decoys the swarm
2. An exterminator's smoke bomb

Why not combine the two for maximum effectiveness? Put it in a smoke grenade on your belt. In case of emergency, pull the pin, drop it, and I guess roll around on the ground to crush the ones already one you. Not on the nest, mind you.

 

[Rabby]

By the way, when my father was about 7 and living in rural Bulgaria my great grandfather had took him higher up in the mountains to graze the sheep they owned at the time. My father went to take a leak a bit off the road into a bush and apparently stepped on a ground nest, so for the next 10 minutes he ran down the path while my great grandfather whacked him in the head with his walking stick and palms, lmao. Ended up using an emergency kit somewhere along the road. He recalls he got stung at least a 100 times in the head alone.

Wow... good thing he wasn't allergic to the beasties!

 

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[SteveO]

I was attacked on the golf course by killer bees while mowing. Sitting in the tractor when I started feeling stings. Looked up and saw the swarm. Jumped off the tractor and ran like hell. Ran about a quarter mile off the golf course and into a residential area.

I hollered at a guy in his garage that I was getting stung. He immediately shut his garage door and left me outside.

I had lots of stingers in my clothes but only a few stings. I posted a picture of my swollen face in my progress thread a number of years ago.

 

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[Rabby]

I missed the "and left me outside" part. That's just horrible.