A couple of nights ago I had a rather alarming experience. About 3:30 in the morning, I was awakened slightly by a tickling feeling on my shoulder. Still half-asleep, I brushed it off. Next I became aware of a buzzing sound that seemed to be coming from under the covers. Thinking a fly or mosquito had accidentally gotten trapped under the covers with me, I flipped the covers back and forth to let it out. A sharp pain in the back of my right shoulder immediately followed. Very much awake now, I leaned over and turned on the bedside light, and discovered a yellow jacket walking around right next to me on the sheet. I caught the yellow jacket in a glass and let him outside. By this time, the area around the sting had started to swell, so I tucked an ice pack under my shoulder as I tried to fall asleep again.
At this time, I actually was not sure whether the intruder was a yellow jacket or a bee, but after a week of extremely hot weather I had already caught and released four or five of the creatures, so I knew I had a problem. I searched Google for “yellow jacket” and came up with a wealth of information almost immediately. I’m pretty sure my assailant was a yellow jacket, and not a bee, because of his slim abdomen – bees are apparently more rounded. Also, he didn’t seem like he was going to die after stinging me.
Since I live in a 90-year-old duplex, the place is rather buggy. I don’t know where they all come from, but I find moths, spiders, and (of course) yellow jackets on a regular basis. As I mentioned already, I’ve been catching and releasing my unwelcome roommates – the yellow jackets included – whenever I find them. My boyfriend thinks I’m nuts, especially since he’s allergic to bees, but as it turns out I’ve been doing the right thing all along. One website reported that yellow jackets have an “alarm venom” that is released to alert the rest of the colony of danger if the wasp is hit or killed. The venom will bring every wasp within smelling distance – stingers armed. So I guess my nature-friendly method of dealing with bugs is people-friendly, too!
I did run across a helpful tip for dealing with yellow jackets (the not-so friendly way), and I thought I’d pass it on. Apparently, if you fill a pan with soap, sugar and water, the sugar will attract the wasps, and the soap will cut the surface tension, so that the wasp won’t be able to stay on the surface of the water and will drown. I haven’t decided yet whether or not I will use this method, but I figured someone out there might not have the same qualms about it as I do!
I hope your summer is sting-free!
P.S. Here is a link to one of the pages I found. This one is particularly useful, as it shows pictures of both bees and yellow jackets.