What's Making You Happy Right Now ?

Come on - you guys! Yes - bitten & stung, bit & sting is often used interchangeably in Canada(& the USA also, I believe) when describing Hymenoptera attacks.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bite


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Incidentally, I got an answer on another site as to the most likely reason as to why I wasn't 'stung' at all.

Apparently, at high noon or midday on hot summer days - these nests are virtually empty. The insects are simply not home & out working in the fields.

Seems probable - although I didn't stick around after I realized my foot went through the nest's foundation - I don't recalling hearing any noise or even seeing a single hornet. This non activity was part of the reason I went back an hour later to see if it was a dormant nest. It wasn't - and many had now surfaced or returned and from my distant view appeared to be busy repairing the gaping hole.

Earlier in the morning and as the afternoon turns into evening or on colder, cloudier days - the hives are approaching full occupancy & ..... I almost certainly wouldn't have been as lucky.

I am sure it stung me AND bit me, as the woman who pulled it out of my scalp said it's head/mouth was firmly attached to me.

you know how much hair I have ...it got trapped in my hair so I am sure it used all of its defense mechanisms to try to get the hell out!

Peak, interesting that they nest in the ground...thought they build those big, hanging nests you see in trees, big like basketballs (tho not round.) or are those built by some type of paper wasp? confused!

Sama, the ins & outs of it I don't know either, but apparently there's a lot more species than you might think, maybe the same species may even behave differently owing to circumstances, I really don't know.

Ms. M. has had these bumblebees nesting underground, it's kind of cute to watch. That wasp nest of hers now nests in her compost heap; obviously not very handy. Makes getting rid of them also something of a conundrum, there's a lot that lives there, the compost quite apart. Insects and snails and the occasional toad and stuff. She's now moved her bicycle that would be parked close to there, they do really come after her if disturbed, and that compost heap doesn't get added to for the time being. Reminds me really, I was gonna do some web searching on it for her. I suppose they'll be gone in a month or two, anyway, then see what next year brings.

(btw Wasps do eat away at her reed fence yes, for nesting material I do believe. I think that is a certain species that does it. Really biting humans I've never heard of, but who knows, and then like you say, maybe it was just clinging on for dear life.)

I guess that nest being empty by day may indeed have been your saving grace, Peak, that sounds very plausible, doesn't it. Ooff. Hornets I luckily have no first-hand experience with, and wouldn't mind keeping it that way

exactly. all I know is that the head via the mouth was firmly attached to my scalp and I had a huge, painful lump that night and the next day.

personally I love bumblebees....had them nesting in a crack in my concrete veranda. they are considered a totem animal and one that represents a yogi.*

(*way too much information...)

Heheh. But funny information, Sama. Beats figuring out train connections sometimes (Well, and minus any lumps, of course )

The above did serve as a good reminder to me, so thanks folks. Bit of googling on the subject of course throws up some simple-looking measures that are now in the mail to the lady

I'm still trying to find this out from the local experts. The nest was a large basketball sized hive that was built into black knapweed and at ground level. From what I've read & previously understood - bald-faced hornets typically build their nests starting at 2 feet up - although some descriptions do mention low vegetation which would describe this situation aptly enough. And they are closely related to the Yellow Jackets - which do often nest underground.

Anyway, if you couldn't see it in the first image - I've outlined it in the following image - the orange outline is the nest & the white outline the hole my foot put into it. Btw, when I stepped on it, I initially thought 'what idiot has thrown a plastic water bottle into the middle of the field' .... because it 'sounded' almost as if.

and here ya go!

Peak, very unlikely that the nest will be on the ground, most likely it was an empty nest, must have fallen down there from a tree or blown down by the wind (they are just paper).

This may be the reason that you were saved, as otherwise, going by the size, at least about 60 or 70 hornets would have been chasing you in a marathon.

No, clearly built into, entwined into the lower base of the weed stems. No trees for 30 meters. Albeit at the top of small hill in the field - so this may play a part in their elevation perception

an interesting discussion, Peak. never knew that bald faced hornets are members of the genus of wasps called yellow jackets as referenced in my link above. more info here.... thought hornets were hornets and wasps were wasps....

Ah, all the wonders of nature... All fascinating creatures great and small, no

It may not surprise you to hear I'm not that impressed with human life, but the world as such, yes, I can honestly say I'm much in love with it. Humans, even, certainly, it's just a shame how we all manage to get ourselves so, er, what do you call it? Confused?

The skies opened up again here today, crazy brief rainstorm. Thunder passing by further away. Suddenly like dusk-like black, and such. Then it briefly raining down like there's no tomorrow.

That other storm I was referring to earlier I hear did cause some casualties elsewhere in the country. Some people struck by lightning on a camping site. Children, I think.

Hm. Dutch summer, indeed. I find these storms fascinating, but have to admit always a little scary. Maybe with my hyperactive kind of personality (but at the same time being naturally good at being "at one," or so some tell me), I'm always a little like but so what if I were a magnet for it? I mean of course I live in a city with like a million electronics on and lightning rods everywhere, why would it strike here. Then as I've said before, just as I thought I should really get myself over that thought, I heard of a friend's friend who bang got his monitor zapped right there.

I'm really not happy with all these always-on electronics nowadays, and some of them I really can't even shut off anymore, without killing my telephone and stuff. I mean they are a liability, and it is said in fact a majority of house fires these days start that way, just because of short-circuiting.

Well, we can't help it if you guys insist on getting it wrong!

Can't stop... I'm off to sting my lunch.

Well please don't get stung by a mosquito's stinger-like proboscis in the process.

Mossies, snakes, all muddy the water where combination of mouth parts and injection is concerned, but nobody ever talks about being "stung" by snake --- because biting gets done by mouthparts, however weirdly adapted they may be.

two 6 mile walks in two days in weather that is not blazing hot for a change and a delicious gong meditation last night at a local yoga studio....