Need Help Keeping Bees Buzzing at a Distance

Hi Everyone -
Thought this might be a good forum to ask advice.
My husband was stung yesterday by a bee - he THINKS he might have brushed a stinger away but is not sure. So if 'yes' to the stinger -- a honeybee I guess but I don't see them often. Yellow Jackets are plentiful thanks to the mulch and the wood on the ground and the agastache... but they don't leave stingers... He was outside putting out mulch and brushed the leaves from a J.Maple away as he was passing by. Anyway, hand blew up quick..within 10 min..hives under arms and trunk and groin - diffuse itching and bright red skin. Reaction away from the 'sting' is bad as you all know. When the lips and nasal passages started swelling - and I realized that deeper mast cells were impacted, we went to the Urgent Care. (I got scolded for that decision by the docs --as I knew I would --but I got two doses of Benedryl in him quick and it didn't look like it was escalating and the ambulance would never have found our little road --and he has that life insurance policy...(snort!) Anyway, now he has to go to allergist --learn the type of wasp/bee it was and then start years of immunotherapy to lessen another reaction. Next time could be worse..... So..... with this long explanation comes the question: Do you have any landscape/gardening tips for me? I know to get rid of the Agastache - at least move from the walkway. But is there anything you found chemical wise (I know how you hate to read about chemicals, but next time we might not be so lucky) to deter the wasps from coming round? What flowers have you found to be less of a magnet for the bees/wasps? I noticed that guara, lantana, (that is what is blooming now) seem ok -the agastache are near the walking stick verbena and so I am not sure about those. (I just JUST put in a mess of bee balm....) Will they sting through clothes? Will skin treatment deter (somehow I think a PO'd threatened bee/wasp doesn't care if you've greased up with anything..) Any info, tips, thoughts appreciated. We did get an epi pen. He doesn't wear cologne when in the garden. And, I've never seen him wear florals --and no glow in the dark materials either. There is no way I can get him to stand still and not swat -- I know not to do that. Thanks Everyone.

Hi, would check with local Agriculture Agent about bee attracting flowers , which would give you a start on what to give away. I haven't noticed a major attraction to daylily and iris. Wasps love mud puddles, I have mud daublers as I have a bog garden. We have 4 varieties of wasps/hornets, bumblebees and hideously few bees
There are traps., but the one I had didn't discriminate. I had to have an exterminator 2x..once when yellow jackets moved into the attic and once for ground bees-nasty things. I got stung once-smushed it-dropped drawers in the garden and pulled the stinger and venom sac out- %$% hurt a lot. Is there something that you can do with the mulch- maybe baking soda would discourage them hanging out. Just a guess.
With the bee population decline in my area, the things I have to watch are the wasps and definitely NOT pet a bumblebee again..they are very private and get annoyed at that-sure hurt ..I often feel such a part of nature that common sense stays on the couch.
Definitely pin an epi pen to his shirt, shoes,
I do have a mosquito shirt-don't wear ( ???) , but I don't think it would even slow down a wasp.
A canvas long sleeve or maybe a shirt of the stuff they make windbreakers out of- both would seem to be too tight/tough to get stinger through.
Wishing good luck.

I had not considered calling the local Agri - great idea. I also did not think of rip-stop material another great idea --but I wonder how it breathes in the heat.

The daylily and iris sound great - but the deer nix the two.
I read about how to make a homemade trap --that will get thousands (!!) Then they go to the freezer and then to a baggie when all frozen and quiet. Sounds great --but somehow common sense tells me that it just takes one...

We have the ground bees too. I will see what the allergest says since they have to test for the type bee or wasp before the brew is made for the injections --and then research the habits.. but I bet he has allergies to all since he was desensitized from past stings..and I know they were yellow jackets --but he says this left a stinger ..so honeybee likely. thanks for the great suggestions. Sorry about your bum (smile) --you are right can't stroke a bumble bee!

Maybe check out beekeepers supply websites for bee-impervious clothing or hats, things that they would wear to keep from getting stung? It might seem a bit crazy, but if he knows he has to be outside and around where bees are likely to be, better safe than sorry. I bet they have bee keeper gloves too, for the handling of the hives. Probably stingers don't go through them. Just an idea!
Claire

Nevermind. :)

I hope your hubby feels well soon. :)

-Joe

This message was edited Jul 27, 2008 7:50 PM

Joe was in the middle of reading your post - and as usual my AOL disconnected. Got to the part about the stinger contracting after the sting. Missed the rest. Then you edited. Interesting about the stinger. Didn't know about that. I think he did pull it out right away.

As I was editing I looked up in the comments and found most of the points I had made already up there, which is why I deleted the whole thing. :)

The bit about the stinger was just that a bee stinger can be easily removed by scraping a credit card across it, perpendicular to the skin. The the venom gland is attached to the stinger, and enveloped in muscles which continue to contract for several minutes. Each contraction sends more venom into the victim. Pulling the sting will cause the contents of the venom sac to be injected into the victim, increasing the dose of the venom. Scraping it off will remove the stinger without discharging the remainder of the venom.

Once the sting is removed, as you are waiting for the ambulance, or while you are driving like a maniac , venom can be neutralized using either meat tenderizer or papaya juice (tenderizer is made from papaya juice.) Keep some meat tenderizer handy. It breaks down the proteins in the venom.

An allergic person needs to get to an emergency room ASAP, which you know. I was impressed you know about mast cells. :)

You know about the epi pen. I have two. I keep one for travel, and one at home.

I had to learn the habits of the things I am allergic to and learn how to deal with them. Hornets, in my case mean no uncovered drinks, never drink from an uncovered soda can that has been left to sit, avoid swarming areas, no sweet colognes, no brightly colored clothing, avoid brushing against vegetation that I know they may be on, and don't leave food or garbage laying out in the open. Don't make sudden moves around them, don't swat at them, and don't tease them or otherwise provoke them. I don't hang my arm out of the car window during hornet season (having a hornet blow up one's sleeve can lead to repeated stings.) If I find a nest, I call an expert and have them come to deal with the infestation.

Wasps and hornets are tempermental, and they will chase you if you run. Back *slowly* away from them.

I would suggest your husband read up on honeybees, or whatever it is he's allergic to. Study them, learn to recognize them, learn to recognize what they like, maybe talk to a beekeeper about them, find out how to discourage them. Honeybees are quite docile. If they do not feel threatened, they do not sting. I don't recommend this to an allergic person, but I have found single bees on cold mornings, and let them sit on my hand until they warm up enough to fly away. I have found even bumble bees, although curious, are not usually agressive. It's when the enormous pink thing a couple thousand times bigger than them, covered in sheets of fabric colored so pretty, smelling like the world's biggest flower, two feet away from them starts waving things at them and making loud noises that they get weirded out.

Possibly the bee was knocked off a flower and became trapped under loose clothing, provoking a sting. You might want to make sure shirts are cuffed, or tight sleeved, and long pants are worn when working around flowers bees like.

I also make sure whenever I travel to a new city that I know where the local hospital is located.

My only other input was about immunotherapy, injecting patients with diluted toxins to boost their immune system against them. For several years I was on a course for hornet venom and poison ivy. For me, they did not work. Being treated with weak versions of the thing you're sensitive to is essentially homeopathy.

Of course, this was back in the 80's. Things may have changed considerably since then. I hope the allergy tests have. :)

And I'm not a doc, so a grain of salt and this would mean you'd have a grain of salt. On the other hand, knock on wood, I have not been stung by a hornet since I reacted, back in the 70's.

-Joe

Addendum:

Yesterday (9/24) I was stung once, through my shirt. I got hot, sweaty, felt sick to my stomach, and I still have a welt, but I didn't have to go the ER. On the other hand, this is exactly how I reacted the last time I got a (single) hornet sting. Since I also still get severe poison ivy with just the lightest exposure to the oils, I stand by my previous statement regarding my personal experience with allergy shots.

This message was edited Sep 25, 2008 7:46 PM

Joe how do you know the shots didn't work? You haven't been stung !!! I hear that the immunotherapy is about 98% effective (unlike immuno for other things like asthma)(which is effective by not at 98%) Colors/fabrics that glow (Floresence??) really attract more than florals. Glad hubbies hippy days are over!! He was stung on hand...he had just taken off a glove to shake someones hand and was pushing past a japanese maple when he got nailed. Did not see the creature but said it left the stinger..hence my comment about the honeybee. Testing will tell. Another thing you may not know.... when you dose with the benedryl...take a zantac.... it also is an H inhibitor and helps the benedryl to work even better. Good to do when you are waiting for the big 'whack' that may come.

They didn't work on the poison ivy. You're absolutely right. %) But I will err on the side of caution. :)

Thank you for the zantac tip! :)))

-Joe