What You Need To Know About Yellow Jackets!
These Enchanted offerings are intended to nourish your body, mind, and soul. Hopefully this one also keeps you safe.
This past week, two people and one dog that I know have been stung by yellow jackets multiple times. Here are a few things you need to know:
Yellow Jackets: According to pest-rite.com, “Yellow jackets are a thin ground-nesting wasp with bee-like stripes, but unlike a bee, yellow jackets have the ability to sting you multiple times. When a yellow jacket stings you, it pierces your skin with its stinger and injects a poisonous venom that causes sudden pain. You may also experience inflammation or redness around the sting a few hours after being stung. Fatigue, itching, and warmth around the injection site are also common symptoms for many people.” For those who are allergic, the sting can be deadly and immediate medical attention is required.
What Attracts Them: Meat and open cans of soda or other sweet drinks, as well as perfume or sweet-smelling cologne, shampoo, body spray, etc. They become most aggressive in late summer.
What To Do If One Lands On You: Don’t swat it. Try to remain calm. Move slowly and gently brush it away if possible.
How to Avoid Getting Stung: There are yellow jacket traps and sprays and RESCUE makes devices you can wear as a clip-on repellent or put on your picnic table as shield to repel them. These repellents are made from essential oils. Yellow jackets don’t like the scent of spearmint, peppermint oil or any mint-scented oil. Peppermint oil naturally repels all sorts of pests, including yellow jackets, wasps, flies and spiders. Grow lemongrass, thyme, or spearmint in your garden. According to alaska-pest, rather then spraying toxic chemicals, place cucumber slices in a single layer in an aluminum dish. The reaction gives off a chemical scent that’s undetectable to humans but unappealing to yellow jackets. Some people put dryer sheets in their mailboxes to keep swarms away or put them under their picnic tablecloths. (BTW, I don’t recommend using them in your dryer!)
Avoid going near the yellow jacket nests. They will swarm and aggressively chase you several yards from their nest. They can live in the ground or nest in the base of a tree. They are very social and will join together to protect their nest.
What To Do If You Get Stung-General guidelines from the Mayo Clinic for mild reactions: -Move to a safe area to avoid more bites or stings. -Remove the stinger-by scraping rather than with tweezers. -Wash the area with soap and water. -Apply a cool compress. Use a cloth dampened with cold water or filled with ice. This helps reduce pain and swelling. If the injury is on an arm or leg, elevate it. -Apply 0.5 or 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion or a baking soda paste to the bite or sting several times daily until your symptoms go away. -Take an antihistamine (Benadryl, others) to reduce itching.
When To Seek Emergency Care: Call 911 or your local emergency number if the injured person experiences: Difficulty breathing Swelling of the lips, eyelids or throat Dizziness, faintness or confusion Rapid heartbeat Hives Nausea, cramps or vomiting.
Be watchful and safe and remember to stay enchanted!
DISCLAIMER: Information in this newsletter is not intended to treat nor replace advice from your doctor. Seek medical attention immediately if indicated in your unique situation. I’m not an affiliate of RESCUE products. I support the idea of being able to repel dangerous yellow jackets but there are instances that call for their elimination, which can be researched by the reader.