Dangerous Insect Bites!

[mrrsm]

Around 3 AM today I opted to carry the trash to the curb for Wednesday Pick Up and apparently, while walking back into the house… Something must have dropped down out of my enormous Oak Tree and landed on my clothing and later falling off on to the couch next to my right side. At some point a little later… I thought I must have picked up some chemicals in the bathroom while gathering the trash earlier that where perhaps some caustic or acid based stuff that must have gotten on my lower right forearm... as I could feel a steady burning sensation that very quickly devolved into a sensation that someone had burned my arm with a Red-Hot Welding Rod... while hitting my “Funny Bone” with a Ball Peen Hammer at the very same time... and it has been getting steadily worse for a few hours.

It was coincidental that I needed to charge up my Apple Ipad Air II and after leaning over to plug it in… I felt a second. Emerging burning sensation further up and just behind my elbow and when I moved my arm upwards… a fuzzy ball about 3/4” long fell off of my arm and thinking it was not related to the awful thing I was dealing with and that it was probably just some couch fuzz… But right after I grabbed it... I realized that its was a Fat, Furry Insect of some kind.

But on closer inspection … I also realized that I could not make Ass, Heads or Tails out of the damned thing and decided to Google a variation on entomology that involved caterpillars that bite and sting and look like House Cats. I finally ran across what is now becoming popularly called “The Trump Bug” based upon its Orange stripe down its back and spine and sandy gray- blond looking body fuzz. But beyond that was the fact that this “Woolly Slug” is also called "The ASP Bug" and represents one incredible bundle of agony if you dare to touch it. If you've ever wielded ... or been struck with an ASP Baton Weapon... you'll know what that implies.

This Dreadful Insect had stung me not just once… but twice on the same arm and that I was about to take the Worst “E-Ticket” Roller-Coaster Ride of Pain you will ever imagine... one that is not likely to be outdone on anyone’s Pain Scale… If THIS Thing Bites you… Well… My God... Just watch the videos and show these to your kids and family if you live south of The Mason Dixon Line and advise them all to Beware the Most Dangerous Caterpillar present mostly during April and November in North and South America!

I followed the suggestions on WebMD to use various kinds of Adhesive Tape to cover the two locations gently and then pull the tape off so that the broken off venom barbs could be extracted and then in vain…. I put on some Lidocaine Aspercreme covering the wounds in order to try to dull the intense pain. And so in the absence of any dramatic anaphylactic reactions to the toxins… It looks like I am in for around 12 hours of this sensation that has GOT to be right up there with the bite from a Bullet Ant! If my arm and hand and fingers will stop throbbing like Hammered Sh*t… I might finally get to sleep after being up all night with this trouble. So if you have Pin-Oak or Sycamore Trees around your property… get familiar with All Three Phases of this critter...because it is harmful in all three of them! I took some pictures so you can compare the the thing that got me with the others mentioned at the links above:

 

[DAlastDON]

Ouch. If i see one him is getting squashed.

 

[Redbeard]

Several months ago I read about them being here in Tampa. Damn bad news. Hope you get back to normal quickly.

 

[mrrsm]

We have had an inordinately long Spring Pollen Season that very soon will allow one of the Most Dangerous Insects in The World to hatch out and begin consuming the new growth of Pin Oaks and other deciduous trees down here in Florida. The “Very Bad Guy” in this story is something that will not grow to be 3/4” long… and it will be covered in very fine… very soft looking exterior hairs that give it the Tan-Tope and even Orange colored “Fur” that gives this Flaxx Moth’s Caterpillar its name:

The Puss Bug aka The ASP Bug

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/DANGEROUSINSECTS?sort=3&page=1

(Also known as… The Trump Bug) due to the Yellow Orange Ridge along the length of its spine. These insects also have the annoyingly attractive look of a creature that upon first view… looks so very cuddly that anyone would imagine picking it up without a second thought. If this happens… those “soft” exterior hairs will penetrate the skin like thousands of Wire Barbs or Fish Hooks….and bury themselves deep into the skin. But that is only the beginning… for along its upper spine and running down its sides are these extremely sharp and pointy Spines that are Filled With Poison that is so incredibly painful and long lasting that… well… having been stung twice by the same damned insect, these are the expressions I later used to describe what it felt like as I writhed in agony for an entire day.

I tipped out with my cane to walk across the yard and pick up the morning paper. It was not even daylight yet. After I sat down… I felt a strange tingling sensation on the back of my neck and I instinctively brushed it off and quickly looked around initially, thinking it was a Bumble Bee. I went on an immediate search of my couch to find it and kill it before it could sting my wife and have her die from Anaphylactic Shock due to her having an extreme allergy to Bee Venom.

As I did so… I lowered my right forearm right down on top of this creature on the seat cushion… and it instantly buried all of its spines into the bottom area half way between my wrist and and my elbow. Not in one place... but two... Once again… I brushed it off and could see a rash like welt suddenly begin poking out tiny beads of sweat...ostensibly around the areas where the spines had sunk in and so deeply penetrated. Within just a few minutes… My arm started to ache as though it had been struck with a Louisville Slugger Bat wielded by Jose Canseco. The pain increased in volume so rapidly that I could hardly catch my breath. Never one to panic… I cranked up my laptop and found some online images and information from the Poison Control site that scared the Hell out of me. My arm and shoulder began to become rigid and felt like Hammered Sh*t…!

I followed the directions offered there by using some Duct Tape over the entire site several times to stick to the in-dwelling Poison Spines and Hairs and I tried pulling them out as much as I could stand the pain of contact with anything. My head was pounding like a trip hammer… and no matter what I did… I could not stop the driving pain I was feeling. The best example I can give is for everyone to imagine they have have lost their balance and fallen straight down onto a rough gravel road… followed by having a Cement Mixer Truck roll over one of their arms; from wrist to shoulder… and remain parked there ...for 24 hours.

Can you imagine what would happen if a child picked one of these damned things up after seeing its cute-curly little tail swishing back and forth like a Puppy Dog? Jesus Wept… So if you live south of the Mason Dixon Line …. gather your family together around some of the Youtube Videos on this Horrible Insect and show them these images, giving them all fair warning that its HANDS OFF for this damned Puss Bug! In April and again in November of every year… This Deadly Insect makes its appearance… so if you see an extremely furry looking Hairy Gray Moths hovering around your Front Door lamp or setting on the screens, etc… and if you have Pin Oak and Hyacinth Trees nearby… Beware.

 

[northcreek]

Man that's something straight off another planet. I thought we had it bad with Conifer seed bugs but, all they do is stink when you squash one.

 

[mrrsm]

I’m sure that by now everyone is wondering why I have focused on learning as much as I can about Dangerous Insect Entomology and Morphology...but with me ...this topic is ALWAYS Personal. Ordinarily around this time of year, I would bump this Original Thread about The Dreadful Trump Bug. But in this instance, its even worse. Yesterday, late in the evening, I got a frantic call from my Next Door Neighbor that she was drawn to the sound of a loud, droning and humming coming from the west side of my home. She ventured over from her side of the Cypress Fence to investigate and looked up towards the Chimney area of my house to observe a HUGE, agitated Swarm of Bees around a Honeycomb Bee Hive fastened to the eaves of my Roof Line. She was concerned enough that I should know about it and take action soonest lest her two German Shepherd Dogs get attacked by the occupants. I’m not usually startled by many things anymore… but this event stopped me dead in my tracks after finding THIS:

AFRICANIZEDBEEHIVE

Explore this photo album by Mr. RSM Mr. RSM on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

Almost a life time ago, my wife became so sensitive to any Insect Venom after receiving a single Red Ant bite on her sandaled foot that that sent her to the Emergency Room in complete Anaphylactic Shock. So that for the last forty years or so, she's had to carry around a perpetually renewed prescription for an Epinephrine "Epi-Pen” with her at all times. So... as gently as I could, I broke the news to her that she would have to remain indoors over the next few days until I can sort out this problem.

Most of the time, I would simply come up with a plan to eradicate any issues with Hornets, Mud Daubers or Paper Wasp Nests… but having seen too many science shows about this very topic as the Africanized Bees have migrated northward from South America and finally made land fall in Florida over the last few years, I knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before they would show up in our area. But NIMBY, Dammit! (Not In MY Back Yard). So ...Welcome to Florida...Where the reality of Global Warming brings New and Dangerous Surprises to us Every Day:

Back in1956, some self-Involved Jackass name Warwick Esteban Kerr decided to play God as a Geneticist by bringing in a breeding line of Five African Queen Bees, literally...straight from “The Dark Continent” over to the Western Hemisphere to his country of Brazil. His “Great Idea” was that he would improve the performance, hardiness and Honey Making ability of the local Honey Bees by cross-breeding the two species.

Naturally… as with all Science Fiction and Horror Stories that begin with a basis of truth, this Real Life Nightmare began with his purported efforts to “Do something Special… For All Mankind…” and that silly notion went sideways in 1957 when the Hybrid Hives he was creating were exposed to the freedom of flight out into the Brazilian Jungles ...and then the Real Fun Started.

Even before the Africanized Honey Bees escaped out into our side of the world… Kerr’s Crack-Pot experiments with these insects proved not to be the wonderful kind of hybrid insects that would be as cooperative and productive as the original Honey Bees were for as long as the two continents had been separated and their unique life forms co-evolving in quite different ways.

First, the “New Bees” displayed a propensity to deviate from the Pollen and Nectar gathering you’ve seen a thousand times in “Disney Cartoons” from plants like Orange Blossoms… exclusively... like their more tame and domestic minded Sister Bees had been doing… and they began introducing Pollen materials from a wide range of strange plants that they fed on opportunistically. Of course this meant that entire hive honeycomb crops were ruined after the Honey proved to taste more like Ragweed than like Orange Blossom Honey. Ooops...

And if THAT wasn’t enough to convince Kerr and his Crew to destroy those Cross-Bred Lines… these newly created Hybrids also displayed a tendency for aggression that would call attention that hearkened back to the Genetics that created their Pure African Sister Bees that co-evolved with the likes of THIS Bad Ass Animal… One that has often been tagged as The Meanest, Toughest Animal on The Planet Earth: The Honey Badger:

So now… after having built-in all of its adaptive defenses over millions of years to survive in the most hostile places on Earth… Now… Kerr and his Crew have brought all of their baggage to the Western Hemisphere and discovered that the Most Dangerous of these Traits from this Breeding Stock have wound up becoming dominant in the New Hybrid Sister Bees. In time, this would become all too obvious after some unsuspecting Animals and Human Beings wandered too close to their Hives; close enough to trigger hyper-aggressive swarms of these “Africanized” Honey Bees that would pursue their victims beyond any close proximity to their Hives and relentlessly sting them to death. There favorite targets were the Eyes, Face Nostrils and Mouths. Watch how they attack towards this Very Nervous Beekeeper’s Head and Face protected under his Bee Suit Hood.

Further study proved that depending upon certain triggers, such as the presence of concentrated Carbon Dioxide in the air nearby their new nests… such as when exhaled air is detected or when certain loud noises or persistent vibrations such as from Weed Whackers and Lawn Mowers were being used. But once they made their move… escape would be well nigh impossible, as these New Hybrid Bees would pursue any escaping Animal or Person for very great distances, constantly renewing attacks until the perceived threatening creature was helplessly brought down to the ground.

This morning, I reconned the area from a safe distance and took some more images to present to a local Professional Beekeeper with the facts about its size, location, height from the ground and the fact that the Damned Honey Comb Filled Thing is fastened at the apex between my Chimney and the Concrete Outer Wall rather than having penetrated inside of the roof or attic, so they can plan on how to come and take that Hive away with much less risk of being destructive in order to gain access the Hive Queen, Brood Combs and Honey Combs.

I realize that it would be the easiest thing in the world to just ‘Kill Them All’ using a basic solution of Hot Water mixed with Dawn Dish Soap in a Pump Sprayer (it actually suffocates them much more effectively than using Insecticides) but things might get out of hand Real Quick… and there is no way that I could ever out run them if they decided to come and get this “Old Man”. If you ever find anything like this... leave either the eradication and/or any Hive Transfer to the Experts. If you make any mistakes when poking and prodding around these things... it could cost you your life.

 

[northcreek]

I found this article while researching if the AHB can survive up here in NY (seems they can't) but, the article did have good information on the transformation to present day.

Africanized Honey Bees (AHB)

Mapped migration and History of Africanized Honey Bees from South America beginning 1957. Facts and future outlook of the Hybrid AHB.

www.adkinsbeeremoval.com

 

[mrrsm]

Well it turns out that even as Nasty as these Critters can be on a very windy and inordinately cool Saturday Morning... The Bee Man "Joe" from Florida Bee Removal came over after I called them and he showed up to solve this problem in less than 30 Minutes. After explaining that the Job could cost as much as $425.00 to complete, he suited up in what looked like a complete, 1960s Space Suit from head to toe. Then while using some kind of Special Container Bag... he managed to set up his support ladder and slip it around the entire, smoke subdued Hive quickly enough to trap almost all of the Bees with the Honey Combs and the Queen safely inside.

Clearwater | Florida Bee Removal

floridabeeremoval.com

Then, while using a sharp, spatula-like knife... he sawed through all of the 'waxy connective tissues' holding the Hive Combs to the underside of the Aluminum Soffit and the Hive with Queen and Worker Bees all dropped down inside and were then secured as quickly as Boiled Asparagus. Afterwards, he sprayed down the surrounding areas with some type of special chemicals to discourage and kill any of the returning, left-over foraging Bees. So now I am "Sans All Killer Bees...", except for a few dozen dazed and confused Sisters left flying around where the nest had once been with that, "Hey... WTF Happened to the Queen....?" sort of look on their Pissed Off, Bug-Eyed Kissers.

Now, my wallet is $325.00 lighter, but with all that said and done... it was well worth every Penny just to get rid of this Dangerous Nuisance Bee Hive quickly, safely and efficiently and NOT have to do the job myself. Here are the Updated of the last four Images showing this one is "In The Can... and Problem Solved":

AFRICANIZEDBEEHIVE

Explore this photo album by Mr. RSM Mr. RSM on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[Daniel644]

I get all kinds of centipede/millipede looking things around here, I smash them all with whatever object I have nearby, never with my body in case they are one of the bad ones.

 

[mrrsm]

Well... As if I don't have enough to worry about right now with the COVID-19 Black Cloud hanging over me... These Goddamned Africanized Bees ARE BACK. But THIS time, since I caught their "Building Efforts" early enough as far as the size of the Hive, so I'm not paying for the Expensive Bee & Hornet Hive Removal Services to get them out of there and risk getting the CORONA VIRUS by having to be face to face with the "Bee Removal Expert".

Instead, I've Ordered a Complete Bee Keepers (Head to Toe) Suit, a 1 Gallon Garden Spray Unit and a Bee Keepers "Smoker" Kit with tools... all for just under $80.00. According to what I've read and watched on YouTube... rather than use either Spectracide or any other potent Insecticide in great clouds that I have to inhale or get on my skin around me while having to spray upwards and into the roof drafts around my Chimney... The "Bad Ass Bee Experts" have advocated just using THIS Simple Eradication Method for a VERY Effective Bee Killing Spree (Soak 'em All Down -N- Drown 'em):

(1) An Ounce or Two of Dawn Dish Soap.
(2) Mixed up in One Gallon of Water.
(3) Using a Pressurized Garden Sprayer-Wand.
(4) Covered up in Complete "Bee Suit" Protection along with a "Smoker" to calm them down.
(5) Follow up with using an Insecticide sprayed liberally around the Removed Hive Location.

Thank God for Amazon's "No Knock" Door Step Delivery!

 

[mrrsm]

Trying to play "Mr. Nice Guy" with these Bees did NOT work. When they came back and started to rebuild their nest this time, I took off 'The Kid Gloves" (actually I put ON the Awesome Pro Bee Suit & Gloves) and went after them with Both Barrels using the Black Flag Propane Fogger ...pumping out huge clouds of the Black Flag Fogger Liquid Killer Bug Stuff and Liquid Insecticide Spray
.
First, I directed the Deadly Fog up and into and through the tiny air holes in the Soffit & Fascia. Then I liberally doused the outer areas and underside of the aluminum painted areas with a Pump Sprayer using a Water Mixture to get the stuff all over the place. I did this for three straight days until finally...on the fourth day, I could walk around the area and tap on the underside of the Soffit and not hear that horrible angry, roaring sound of thousands of Pissed Off Africanized Honey Bees.

Look... I really am with Einstein when it comes to believing that "As the Bees Die Off... So goes Mankind..." and I really bent over backwards to give them all a fair chance to FO....But they would NOT take the "Soapy Water" Hint! So ...Euthanizing the entire Hive was my last resort... and hopefully this WILL be the last time I see them around my home. Don't take my word for how serious a problem this can become for YOU, Your Wife, Your Children and Your Animals if God Forbid they should EVER disturb one of these Hives. Just watch what this Professional Bee Keeper went through along similar lines with... and finally had to do what I just did against

...One Badass and Dangerous Bee Hive!:

EDIT:

These are the BEST WIKIs I've found so far that covers this topic completely:

Identifying and Dealing with Africanized Honey Bees:

https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Africanized-Honey-Bees

How to Safely Remove a Bee Hive:

https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Bees

 

[mrrsm]

Just when you thought that "Africanized Honey Bees" were the WORST... along comes a Giant Bug that BITES and CHEWS so fast and furiously, that a mere handful of them can wipe out entire Bee Colonies with as many as 60,000 Bees, killing them off by savage decapitation involving the Female Workers and Drones in just a matter of hours. Here comes "Vespa Mandarinia" The Giant Asian Hornet.

Afterwards,,, they chew up all of the Baby Bees in the Brood into a disgusting, Pulpy Larvae Dough to carry back to their Nest and Feed to their Voraciously Hungry Baby Giant Hornet Young. These Meat-Eating Giant Hornets are as 'Big as Buicks ...with WINGS' and have HUGE, Powerful Serrated Scissor Jaws on the Front End and a Hellaciously Big Killer Venom Stinger on the Rear!

Wait.... Didn't I see a Documentary about these 'Dangerous Insects' on the Discovery Channel... and Wasn't THAT happening over in Japan?

Yup ...That USED to be the case... but unfortunately, some IDIOT thought it would be 'cute' to bring a Queen's Brood over to the Good Old USA and allow them out into our continental environment... and so THIS is what has been happening up in Blaine, Washington, USA November and Decmber of 2019:

"Yellow Leggged Murder Hornets":

Cutting out an Asian Giant Hornet Nest... Think Alien Face Hugger Egg Sac:

Dreadful Outcome of a Single Sting:

feature=emb_rel_end

 

[gmcman]

No way....no chance, that is happening. I'm not afraid of bees, but those who approach the large nests to exterminate have a different level of fearlessness.

I'm going to hit them with a flame thrower from a tank or drop a fuel air bomb...lol.

 

[Mooseman]

And just regular hornets in general are everywhere. I just killed a nest on the front of my house and they're still around in my back yard. Don't know where this other nest is. Everywhere we go there are hornets. Weird.

 

[mrrsm]

I've seen Videos from the Canada regions that show just exactly how dangerous dealing with Hornets and Yellow Jacket Nests can be. But as far as I'm concerned... the secondary effects of Global Warming are "Settled Science". And THIS is an example of how insects WILL increasingly proliferate in Hotter Climes moving further and further up into the higher latitudes of the Earth. Please notice how Normal Bees behave that have not had their Hives taken over by the Super-Survivor Africanized Queen Bees making them absurdly violent.

THIS is an example of what Insects will do in the presence of excessive heat:

I've lived long enough to provide the perfect example of how much Hotter things have become over the last 31 years:

On December 17th, 1989, I got called out from home to track down and arrest a Car Thief and his accomplice on a Auto Theft Case I was working. I located the Buyer and Seller getting ready to meet up in a Shopping Center via Binoculars while watching Cigarette Butts piling up alongside one suspect's vehicle....indicating he had been waiting quite some time.

But it was the Icy Steam Vapor from the exhaust of the other culprit that lead me to him. This all concluded nicely with their eventual arrest and the safe recovery of a Beautiful Brand New Chevrolet Red & White Camaro Z-28... hidden away in a Garage just a few miles away.

Earlier in the day, though... I'd noticed that the ambient temps were rapidly dropping down into the 40's ...so before I'd started my surveillance, I'd stopped into a local 'Monkey Wards' and bought ...of all things...A Goose Down, Hooded Arctic Coat... Just in case I would need it...and Brother, would I NEED it.

It was much later on that I noticed the two Uniformed Officers who were assisting me were wearing No Jackets, and were attempting to get the car towed and the paper-work finished. They were so ill equipped and so cold ...that at 17 Degrees above Zero ... I finally took pity upon them and sent them BOTH back inside their Heated Cruisers while I filled out their paperwork and did the field work myself. While all THAT was happening... It began to SNOW...HARD...And I Mean Full-Sized Flake Snow --I Mean ...Cold Enough for the Snow to Stick to the Ground.

Thirty One Years Later... Our year round Temps down here now in Florida seldom get below 60 Degrees... and THOSE days are VERY few and far between and only happen when the Jet Stream allows either Arctic or Canadian "GWN" Cold Spells to reach all the way down over America far enough south to have any effect on us. In the time in between... Three Decades on... the Earth has definitely HEATED UP...and the COLONIAL INSECTS always take advantage of this reality.

Right now... The Russian Tundra (Ancient, Frozen Peat Bogs) Perma-Frost has been melting away at such a rate that the Ancient Frozen Methane Hydrate is sublimating directly into Methane Gas such that all you need to do to Start a Fire in Siberia...is Poke a Hole in the Ice... and LIGHT IT!

Swimming... in Siberia?