It is amazing to me how well I can block things from memory! My forearm started hurting this afternoon and I felt the area where I was stung yesterday and it is huge, red and hot! I looked in my garden bookmarks and saw a bunch of yellow jacket sites saved! Then it all came back to me! A fine kettle of fish! My arm is swollen, red and hot -my elbow and wrist aches... and we are out of wine to help my whining! Luckily it is a localized reaction and will be gone in 5-7 days! My real question is, how does one avoid these guys if we are all in the same yard? I can be trimming an azalea bush and the honey bees just go on with their work and we leave each other alone. But, yellow jackets! Oh My! They are just evil! I was wondering if anyone tried spraying their clothes with Pinesol? I get so dirty gardening, that spraying pinesol can only help in the shower, so would spray it keep them away? delayed sensitivity reaction! ( photo / image / picture from CrisGzr's Garden )
Barb, I have a five year old bag of frozen black-eyed peas that I use. But, anything cold really hurts worse! I am quickly fading out from Benadryl and campari on ice.... that might be the cure!
Something I have heard of, but have never tried myself. Tape a penny over a bee or wasp sting for about 15 to 20 minutes then remove it. The copper is supposed to counter act the sting. Something I have tried is using mud. Put mud on the sting, let it dry, and then scratch it off with your fingernail. The mud drys onto the stinger and then when you scratch the mud off, it pulls the stinger out. I have used that dozens of times and always works for me.
Try the plantain as a poultice. heat the leaves til they wilt (with a lighter) and apply them to the site. See if that helps. You never know. I have used them fresh and they worked wonderfully for a bee sting between the toes. I just kind of mashed it up with my hands and applied it.
Seen on news Lot more bees this year. But Customer had Jerry spray for wasps. And 2 have epic pens to give them self shot. I have it -allergy to med I was taking.And Doc friend showed where to give it to myself.Denver Mud is good drawing salve. But will stain any clothing you where.
Ice worked best the first day. I spent a lot of time on Thursday and Friday, reading online... I now know what to do next time! Lot's of ice, benadryl and motrin. It might reduce or prevent the secondary reaction. Carolyn, I did try plantain the next day, but it made it itch worse! LOL Plantain might work on the fresh sting but not for me the next day! Camomile flowers made a poultice that provided relief. Right now I have a hardened swollen area the about 2 inches in diameter, the skin feels bumpy. It doesn't ache like it did last year! That hurt like a bad bruise for 2 weeks, so this is much better. The other thing I learned was gross, you have to watch closely for infections -due to the food yellow jackets eat: poo and carrion! yuck! Also, if you search "seconday yellow jacket reaction" you can read hundreds of people describing their agony, one woman said she had three children and the yellow jacket stings were worse than childbirth! I don't feel so bad about whining now! LOL I will be buying some yellow jacket traps, they seemed to work a few years ago but I just forgot about them! Koszta, I don't need an epi pen, I'm lucky that my allergic reaction is local not systemic. I only get the secondary reaction the next day. Also, it's only yellow jackets and I seem to run faster than them. My husband found the nest and poured pinesol into the opening today and then dropped a big rock on the opening! Yesterday, I saw one but I had pre-sprayed the area I was working with Pinesol so it stayed away! I LOVE THAT STUFF!
Well Cris, I really hope you are feeling A-Okay soon. Such a bummer to feel so bad in a spot like that. I think the plantain does work best if it is used immediately. You aren't allergic to it by any chance are you? I wouldn't think that was normal to make it feel worse. You might want to try soaking your arm in epsoms salt now. It may make the itchiness feel better and reduce some of the inflammation.
I have heard of that Koszta, did it help? I plan on asking a farmer this year for some fresh tobacco leaves to save for poultices. We were given cuban cigars many years ago, I need to find them!
