Wasp Stings - A Good Year?

[Alien8]

Got stung by a wasp whilst out on my bike yesterday.

That's the 4th time this year - normally just one sting a year would be unusual.

Minor swelling around the face which disappears after a day or two.

A bit of googling claims 2025 is a good year for wasps and pharmacies are reporting an increase in patients with stings.

Maybe I should stop wearing my yellow and black striped jersey.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've never been stung by a wasp. I've had one bee sting (a couple of years ago) They just don't like me. Or maybe they do like me, and treat me nicely.

 

[fossyant]

I've had two recently, one rather unpleasant ! Previously, the only time I was stung was when removing a wasp nest (or the remains of one) - little bugger got me between the eye brows. No others in 55 years.

This year, we were camping - we'd arrived at Portmeirion camper site, had a good wander round the village and a swim in the hotel pool. Just chilling out next to the van with a beer. Went and grabbed a shower (as we were eating at the Castle). Carried on drinking my can of beer after. As I got to the end took a sip, argh - a wasp was in the bottom and stung the roof on my mouth. Mad dash to get anti-histamine as you never know in such a sensitive area (especially wind pipe area). Was a bit sore, but more of a shock. Roof of mouth was numb for a couple of days.

Then recently, washing the car, one decided to land on my wrist and sting me - no buzzing around, just went for it.

 

[Evil_Breakfast]

This year, we were camping - we'd arrived at Portmeirion camper site, had a good wander round the village and a swim in the hotel pool. Just chilling out next to the van with a beer. Went and grabbed a shower (as we were eating at the Castle).

Being a hardcore Prisoner fan (as my avatar suggests), always wanted to go.
Because I don't drive, it would be a massive ball-ache to get there.
Ho hum.

 

[Red17]

I always notice a few more around this time of year, generally around the windfall fruit on the allotment. Definitely seem more aggressive at the moment possibly due to feeding on the fermenting fruit

 

[annedonnelly]

It's been a bumper year for insects in general. I don't know if it's usual as I've just moved here but I've had three wasps nests in the garden and at least one in the loft. The two in the sheds are massive - about the size of footballs. Amazing structures. They built one in a bird box but once they'd finished the blue tits got their own back and attacked it, presumably eating the wasp eggs or grubs.

 

[Chief Broom]

Some years ago I hit a nest while strimming....because i had on a helmet and visor i was slow to see what was going on and then jeez.....They stung every bit of exposed skin and got into my clothing! i legged it and when a good distance away i had to strip off [including trousers] to extricate the little ****ards! Good job im not allergic.....

 

[Dogtrousers]

Some years ago I hit a nest while strimming....because i had on a helmet and visor i was slow to see what was going on and then jeez.....They stung every bit of exposed skin and got into my clothing! i legged it and when a good distance away i had to strip off [including trousers] to extricate the little ****ards! Good job im not allergic.....

Similar thing happened to me while strimming. I saw insects emerging and ran. But they weren't wasps, turned out they were ground bees, which are very chilled out. I recovered where they were with bits of vegetation and they were OK with that.

 

[ktmbiker58]

I always notice a few more around this time of year, generally around the windfall fruit on the allotment. Definitely seem more aggressive at the moment possibly due to feeding on the fermenting fruit

During the summer the wasps take carrion back to the nest for the grubs and get sweet sticky stuff in return, in the autumn the colony breaks down so there is no sweet stuff in the nest so they come after your Cornish Mivvy and anything else sweet.

 

[classic33]

Stung in a sensitive area for a lad many years ago, and on the backside.
Made sleep hard come by that night.

 

[tyred]

Some years ago I hit a nest while strimming....because i had on a helmet and visor i was slow to see what was going on and then jeez.....They stung every bit of exposed skin and got into my clothing! i legged it and when a good distance away i had to strip off [including trousers] to extricate the little ****ards! Good job im not allergic.....

When I was about 5 or 6 and out playing, I disturbed a wasps nest. I didn't know what it was and decided to investigate. I had wasps up my shirt and everything and was stung from head to toe.

I learned not to do that again!

 

[PaulSB]

During the summer the wasps take carrion back to the nest for the grubs and get sweet sticky stuff in return, in the autumn the colony breaks down so there is no sweet stuff in the nest so they come after your Cornish Mivvy and anything else sweet.

Plus two other factors, the queen stops laying eggs and is preparing to leave leading to confusion in the colony and the nest population has grown considerably creating greater competition for food sources.

 

[PaulSB]

Ah, disturbing a wasp's nest! We live in a mill village, there are lodges (large ponds) constructed to store water to feed to the mill. We have an allotment close to one of the lodges. There was a large nest in the greenhouse and as we had three small children Mrs P tasked me with removing it. She told me with great confidence the wasps would be quiet and dozy in the evening. I'm not sure what was supposed to happen but after dusk Paul went to the greenhouse and knocked down the nest. A little later Paul reappeared at the house soaking wet and muddy. An angry swarm of wasps chased him up the allotment, through the gate and to the lodge which Paul jumped into to escape the little buggers.

Out walking one summer with Mrs P and a friend. We are all is shorts, T-shirts, carrying rucksacks and poles. We are walking down a relocated footpath across farmland, dead straight, four foot wide and fenced with barbed wire. Paul is 40/50 yards ahead when a runner approaches, Paul carries on. The next thing Mrs P and friend see is Paul start to run waving his pole, throw off his hat, throw off rucksack, tear off T-shirt and continue to sprint in walking boots and shorts.

Mrs P and friend are thinking WTF and helpless with laughter. We think the runner stepped on a wasps nest, the angry swarm emerged and I walked in to it. I had no idea what was happening and the flight instinct took over. Mrs P counted 50+ stings.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Not noticed any significant difference tbh. But I was stung badly last year when strimming my parents hedge. Two got me in the stomach/ribs. I was trying to get the strimmer off whilst walking back to the house and didn't realize one of the blighters was still attached. Worst sting I've ever had.

Also, I was bitten twice by spiders this year

 

[OldShep]

Last stung by a wasp aged 14. I’m 73 now.
We are overun with badgers in this area and they have given the ground bees a hammering. Come across three nests in the ground perfectly cleaned out.