Hornet Sting Treatment

[Surplusman]

I've been stung a lot of times, but the sting of a bald-faced hornet was the worst. I guess I was lucky that the baking soda routine worked for me.

If you see a hornet nest where no one is going to hit it or fool with it, leave it alone. Bald-faced hornets love to kill flies, and the more they kill them the better I like it.

If you do cut one down as a decoration for the winter, I would suggest putting it in a
trash bag, spraying some bug bomb it it, and let it set for a while. Just to make sure. A friend of mine brought a hornet's nest into his living room from the cold and a little while later his house was full of p.o.'d hornets.

[Blue Jay]

These suggestions are good, however if you have none of them, chew a leaf of plantain and place it on the sting. Plantain is a very common broad leaf weed that grows in disturbed (shelter/trail) areas. I just looked on line to see if there are pictures and they're all over the place because people use it for cooking. It takes the sting right out. I got blasted by the ground ones once and was very glad I knew this trick.

[Deadeye]

Unfreakinbeleivable. In 3 pages of posts, not one suggestion to ask your doctor and/or get tested for allergic reaction?!

[Blue Jay]

Unfreakinbeleivable. In 3 pages of posts, not one suggestion to ask your doctor and/or get tested for allergic reaction?!

Unless your throat starts to tighten there is no need for a doctor and if it does you can be sure you'll be heading that way.

[Deadeye]

Unless your throat starts to tighten there is no need for a doctor and if it does you can be sure you'll be heading that way.

My point is to find out before you go out or you may need a coroner. If you're at all concerned about your reaction, get tested. I'm allergic - I carry epipens and benadryl, and hope for the best, but I still go out.

[Blissful]

Unless your throat starts to tighten there is no need for a doctor and if it does you can be sure you'll be heading that way.

You don't have much time if that happens. It happened to my son. The first sign we had is that he said his ears itched. Hives broke out, then he began swelling like a balloon. All in less than 30 minutes. We carry an epi pen now.

[Blue Jay]

My point is to find out before you go out or you may need a coroner.

You could have said that.

[Deadeye]

You could have said that.

True enough, and no offense was or is intended, but I'm always amazed when folks ask hikers questions that are best left to doctors. I mean tobacco juice and bleach??? Really? Once your throat starts to close up, you ain't gonna get from the trail to the ER, so you better be able to take care of it yourself. Home remedies might ease the sting, but they won't save your life.

[Tinker]

OK, so the hornets are out in force this time of year. No biggee if only a few stings. I'm not allergic. How about more than that? What's the first aid? Benadryl? (I'll be carrying Zyrtec for allergies) I would like at least a fighting chance that I wouldn't have to go to the ER - that would suck.

If I know it's a hornet, I try to squeeze the stung area while I try to suck out whatever venom I can (probably only good for the first few seconds). Then I apply baking soda (or plain salt, or beef jerky, or ANYTHING SALTY) - salt causes moisture to flow toward it - in other words, stinger venom out of the wound.
Then I stick my thigh with an Epipen , hope I survive the adrenaline rush, rest, drink plenty of liquids and hike on. If I swell up too much, I hitch or hike out at the next road.
If I know it's a bee (honey or bumble), I try to scratch the venom sac off of the end of the stinger, then treat as above.

[Tinker]

I've been stung a lot of times, but the sting of a bald-faced hornet was the worst. I guess I was lucky that the baking soda routine worked for me.

If you see a hornet nest where no one is going to hit it or fool with it, leave it alone. Bald-faced hornets love to kill flies, and the more they kill them the better I like it.

If you do cut one down as a decoration for the winter, I would suggest putting it in a
trash bag, spraying some bug bomb it it, and let it set for a while. Just to make sure. A friend of mine brought a hornet's nest into his living room from the cold and a little while later his house was full of p.o.'d hornets.

Bald faced hornets (white-faced hornets) are probably the worst when it comes to territorial defensiveness. They seem to think that their territory covers a quarter mile around their hives. If they can see you from the hive, they will come and check you out. If you don't leave, they'll sting you just because they can. Best to leave those basketball sized paper nests (they can be much smaller, too) alone.

Wasp nests for a decoration........

[SunnyWalker]

My biggest problem when I am stung is panicking. I start to run or something like that. I hope I am never on a ledge or something on the At when I am stung.

[Ox97GaMe]

I have used the tabacco treatment for years, never had any side affects from it, that I am aware of, I think. Or maybe that IS my problem. I can blame the whole 'wanting to long distance hike' on the fact that my mother and grandmother always put tabacca chaw on my bee/wasp/hornet stings.

And if you happen to actually HAVE tobacco on you when you are hiking, it is likely because you chew or smoke anyway. The nicotine you will be exposed to for the brief 10 seconds it is in your mouth will pale in comparison to any damage that might have already been done from the constant use of the product.

On the trail, you are very likely to find hikers in your close proximity that are smokers or chewers. If you are worried about getting stung or have a history of regularly being stung, it definietly wouldnt hurt to have a cigarette or two added to your first aid kit.

[Surplusman]

Bald faced hornets (white-faced hornets) are probably the worst when it comes to territorial defensiveness. They seem to think that their territory covers a quarter mile around their hives. If they can see you from the hive, they will come and check you out. If you don't leave, they'll sting you just because they can. Best to leave those basketball sized paper nests (they can be much smaller, too) alone.

Wasp nests for a decoration........

Well put. We had a basketball sized nest in a bush in front of our house. We really had no problem with it as long as everybody stayed away from it. The biggest problem, though, was keeping our two fascinated 13-year old boys away from it.

As for decorating with a hornet's nest: I could thing of a lot better things to decorate my house with than one of those. But some people do...even spray paint 'em gold for a festive touch.

[Feral Bill]

You could have said that.

He did. In plain English.