View Full Version : Hornet Nest Alert - Toccoa River Bridge on BMT
cneill13
07-27-2015, 08:34
I camped out at the Toccoa River campground this past weekend. There are two hornet (or possibly wasp) nests on the Toccoa River Bridge on the BMT.
When going north from Springer on the BMT, the first nest is on the upper left about 25 feet across the bridge on two cables holding up the bridge.
The second nest is on the other side of the bridge under the boardwalk. This nest is supposedly under the 4th board from the end.
When people get on the bridge and start jumping around, they stir up the hornets and get stung.
They looked like yellow jackets but people kept saying they only build nests underground.
Either way, be very careful crossing this bridge.
illabelle
07-27-2015, 08:47
I got stung by a hornet yesterday. Hurt! Quick application of a baking soda salve took the hurt away, mostly. Today it just itches. Weird thing is the nest was large, probably about 11" in diameter, maybe 15" tall, and it hung from a small limb about head height on a young tree that we walked by fairly often, but we had never even seen it. It wasn't until I trimmed some low branches off the tree that they got upset with me and ran me off. I was definitely running!
My understanding is that yellow jackets, which do nest in the ground, are a type of hornet. It's bad when they make their nest right on the trail. We've encountered that a couple of times, once on the side of a hill (we bushwhacked around it), the other at a bridged stream crossing in Georgia, not unlike what you described. Got stung 3 or 4 times that day. :(
SGT Rock
07-27-2015, 14:20
I got stung on two different occasions on my last hike in June. I also saw a sure enough hornets nest on the climb out of Bryson Gap.
gpburdelljr
07-27-2015, 17:35
Yellow jackets and hornets are both wasps. Yellow jackets nest in the ground. Hornets nests are shaped like footballs. Yellow jackets hate Bulldogs.
Yellow jackets and hornets are both wasps. Yellow jackets nest in the ground. Hornets nests are shaped like footballs. Yellow jackets hate Bulldogs.
And my wife hates yellow jackets, bugs or players.
Mr Dawg
Pedaling Fool
07-28-2015, 11:05
I got stung on two different occasions on my last hike in June. I also saw a sure enough hornets nest on the climb out of Bryson Gap.Looks like the nest of bald face hornets https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald-faced_hornet
All hornets are wasps, and some wasps are hornets. https://www.creaturecontrol.net/insect-pest-control/hornets-wasps/
A wet year like this has been in some places, will have air nests of yellow jackets.
Basically when they swarm, and the cannot find dry ground, the land anywhere.
cneill13
07-28-2015, 13:10
I think you are right Sgt. Rock and they were bald-faced hornets. They were extremely aggressive.
I typically leave anything alive on the trail alive. We are the visitors as hikers and that is their home.
But I hope for the sake of the visitors to the Toccoa River Bridge that someone close can drive up there and kill those hornets.
I can't tell you how many people were stung there last weekend, mostly children.
gpburdelljr
07-28-2015, 16:00
There are two types of hornets common in Georgia, the bald-faced hornet, and the european hornet. The bald-faced is black and white, and the european is brown orange and yellow.
Got stung by a wasp (???? All I saw was a teradactyl size thing flying off me) on the finger last week along a section of the AT in the Shenandoah National park. Felt like an open flame scorching me. Finger swelled to sausage size and hand puffed up. It laughed at the deet I had on. Still a bit of swelling a week later. Got some rx cream and instructions from Dr. and seems to be helping.
cneill13
08-24-2015, 11:22
I camped out at the Toccoa river this past weekend with my daughter. She caught 3 trout her first time fishing. Great fun!
The wasp nests on both sides of the bridge have been removed. Thank you to the trail angel that took care of that.
JaketheFake
08-24-2015, 12:11
People fear bears it's these nasty insects they should worry about... I was stung on the ear by a red wasp here in Texas last summer and it literally brought me to my knees. I could not fathom stirring up a nest and taking multiple stings.
Tipi Walter
09-03-2015, 11:26
Just got back from a long Snowbird backcountry trip and will post it here soon, but I didn't see a pit viper or get stung by a yellow jacket---what we call ground hornets around here. Fierce little bastardos and now's the season for their pleasant butt pokes. Beware!
Was on the BMT a couple years ago (the new reroute on Bob Bald) and camping on the top meadow when 3 ATVs drove past which I cursed until I found out they were Graham County rescue personnel pulling out an allergic woman get bee stung below Naked Ground Gap (also on the BMT).'
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/TRIP-137/i-tv7scJH/0/L/TRIP%20137%20040-L.jpg
Rescue squad getting the gurney ready.
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/TRIP-137/i-NK3D2m2/0/L/TRIP%20137%20045-L.jpg
Pulling the woman out. She knew she was allergic but let her epipen prescription lapse.