View Full Version : Wasps or hornets near Yellow Springs Trail in PA
pythonathiker
07-25-2010, 20:17
If you are heading north on the AT (in PA) and pass the first blue blaze for the Yellow Spring Trail, there is a hornet/wasp nest in the rocks about 100 yards past this point (sorry I don't know the difference between hornet & wasps). Today, there was pair of flip flops surrounded by the bugs and red rope tied in the tree near the bugs. The nest is about 5 feet to the left of the AT.
We met a white male hiker who told us that he had been stung and needed to get off the mountain ASAP since he did not have an epipen. He told us that he had taken benadryl and had plenty of water. We met him south of the Sand Spring Trail. I hope he made it off the mountain okay.
It would do more good were someone to post notice in the shelter registers nearest this location. A note tacked to a tree A.T. north and south to serve as further warning wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Does anyone know if this has been done?
Saw two nearly football-sized hornet nests 7-16-10, one not too far north of Hawk Moutnain Shelter just a foot or so off the trail ten feet up a slender tree. The other a couple of hours farther along, a little lower than the first. No problems.
What's mentioned in the opening post appears to be a cause for concern and may be a nest of yellow jackets.
Is the nest still on the slightly steeper part coming out of the hollow or is it up on the flat where the village foundations are?
pythonathiker
07-26-2010, 11:17
The nest is coming out of the hollow; south of the flat camping area with the mail box (with trail sign for Yellow Springs).
I went up there this afternoon (I'm the SATC volunteer maintainer for that section) and found no nest, no flip-flops, and no red rope.
I did encounter a hiker near Yellow Springs who said last weekend he had run into a lady who was looking at the Sand Spring 325 trailhead for her husband who had been stung. The hiker and his friend helped me look around covering the area between the hollow and mailbox - nothing.
I suppose it's possible that the PGC took care of it in the intervening week.
pythonathiker
08-01-2010, 07:40
Ki0eh - thanks for checking this out and thanks for being a volunteer maintainer!