Bees ON the trail

[TheBirdman]

Just did Amicalola to Woody Gap, GA this past weekend and between Springer and Justus Creek we passed 3 ground bee nests and 1 hornets nest either directly on the trail or immediately adjacent to it. Twice we didn't see them until someone got stung. Probably a good idea to know if anyone in your group has a reaction and how to handle it.

[Grampie]

BEE carefull. I got stung three times on my thru.

[Ewker]

If a person is allergic to bees they had better be carrying an epipen. My gf carries 2 epipens with her just in case she gets stung another day. I would also have some benadryl handy..preferrably liquid

[moocow]

that's an unwelcome surprise for sure. I mistook a hive for flies and a pile of poop on the trail. Five bee stings and a freak out moment had me 25 yards up the trail in what felt like a half a second flat. Everyone got stung several times that day. I always wondered what happened to the allergic hikers when they're put in that situation where going through there means you WILL get stung.

[Suckerfish]

I hiked this section the week of july 4th, i was stung twice, both times were when I sat down right by a bee hive in the ground. Once was by a random field a mile or two after three forks, the 2nd was on blood mtn past the shelter up on that big bald section, I set up camp back there in a nice cove area and sat right on another one. Not fun. Pack benadril for sure...

Hope you enjoyed your hike despite the stings, hey did you guys see any bears?

[TheBirdman]

Didn't see any bears. One of the bee nests looked like something had tried VERY hard to dig it up, but it was a few days old.

[Tipi Walter]

Last summer was the worst I've seen for yellow jackets in the last decade and this summer to late Fall may also be bad. There are Bees (bumblebees, honey bees), then there are white faced hornets and wasps, THEN there are ground hornets aka yellow jackets. Bears like to dig up their nests and so it is often easy to spot a big open nest of yellow jackets in the ground near a backpacking trail. Many stings can be avoided by going slow and looking for these nests.

Last year I avoided numerous stings on the Slickrock Creek trail by seeing 6 nests first and detouring, although during the course of the trip I did get popped 5 times from other nests. September is usually the worst month as the slightly cooler weather gets them frantic to protect a nest before Autumn hits.

I carry benadryl for stings and somebody serious should probably carry a prescribed epi-pen or whatever they're called. I'd say 75% of all nests can be seen beforehand with careful movement and slow going---and like with the pit vipers, keep your eyeballs open and your butt cheeks clenched, etc. Going slow disturbs the "fast and light" types but what's the rush? Going slow should be one of a backpacker's 10 Essentials.

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Extreme caution:

Per Georgia's www.southwesterngeorgiapublichealth.org Africanized bees are now as far north as Georgia...!! They may swarm as frequently as every six weeks, and produce a couple of separate swarms each time.

Do not swat at the bees or flail your arms. Bees are attracted to movement, and crushed bees produce a smell that will attract more bees.

University of Arizona tests indicated DEET had no effect on colony behavior.

[daddytwosticks]

Just did Amicalola to Woody Gap, GA this past weekend and between Springer and Justus Creek we passed 3 ground bee nests and 1 hornets nest either directly on the trail or immediately adjacent to it. Twice we didn't see them until someone got stung. Probably a good idea to know if anyone in your group has a reaction and how to handle it.

Hey Birdman...were you with that group of 4 that tented at Gooch Mtn. shelter saturday night? I was that old bearded dude who stayed in the shelter, but snoozed in the hammock during the late afternoon. Hope the young lady was OK after the sting.

[moldy]

In the place I was attacked it was the wild hogs that were digging them up. Walking sticks accidently poked in the nests while hikers just walk along also gets them agitated.

[TheBirdman]

Hey Birdman...were you with that group of 4 that tented at Gooch Mtn. shelter saturday night? I was that old bearded dude who stayed in the shelter, but snoozed in the hammock during the late afternoon. Hope the young lady was OK after the sting.

That was us! Nice to put a face to a username She was fine, her 3 stings healed up quicker than my one.. or (most likely) she's just tougher than me.

[TheBirdman]

In the place I was attacked it was the wild hogs that were digging them up. Walking sticks accidently poked in the nests while hikers just walk along also gets them agitated.

We saw lots of hog signs too.. didn't know they went after honey though.

[walnut]

...THEN there are ground hornets aka yellow jackets. Bears like to dig up their nests and so it is often easy to spot a big open nest of yellow jackets in the ground near a backpacking trail. Many stings can be avoided by going slow and looking for these nests.

Last year I avoided numerous stings on the Slickrock Creek trail by seeing 6 nests first and detouring, although during the course of the trip I did get popped 5 times from other nests. September is usually the worst month as the slightly cooler weather gets them frantic to protect a nest before Autumn hits.

I carry benadryl for stings and somebody serious should probably carry a prescribed epi-pen or whatever they're called. I'd say 75% of all nests can be seen beforehand with careful movement and slow going---and like with the pit vipers, keep your eyeballs open and your butt cheeks clenched, etc. Going slow disturbs the "fast and light" types but what's the rush? Going slow should be one of a backpacker's 10 Essentials.

On these sections of the trails you've got to choose between the lesser of two evils...potential for yellow jacket sting or definite poison oak/ivy.

We actually hammocked at Gooch. You should have joined us, daddytwosticks.

[Pedaling Fool]

I've always liked bees and never swat them. While hiking when you're sitting around you'll see the large bumble and carpenter bees, as well as other types land on you, don't swat them, just watch and you'll see that the are lapping the sweat off you, I guess it's for the salt.

[rocketsocks]

Iv'e pet bee's before as they eat, there very docile. Wasps on the other hand (no pun) are not allowed to stay.....

[TheBirdman]

None of ours were issues of swatting peaceful bees. In all our encounters they were in nest-protection mode and came in weapons-free and stingers first.

[rocketsocks]

Last summer was the worst I've seen for yellow jackets in the last decade and this summer to late Fall may also be bad. There are Bees (bumblebees, honey bees), then there are white faced hornets and wasps, THEN there are ground hornets aka yellow jackets. Bears like to dig up their nests and so it is often easy to spot a big open nest of yellow jackets in the ground near a backpacking trail. Many stings can be avoided by going slow and looking for these nests.

Last year I avoided numerous stings on the Slickrock Creek trail by seeing 6 nests first and detouring, although during the course of the trip I did get popped 5 times from other nests. September is usually the worst month as the slightly cooler weather gets them frantic to protect a nest before Autumn hits.

I carry benadryl for stings and somebody serious should probably carry a prescribed epi-pen or whatever they're called. I'd say 75% of all nests can be seen beforehand with careful movement and slow going---and like with the pit vipers, keep your eyeballs open and your butt cheeks clenched, etc. Going slow disturbs the "fast and light" types but what's the rush? Going slow should be one of a backpacker's 10 Essentials.

Zing, slow and steady wins the race...So don't Bee in a hurry! I like it, that could stick like honey

[doritotex]

Oh, good god..thank you for warning us that there're might be bees in the forrest! Enough warnings might turn me into a mall walker!

[rocketsocks]

None of ours were issues of swatting peaceful bees. In all our encounters they were in nest-protection mode and came in weapons-free and stingers first.

In that case......Run!

[rocketsocks]

Oh, good god..thank you for warning us that there're might be bees in the forrest! Enough warnings might turn me into a mall walker!

Ha! she said Mall Walker!