Wow! Where to start in commenting on this omnium gatherum of fascinating notes and links?! So I won't! As our maid (yes, we had one) once chastened me when I was a little kid uncertain of what toy to play with, "Just choose one!" So here goes.. the remarks on insects stood out. We too saw less of them in our small garden this year save for the bees who had a boom year. Montreal to Oregon- that's alarmingly widespread. Wasps..amazing information! Giving them preserves never would have occurred to me! With all our decaying apples on the ground below the espalier tree, they could make their own medlar jelly. I always give them a wide berth. They're admirable tireless workers certainly, but ever since a black a'vised one chased me into the house and tried to get at me through the screen door...
On whole wasps are no keener to sting us than we are to be stung - keep each other at a respectful distance and all should be well Having said that, if you are going to be stung by a wasp make sure it's a yellow jacket and not a potter/mason wasp whose sting is orders of magnitude worse should they gat you. They are ground nesters for the most part and a few years ago I learned the hard way by sinking a spade into a nest that I did not know was there. I had hitherto scoffed at comm east about the pain they induce ... these days I take more care. It was dire.
The "like" is not for your painful experience but for the helpful advice. There is a terrible wasp called a "tarantula hawk" or similar name whose sting is said to be excruciating. I'm not keen on finding out first hand!
You and I should be safe - I looked those up and they live in deserts and not north of Utah. It is the official state insect of New Mexico. Tp quote from Wikipedia - "Tarantula hawk wasps are relatively docile and rarely sting without provocation. However, the sting—particularly that of P. grossa—is among the most painful of all insects, though the intense pain only lasts about five minutes.[10] One researcher described the pain as "...immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream. Mental discipline simply does not work in these situations."
Here's something droll. From the USDA extension service "ask an expert" service:
Question (from an Oregonian)
"Dr. . Marshall at OSU) spotted what he believes to be a Tarantula Hawk in our front yard this morning (I saw it, too). According to a few websites I came across, they aren't supposed to be this far north. Are they now in Oregon? Also … they're #2 on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index … for humans … would their hymenopteran sting have the same effect on Bigfoot?
Lane County Oregon
Expert Response
Although we do not have the Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis spp.) in Oregon, we do have many similar "Spider Wasps" that belong to the same family (Pompilidae). Some of these are nearly as large as the Tarantula Hawk such as Calopompilus pyrrhomelas which specializes on trap-door spiders. Although most spider wasps can pack quite a powerful sting, they are notoriously non-aggressive and are unlikely to sting unless strongly provoked. As for the effect on Bigfoot... because our cell membranes and neurotransmitters are nearly identical, it is likely that Bigfoot (and most other vertebrates) would be equally affected by the Tarantula Hawk's sting.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 05, 2019, "
I hope the expert was a bit tongue in cheek on the Bigfoot part.
Wow! Where to start in commenting on this omnium gatherum of fascinating notes and links?! So I won't! As our maid (yes, we had one) once chastened me when I was a little kid uncertain of what toy to play with, "Just choose one!" So here goes.. the remarks on insects stood out. We too saw less of them in our small garden this year save for the bees who had a boom year. Montreal to Oregon- that's alarmingly widespread. Wasps..amazing information! Giving them preserves never would have occurred to me! With all our decaying apples on the ground below the espalier tree, they could make their own medlar jelly. I always give them a wide berth. They're admirable tireless workers certainly, but ever since a black a'vised one chased me into the house and tried to get at me through the screen door...
On whole wasps are no keener to sting us than we are to be stung - keep each other at a respectful distance and all should be well Having said that, if you are going to be stung by a wasp make sure it's a yellow jacket and not a potter/mason wasp whose sting is orders of magnitude worse should they gat you. They are ground nesters for the most part and a few years ago I learned the hard way by sinking a spade into a nest that I did not know was there. I had hitherto scoffed at comm east about the pain they induce ... these days I take more care. It was dire.
The "like" is not for your painful experience but for the helpful advice. There is a terrible wasp called a "tarantula hawk" or similar name whose sting is said to be excruciating. I'm not keen on finding out first hand!
You and I should be safe - I looked those up and they live in deserts and not north of Utah. It is the official state insect of New Mexico. Tp quote from Wikipedia - "Tarantula hawk wasps are relatively docile and rarely sting without provocation. However, the sting—particularly that of P. grossa—is among the most painful of all insects, though the intense pain only lasts about five minutes.[10] One researcher described the pain as "...immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream. Mental discipline simply does not work in these situations."
Here's something droll. From the USDA extension service "ask an expert" service:
Question (from an Oregonian)
"Dr. . Marshall at OSU) spotted what he believes to be a Tarantula Hawk in our front yard this morning (I saw it, too). According to a few websites I came across, they aren't supposed to be this far north. Are they now in Oregon? Also … they're #2 on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index … for humans … would their hymenopteran sting have the same effect on Bigfoot?
Lane County Oregon
Expert Response
Although we do not have the Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis spp.) in Oregon, we do have many similar "Spider Wasps" that belong to the same family (Pompilidae). Some of these are nearly as large as the Tarantula Hawk such as Calopompilus pyrrhomelas which specializes on trap-door spiders. Although most spider wasps can pack quite a powerful sting, they are notoriously non-aggressive and are unlikely to sting unless strongly provoked. As for the effect on Bigfoot... because our cell membranes and neurotransmitters are nearly identical, it is likely that Bigfoot (and most other vertebrates) would be equally affected by the Tarantula Hawk's sting.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 05, 2019, "
I hope the expert was a bit tongue in cheek on the Bigfoot part.
I’m sure tongues were firmly in cheek. That was nice, thanks
Yes. I just now googled it to see if I got the name right. It's just as you say!