If we could have done in Iraq what the yellowjackets did to me the taliban would be dead and our fighters would have been home months ago. All you weed whackers out there - what protective stuff do you apply before risking cleaning up near bees, and what cures do you use for relief when you do get a couple dozen stings?dave

Several answers here. 1. If anybody on the work crew is allergic to bee and wasp stings, or thinks they are, there should be an epinephrine syrette in the first aid kit or in that persons grip. All of you should know how and when to use it.2. Ice, anything cold on the sting. Commercial stingkill swabs are some help. So is Bactine or any other over the counter Lidocaine preparation.3. Yellow jackets are not bees but an aggressive carnivorous wasp. As far as I am concerned it is one of the few of God’s creatures that does not seem have any redeeming social value. They are attracted to garbage especially if it contains sweets - fruit, soda can et c. If you know where the nest is then gasoline or a pair of fusees (one in each entrance) applied at dusk seems to work quite well.4. I do not know of any repellant for bees and wasps. Heavy clothing is probably the best defense.GME

There is a good fact sheet on bee stings and their treatment here:http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2076.html

I have seen telephone linemen use an aerosol that kills wasps on their nests by freezing them - much better than spraying raid (which for some reason riles them up, and isn't all that effective). You may need to check with Graybar (the Home Depot of telecom and power contractors) to find it.JAC

Isopropyl alchohol kills 'em dead! Just spray it on them..

I am a nursing student among other things Dave, and I can't come up with a better cure for your suffering then has already been mentioned. Except for revenge. I never ever let them win, bees and wasps that is. Wait till dark when the little ones are sleeping and show them your zippo. Haven't been stung yet this year, but the bees here in the north are out in full strength. On one hand I am trying to be funny, but I am dead serious about evening the score with bee's {or wasps} that bite. If they leave me alone they are left alone {unless they are on my locomotive} if they want to play, so be it! Sometimes you can't zippo them, and Raid truely doesn't work at all, but at least by some spray that is known to cause cancer in California and do-em in.PS just bought a Cincinnatti Hor. mill {small 2ML} Hope you feel better soon. John.

If you can get close enough a little gasoline will make the little b******s quite dead. Keep the Zippo far away, of course. I don't think anything safely repels yellow jackets. They are in my opinion the meanest and most evil of all flying critters. Kill as many as you can.Mike

Perhaps as far as rail preservation is concerned, maybe. But entomol;ogists have been doing research for years on using wasps (usually species too small to bother humans) as a means of counter-attack against other "un-beneficial" creatures such as caterpillars, beetles, etc. Unfortunately, this can work both ways--one of the reasons your honey is now more expensive is because of a parasite that has been affecting honeybees.One additional note about attacking nests at night: Carry plenty of credentials and supervision. I joined a couple of my associates late one night in attacking many nests that wasps had built in several locomotives and cars in storage in the Chicago area, as I had a particularly keen sense of where the buggers tended to build their nests. In spite of our hard hats, nice vehicles, reflective vests, and whatnot, the nearby mill called Chicago's finest on us, and we were almost at gunpoint even as we were saying "Boy, are we happy to see you paying attention to this stuff!" with a big grin. The boss turned it into a good PR opportunity for the nearby plant workers, even satisfying the curiosity of the night watchmen with a quick tour of the E8 and passenger cars.

Thanks guys - using a short course of Prednisone to kick the allergic reacton, and OTC Benadryl for the symptoms. Only problem is with Benadryl, driving and operating machinery is not recommended - my whole life is driving around the southeast to operate machinery. I wonder if a liberal dousing with DEET before going out would repel the critters?dave

Yellow Jackets when disturbed attack anything moving. They fly, land, and sting too quick to notice if you are covered with DEET or not. DEET is for insects that hover around as they assess you as a food source, such as mosquitoes, black flies, punkies, etc.

The stuff I usually use, you will probably have with any self powered piece of equipment that you are using.The stuff I use, 9 times out of 10 will knock them out of the air is Ether (Starter Fluid spray) and the other is any sprayable penetrating lube (Kroil, WD-40, Greased Lightning, etc...) The best advantage Ether has, is that when the fluid dries, it leaves little to no trace, other then dust streaks on a dirty piece of equipment, though I have yet to paint anything after the ether dries. Most of the time, unless you damage the nest, a slow moving hand will push them away without a sting, in my experience.Regards,Rich CizikMoW ForemanCt Eastern RR MuseumWillimantic, Ct 06226www.cteastrrmuseum.org

Preying Mantisses will eat them. They have to eat their weight in insect food every day, and it's more efficient for them to grab it in large chunks!In the spring, you may be able to buy their eggs by the case of 200 at a garden or pet store. Just leave the whole case in a likely, sheltered place for later hatching. If you catch an adult mantis, let it loose near the wasps' nest and let dinner take its course.