We were enjoying our usual Sunday afternoon walk today when we heard our 6-year-old son, Simon, screaming on the trail ahead of us. I had just made the remark to my wife that we had not taken this particular trail for quite a while when the screaming began.
I wish I could say that I reacted like lightning but to be honest, Simon, like most 6 year olds, has a habit of sometimes screaming when there is no real emergency. I at first thought it was one of those instances, but then someone shouted, "Bees, run!" I noticed that Simon was jumping up and down and swatting at hornets or something. My other son and daughter who were with us took off while Lisa, my wife, and I frantically moved Simon away from the swarm and tried to get the hornets off him, and then we swiftly moved away some more because it seemed that they were still flying all around.
When we finally got back to the house there were still some stingers in Simon's arms. The poor little guy had gotten stung 8 times on his left arm, 3 times on his right arm, and 3 times on his neck and head! We got all the stingers out and put baking soda paste on the stings and he began to calm down. Thankfully there was no allergic reaction, although we were wondering about the red streaks that had appeared on his arms and back. They gradually went away and Simon thought a bath might make him feel better. He just got out of the water a minute ago and he is acting like his old self again, only a couple hours after the attack. He is a tough little man!
After looking at the internet at various bees and hornets, we have decided that Simon was the victim of a Yellow Jacket attack. They build their nests in the ground and Simon had his little blue shovel with him, stabbing the ground and shoveling here and there and digging out briers or what ever. He must have stabbed his shovel right in a nest of Yellow Jackets!
There is still a little daylight out so we are going to venture back outside! Simon wants to, also! We maybe will stay away from that trail for the most part, but I am going to try and see if I can tell where the entrance of the Yellow Jacket nest is, if everything is pretty calm. We are probably going to go up the mountain by way of the dirt road this time.
We are still hoping to check on our walnut trees and just enjoy this day that the Lord has made.
After reading that last line out loud to the family, Simon began the chorus "This is the Day that the Lord hath made." And the whole family joined in.
2 comments
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GrandmaRosie on September 24, 2006 at 11:17 pm
Sorry to hear about this. But it looks like the little fellow handled it manfully. We have had an unreal amount of hornets, yellow jackets and dirt dobbers this year. It is starting to cool off here in my part of Texas now so maybe some of them will die off.
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Out in the Garden on September 25, 2006 at 4:25 pm
I'm sorry to hear about Simon's encounter, yellowjacket stings hurt! I hope he is okay now. In years past I have had to battle yellowjackets quite a bit – and not in the backwoods. They make nests right in the middle of our yard! Once they managed to nest in the outside wall of our house. This is the time of year that I begin being extra cautious when push mowing the grass.
If you go back to the nest that Simon "found", you may be surprised to find that they have left. Several times when I have disturbed a nest with the mower and they have stung me, they move to a different location a short distance away. Maybe that is an extra defense strategy that they use. Remember, they thought Simon was attacking them! Anyway, I just found your blog and read every entry. You are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the great posts! I will check back often. God bless you, your wife, and children!
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