I was driving home, the other day and I guess a wasp was hangin' on the headliner above me. He dropped in my lap; I swatted him on the floor and stomped his ass! I really don't like killing anything that hasn't or ain't trying' to do me harm, but I was driven' down the road for Christ sake!

quote:

Originally posted by debwb:
I was driving home, the other day and I guess a wasp was hangin' on the headliner above me. He dropped in my lap; I swatted him on the floor and stomped his ass! I really don't like killing anything that hasn't or ain't trying' to do me harm, but I was driven' down the road for Christ sake!

I, also, generally don't like killing living beings, but wasps don't get 'the benefit of the doubt,' IMO. Certain critters are killed on sight in my household; flies, mosquitos, and (top of the list with several exclamation points both before and after) wasps.

I likely would have crashed.

Cool story bro

Similar story for me, smaller confines, nearly ended in me being single instead of my long-suffering wife showing up at the wedding.

Circa '84, in a '72 VW Beetle. For those that have had the misfortune to have driven one you know the confines. Driving away from my newly fiance-ed's apartment with her when I suddenly realized a wasp was on the driver side visor. For those of you without VW experience just read "on my eyebrows".

I did yank it to the side of the road before bailing out like gravity had suddenly flipped 90 degrees to my side of car, and seriously, it wasn't rolling THAT fast......

Yeah, she'll still bring that up from time to time as evidence of what a great protector I am but like OP I still say;

DAMN WASP!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Protein anchor:
I likely would have crashed.

For me personally -

One exception to my no kill policy; yellow jackets! When they sting me; I puff up like the Pilsbury Doe Boy!

My next riding gloves I'll be switching back to the gauntlet style that do a better job of covering the jacket sleeve intake around the wrist.

What's that burning going up my arm?
70 mph to a complete stop on the side of the highway is a long time while a wasp keeps stinging you. Then jumping off and getting the jacket off. I wonder what the people flying by thought.

Then there's the ones that hit your chest and get sucked up into your helmet. The first time I freaked a little but now I just crack the visor and it gets sucked out.

quote:

Then jumping off and getting the jacket off. I wonder what the people flying by thought.

I have stripped to my skivvies while screaming and dancing in the wake of a lawnmower running off a hill into my neighbor's yard and the street.

So, yeah.

It pisses me off getting stung by a wasp. When it does happen, I kill the offender, his friends and immediate family, after I take the hit of benadryl.

Wow, in the car. That'll get you BP up in a hurry. I remain convinced that they know when you are not looking.

When I was 14, I was at a motocross track for a Saturday practice in Dallas (Rabbit Run). That track had a couple of super steep jumps right next to each other and many would just jump the chasm between them. While traversing this feature I began to feel sharp pains at my stomach. Not inside but outside. It was bad enough that I pulled off the track and started pulling off the wide velcro'd kidney belt when I discovered a wasp had evidently flown in there just as I was wrapping that thing around my waist and I could still see the stinger in the tail sort of rotating as he was 'damaged' but still trying like hell to sting me through my cotton jersey. I squished him with a leather gloved hand but the little bastard had managed to leave several welts on my stomach.

The first and only bee sting I've ever had was from a yellow jacket. I was driving into Escanaba Michigan on highway 2, and the damned thing came in the window and nailed me on the side of my neck.

I don't know how I was able to avoid creaming any other vehicles as at that point, driving and maintaining control of my truck was number two on my list of things to do. Thankfully though...I did.

Then I immediately pulled into the WalMart and bought some Benadryl because I was sure that I was having an allergic reaction. FWIW, anxiety is not an allergic reaction.

Once the Benadryl hit though, I did have a great nap...for about eight hours.

So I'm in line during construction of a road through the Rockies, outside of Estes Park in my new Cutlass and with the new wife. Traffic is bumper to bumper going a few feet then flagged to a stop. A wasp flies in the window and I swat at it as best I can. About 10 minutes later, we are flagged to get moving. Just as we take off I get a sting just below my right armpit. My wife says what's wrong. I am sweating bullets and trying to keep control of the car. A half hour later I can finally pull over, jump out, get that thing out of my shirt, and cuss a blue streak. Very memorable. Every time I see one of those things I'm back in Colorado trying to keep away from the dropoff.

About 15 years ago, when in high school, a niece somehow ended up upside down in her 4-Runner from being attacked by a wasp. Within the same year, her first cousin (on the other side of the family, so not a niece, but her mother has worked for us for years) crashed HER 4-Runner into a utility pole when a wasp appeared in her vehicle. Both were low speed accidents.

Both girls were traumatized by the experience, but fortunately were basically unhurt.

Jokingly, everyone blames the 4-Runners....

The only time I came close, I was driving across Wisconsin in my MGB in August with the top up due to the hot sun when a wasp got sucked in through the open ventilation system. It landed on my thigh with a noticeable "whap", but was stunned by the ride through the vents, and I was able to pull off the road and unass the car before it recovered. DRT.

I kill every wasp within range.

Two years ago, I had a big mahagony wasp glance off my helmet at about 60mph. It went right down the back of my riding jacket, and tagged me three times before I could get safely off the road. I was jumping around and stripped no gear all over the side of the road to get it out of my jacket. I had about three people stop to see if I was ok. Being mildly allergic to bee stings, the whole rest of the ride was centered around the throbbing between my shoulder blades and a constant wonder if I was having a shortness of breath. In the end, I just had to keep taking the stings because it felt like a way less painful choice to crashing.

I kill them within the boundaries of my porch. They like to bump me when I'm out there grilling or whatever because they've chosen some area of my porch for their nest. The bumping is what they do before they sting so I get the Raid and kill them all.

I also had a large bumble-bee hit me on the knee cap while riding the mc down the highway going' about 65mph. Was painful enough I had to pull over and shake-it-off. I would say equivalent to small pebble.

Yea it was close; occurred during rush hour traffic on a two lane bridge. Fortunately looked up in time to avoid opposite traffic and my side bridge wall. Not imminent collision, but a few more seconds; who know...

quote:

Originally posted by Protein anchor:
I likely would have crashed.

Wasps like t build their nests in protected areas. Last summer I took my 1980 bronco to get some gas, when I opened the door to fill it up there was a wasp nest with about 30 wasps on it. They didn't fly off he nest so I grabbed the gas hose and hosed the nest down with gas, I have no problem with killing the little bastards, they have attacked me enough times that I need to get even every time I get a chance.