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Messages 1 - 51 of total 51 in this topic |
Aaron Johnson
climber
Bear Valley, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 29, 2016 - 08:19am PT
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Any recent reports on the bees or wasps at Lake Lake? I'm planning to visit over Labor Day Weekend, camp on a sailboat and climb at 90ft. Wall.
Thanks!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 29, 2016 - 08:51am PT
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Go visit the North Slope of Alaska in June or July - you will gain a new perspective on bugs. :-)
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Rollover
climber
Gross Vegas
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Aug 29, 2016 - 09:07am PT
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Tahoe is filthy with meat bees this year.
Last Monday I saw 3 people at 90' Wall get bit by meat bees.
Beware..
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Alpamayo
Trad climber
Davis, CA
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Aug 29, 2016 - 09:19am PT
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Lots of bees at the Leap this weekend, and they loved my yellow shoes!
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:09am PT
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A meat bee is not a bee at all, but a wasp from either the Vespula or Dolichovespula genus. Meat bees are also known as “yellowjackets,” especially in the United States. Outside North America, they are more commonly referred to as “wasps.” Humans and yellowjackets often have contentious relationships, because these wasps can be quite aggressive about defending their territory.
The term “meat bee” is a reference to the fact that these wasps feed primarily on other insects. In fact, they can be quite beneficial as neighbors, since they eat an assortment of insect pests. They will also scavenge if they find meat lying around, as many picnickers have learned. In the fall, when the wasps need to store up energy, they may also scavenge on sweet drinks and fruit for the sugar.
One of my most memorable onsights was some otherwise non-memorable 5.11 on the east side of Big Chief. Not because of the route but because the whole time, the yellowjackets were landing on me as I was climbing. I was freaking out but managed not to let go and jump off. Oddly, I have never been bothered by them on the west side of Big Chief, only on the east side.
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PolishClimber
Trad climber
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:29am PT
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I second the yellow jacket issue at the leap. Hanging around camp they were mostly fine, but when I fired up the stove to cook a few eggs they went crazy. Probably 15-20 swarming around at least. They don't go after you necessarily, but I was stung once when one of them got caught between my fingers as I brushed them aside from my breakfast. That might give you an idea of how numerous they are when cooking something with protein.
They did not bother me at all while climbing...
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jonnyrig
climber
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:34am PT
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Rampant meat bees at Sugarpine Point, just north of 90 ft wall this weekend.
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:36am PT
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3 bites in the mouth while boating near West Shore last week.
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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:49am PT
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geeze flip-flop, taking it like a trooper
when I fired up the stove to cook a few eggs they went crazy. Probably 15-20 swarming around at least. They don't go after you necessarily, but I was stung once when one of them got caught between my fingers as I brushed them aside from my breakfast.
the exact same thing happened to me (stove, eggs, breakfast, 15-20, sting on finger) 2 weeks ago camping in eastern Washington
I'd say expect to be stung if you're out, especially at mealtime
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:56am PT
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Arse daggers are numerous near everywhere this year it seems.
Had one fly INTO my shorts and nail me near the yarbles a couple weeks ago.
Would NOT want that to happen while leading as it's damn near impossible not to start dancing and flailing!
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Aug 29, 2016 - 11:57am PT
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I had a friend who lived in South Lake, he'd put out beer bottles with a little chunk of meat gristle and the bottle would end up like 1/3 full of meat bees. Then he'd pour a tablespoon of gas in it and light them up.
A couple years ago they made a nice home in a perfect jam on one of the climbs at Big Chief. Made the climb a bit more challenging.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 29, 2016 - 02:12pm PT
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They clean all the dead bugs out of your grill and radiator after the drive...
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Aug 29, 2016 - 02:31pm PT
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Agree.
They are a bit of a pain right now. At the Leap yesterday and also around the BBQ in Auburn....
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pb
Sport climber
Sonora Ca
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Aug 29, 2016 - 08:17pm PT
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My brother,my daughter and I made this totem to appease them at our family camp on the N.fork of the Stanislaus this summer. Today my partner and I had some minor issues with them at 6000 ft.
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Byran
climber
Half Dome Village
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Aug 29, 2016 - 08:45pm PT
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On a sort of related note, does anyone know what species of wasp inhabits Yosemite Valley? I've heard people refer to them as "meat bees" "yellowjackets" and "paper wasps" interchangeably. Yellowjackets and "meat bees" are the common names for Vespula germanica, while paper wasps are Polistes dominula. I can't figure it out from just reading the wikipedia pages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespula_germanica
vs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_dominula
Anyone know? Maybe we have both of them?
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John M
climber
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Aug 29, 2016 - 09:13pm PT
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Bryan, We have both..
this one..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespula_germanica
the yellow jacket or meat bee, is the aggressive one. They get aggressive around food. They build large nests in hollows in trees and in the ground. If you kill one they put out a sent that attracts others wasps. I stepped on a large nest in the ground as I was clearing brush. It was 3 feet across and about 2 feet deep. I knew immediately what it was and took off running. They followed me for 100 yards and it was only when I got in a vehicle that I got away from them. I was stung about 20 times.
the meat bee body is shorter and wider (.5 inches ) then the paper wasp ( up to an inch). The meat bee eats everything, and will take bites out of you or take bits out of your steak. The paper wasp tends to fly slower and languidly unless aggravated.
I found this on the web. It is a meat bee nest dug out of the ground.
The other one is a paper wasp and they build hanging nests, often under the eves of houses. They eat insects and are mostly not aggressive unless you mess with the nest. Their nest are usually pretty small, a few inches across, but can get big.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Aug 29, 2016 - 09:22pm PT
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the paper wasps have the long, dangling hind legs as well.
I watched one chase and capture a moth the other day. Epic 5 minute battle.
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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The Wasp
The wasp is quite ubiquitous,
His sting is most iniquitous,
He stores his tanks of venom
Just abaft his duodenum.
Injects it with a spiculum
Behind his diverticulum.
The wasp invades your picnic bdasket -
Permission? He just doesn't ask it.
His air offensive is so strong
There's no way to resist it long.
How learned the wasp this strategy?
It's recently come clear to me.
To bees and ants he owes no thanks -
Methinks he learned it from the Yanks.
WM
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bergbryce
climber
East Bay, CA
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A friend of a friend planned on camping at Emerald Bay last week, but the family left within a couple hours of arrival because of the bees. The state parks staff didn't have any problem refunding their money either because the bees are so bad.
My buddy in Tahoma also reports aggressive bees in big numbers.
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CathC
Social climber
Wyoming
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I was stung 5 times on my hand and 3 ankle stings, a few weeks ago near Homewood.
I must have disturbed the ground nest. Very aggressive !
Watch out, carry an epi pen if you have one.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Is there a "season" for them? i wanted to do a trip up to the Donner area sometime next summer or fall, but I am quite allergic.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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No because those aren't bees they are wasps. They are not known as pollinators so if they were all to go away we would still have food.
And Phylp they are typically most active between mid august and late september.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Thank you, I'm Gumby, That is helpful info.
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DonnerCoolerCrew
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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They have been pretty bad on Donner Summit at Snowshed especially. I set 4 traps on Friday the 2nd. Hopefully it helps.
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BFK
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 12, 2016 - 09:23am PT
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Sounds like Yellow Jackets are bad everywhere! Was checking out some of the more obscure areas along Sonora pass this weekend and they were horrible,... breakfast was only possible inside the truck.
Talked to an older gentleman up there fishing and he mentioned something about a 7 year cycle for the wasps and that this was 'the' year for them. Anyone have anymore inside on this 7 year cycle idea?
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Carson City, NV
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Sep 12, 2016 - 12:35pm PT
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I can usually put out a vibe to the yellowjackets not to mess with me or I'll kill them. It seems to work, that and putting a bite of my food about an arms length away from me. But this summer, too many of them. Within 5 minutes of settling at a rest stop to eat a bite, I was being bugged. Ants too! Had some big black ants literally attack my foot in the middle of the night when I stuck it out of the tent to get up and pee.
Above 8500' or so, I've not had a problem with yellowjackets.
The damn black flies however nearly ruined my first two trips this year, no reasoning with those guys! Mosquito bites are nothing compared to the reaction I get from biting flies.
I've never been stung by a yellowjacket, just had chunks bitten off my arm. My understanding is they don't sting, just bite?
My trip to Cochise in April I cut short due to some very aggressive honey bees. It dawned on me they were probably Africanized and not to be messed with. Haven't been that frightened in a long time. Scared me pretty bad, they hated my Red Tahoe! I had to move very slowly and calmly, almost impossible for me to do around bees. This was on the west side of the Stronghold. The east side I didn't see any bees.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Sep 12, 2016 - 07:03pm PT
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Was at Wolfeboro on the Stanislaus North fork. The meat bees were tolerable, but both in our party got stung or bit. One got stuck under my glasses and nailed me on the lower eyelid/ cheek. Luckily Im not allergic. Im not sure, but they seem less nasty venom-wise than other stings like paperwasps and bees. Anybody know any info on their relative toxicity or immunogenic properties?
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Sep 12, 2016 - 07:13pm PT
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Friend in Iowa was bit by a single wasp in mid-August. Had a bizarre reaction leading to coma and quickly death. Super fit awesome person gone in an instant. 54 years old.
Am told it was "Kounis syndrome".
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Stewart Johnson
Mountain climber
lake forest
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Sep 12, 2016 - 07:23pm PT
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Need a proper freeze...
Coming soon!
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Sep 12, 2016 - 07:28pm PT
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Yellow jackets attacked me on the roof, damn near killed me.
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John M
climber
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Sep 12, 2016 - 07:54pm PT
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Meat bees bite and sting. They can take a chunk out of you with their mandibles and sting you with their tail. Nasty buggers. To reduce their numbers, its a good idea to set out traps in the spring. You can catch queens who are trying to establish new nests that way. The queen over winters by hibernating, and then emerges to start a new nest. Thats the best time to catch them and stop the cycle.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Sep 12, 2016 - 07:56pm PT
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The wasps have been bad at our home in Boulder too. The bait isn't working and they are building monster hives everywhere. There is clearly some metropolis under our front porch (we can't get to it). The other homes have been annihilated. Mo-fos for sure!
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John M
climber
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Sep 12, 2016 - 08:23pm PT
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The bait isn't working
have you tried a piece of meat? sausage, hotdog or bacon usually works.
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Sep 13, 2016 - 12:02am PT
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They can take a chunk out of you with their mandibles
No they cannot. Not unless you have skin like wet tissue paper. I've had to conduct fieldwork in a friggin' cloud of wasps ever since August or so. Never seen it so bad in several decades of working in the woods here. And I've yet to get stung this season. I've learned to suppress my startle reflex and let them nibble all they want. They usually fly off after 2-3 seconds of trying to break the skin (and failing). I did have one make a little progress on an elbow scab, but he gave up too. The bite is harmless, other than the fact that it usually elicits a response in people that, in turn, elicits a sting.
7 year cycle idea?
Not a thing. Mild spring + productive spring a summer for their prey + no measurable precip all summer = perfect storm
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Sep 13, 2016 - 03:01am PT
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The darn things! They have some spots in bushes and a main nest in the ground along
one side of a storm drain. Then they moved a branch into the box sofit next to the front door.
I actually saw a hornet. Sized one crawl in only later to realize it had been a Queen.
The flight plan that takes them across the street to the storm drain & back means they hit the screen door when it is open. I have reduced the activity to nil, l but they still come back looking to get in.
A sad thing in 2014, Brian Delany a long time east coast climber as killed when he inexplicably
Threaded his rap device incorrectly, the best guess as to why , how? Is that he was under attack, his ankles showed some evidence but not enough for a finding from what I was told.
That same summer I got stung on 3 or 4 occasions about A dozen stings each time. The
last time was I was swarmed, I had to run.
They got into the loose shirt forcing me to rip it off and stop drop and roll....
The result from that was over 20 stings and I was drooling slurring my words.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Sep 13, 2016 - 05:51am PT
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John speaks the truth, something to remember for this coming spring.....
. To reduce their numbers, its a good idea to set out traps in the spring. You can catch queens who are trying to establish new nests that way.
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Sep 13, 2016 - 07:54am PT
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Recommended protective distance from yellow jacket.
YJ's are so mean, they'll attack even a dog. They went for this one's eye, but up on the roof they went for my ears, which in turn almost knocked be over the edge.
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John M
climber
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Sep 13, 2016 - 08:49am PT
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Guess I have skin like wet tissue paper.. LOL. Don't know what to tell you. All that I know is that my friends dog was chasing a ball and landed on an undergournd nest, breaking it open. Hundreds of bee flew out and started attacking her. We both ran and once we were away I started digging the bees out of her hair. She had 20 or 30 on her crawling through her hair. She has long hair. As I was digging them out they started attacking me. I ended up with 20+ stings of my own, plus what appeared to be two bites taken out of my skin. So these bees weren't just walking around on me. They were aggressively attacking me. I took the dog to the vet who also treated me. The vet said two of the sites looked like bites. Sorry, no pics. Guess it didn't happen.. heh heh.
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Sep 13, 2016 - 09:03am PT
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Interesting. Maybe their exploratory foraging bites pack less enthusiasm than their KILL, KILL, KILL bites. Like I said, they've been biting me all season, and I just let them. When I'm breaking down my bird nets early afternoon, when they're reaching their peak of activity, I actually take my shirt off so there's less chance for them to get hung up in the fabric. They're all over me at that point, especially at my Blackwood Canyon site, nibbling away. It's sort of a scratchy, pin-prick feeling, but they can't break through. Maybe I'm just hard as nails (but I doubt that very highly).
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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Sep 13, 2016 - 10:53am PT
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Lots of meat bees up on Ebbetts Pass full of meat bees in the the 5k-7k range. Everytime you stop on a moutain bike they start to flying to you best to keep moving.
A few years back at the Gabbs fire about 4 or 5 fire fighters had to go hospital because of the wasp bites.
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splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
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Sep 13, 2016 - 12:37pm PT
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Need any volunteers Willoughby? I miss that type of work
anyone think the thundershowers today will knock them down a bit?
thinking of headed to Tahoe. would higher elevation be better than lower?
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Winemaker
Sport climber
Yakima, WA
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Sep 13, 2016 - 02:17pm PT
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We're lucky here in eastern Washington this year. I've only seen a few this year and usually you can't eat outside this time of year. Was in the Goat Rocks last weekend with my visiting daughter and didn't see any; I've been driven off peaks by them in previous years. Guess they all migrated to Cali. Thanks!!!
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Michael Dorame
Sport climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 26, 2016 - 01:46pm PT
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Wasp Alert!!
Hey guys, a group from my meetup (http://www.meetup.com/Get-Your-Climb-On/); came into a swarm of wasps at 90 Foot in South Lake Tahoe this weekend and had between 20 to 30 stings per person, to the point they had to go to the ER so please be mindful of this when you climb at 90 Foot or even Mayhem Cove. Thankfully no one was allergic!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 26, 2016 - 01:53pm PT
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Went out to the gazebo last week for a BBQ and about 6 yellow jackets showed up!
I was totally like WTF? I DIDN'T BUY HERE FOR THIS SH!T! The wife said,
"I'm going inside!"
I was like,
"I'll race you to the back door!"
26 years in this house and those were the first we've ever seen!
Had a barbie Sat and Sun and no problem! Were they like passing through
the week before or did the low life renters nearby run out of toilet paper?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 26, 2016 - 02:30pm PT
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Idaho yellow-jackets sting if they percieve they are trapped, but otherwise just want some food & they are aggressive at that. I've never heard of a biting yellow-jacket before reading this thread.
They were quite active at 8,500 Ft. in central Idaho this August. I set up a "beepark" with some chicken for them, and they mostly didn't swarm me, or our dinner.
They come & go at our ranchette. We killed a huge nest inside a cherry tree about 15 years back & didn't have any for years, then they peaked again about 3 years back.
We finally spotted the entrance to an underground nest, under a spruce tree in our yard. About one a second was entering or leaving. Conventional wasp spray did not penetrate to the nest, so I finally used a weed sprayer with an 18" long spray wand and a Pyrethrin solution to kill them. I went in at night all covered up, & still had some working me. After that Heidi did a final daylight attack and we were done with that nest. They were also nesting inside cracks that open into bubbles in our basalt cliff. Yes, we have wasps too and they do enjoy stinging us for little or no reason.
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cencalclimber
climber
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Aug 19, 2017 - 06:25pm PT
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How are the wasps near south lake this year? As bad as last year? My family was at the leap end of August last year and had to leave early because of too many wasps. Wondering if we just avoid it entirely this year. Maybe higher elevation like Wrights lake would be better?
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WBraun
climber
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Aug 19, 2017 - 06:29pm PT
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I've never heard of a biting yellow-jacket before reading this thread.
I've seen em eat dead people many times.
They fly right into their mouths and bite off chunks of meat and then fly away .....
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bingo07
Trad climber
Tahoe
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Aug 19, 2017 - 07:34pm PT
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I've hardly seen any yellow jackets this year, either in town or on the trails/crags. You should be good to go.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Aug 20, 2017 - 12:53am PT
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so far no problem but like you said it's not late august. no one expects a repeat of last year but maybe that's the new normal
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