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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 24, 2018 - 09:55pm PT
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The most commonly known wasps, such as yellowjackets and hornets, are in the family Vespidae...
Hornets (insects in the genus Vespa) are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to their close relatives yellowjackets.
Pretty Awesome Yellow Jacket Document
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 24, 2018 - 10:23pm PT
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So did the guy on the Commish need a tracheotomy and/or a helo winch?
Last time I was on El Cap it was spring and my partner had alwsys carried an Epi pen. There were little flowers and bees!
“Yo, Dave! There’s more than a couple of bees up here, you got your Epi pen?”
“Uh, no.”
“So if you get stung I’m gonna have to whip out my Swiss Bitch and do a tracheotomy on you?”
“Yeah, probably.”
🙄
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thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
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Sep 24, 2018 - 10:29pm PT
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converse to the Alexey, some person with growing intolerance to hymenopteran venom ultimately grow in opposite. like to have no reaction general where before anaphylaxis was reality for two sting when original two-three-ten stings did no generalized histamine badness. desensi treatment smells like the shit!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Sep 24, 2018 - 10:47pm PT
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Ok, yes they are wasps. But now the thread is without dramatic narrative!
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Sep 25, 2018 - 01:53am PT
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Beelzebub, did many first ascents in the Valley. The best of lines.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Sep 25, 2018 - 02:06pm PT
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I remember once in the woods just north of El Cap Meadow,
I had my pants down around my ankles, trying to take care of some urgent business.
Wasps came out of the ground, and I had to get busy hopping to escape!
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TLP
climber
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Sep 25, 2018 - 05:33pm PT
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All of these species being mentioned in this thread are in the genus Vespula s.l. (some or all yellowjackets are segregated out into Dolichovespula). Specifically the nasty bald-faced hornet is a Vespula species (maculata). There are a bunch of yellowjacket species that are not readily distinguishable unless you make a careful examination of a specimen in hand. Which people usually do not do for good reason.
So really, there's no major distinction between hornets and yellowjackets in the western U.S. There's an introduced (non-native) European hornet in a different genus (Vespa), but it hasn't extended its range to the West yet. All of the subfamily make papery nests, either hanging or underground. "Wasps" includes absolutely a zillion families with diverse natural history, hardly any of which are normally aggressive toward people, though some Sphecidae (includes cicada killer wasp) and Pompilidae (spider wasps including the one that gets tarantulas) have absolutely ferocious stings.
OK, maybe TMI, but there you have it.
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 25, 2018 - 06:02pm PT
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The link that I shared above is about the most quick and easy document I’ve found off the web for California Yellow Jackets. Check it out.
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Bargainhunter
climber
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Sep 26, 2018 - 12:09am PT
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Got stung 6 times on the approach to the West Face of Leaning Tower...didn't notice the pain anymore once I got on route and was gripped by the constant exposure.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 26, 2018 - 08:48am PT
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The wasps that nest in the ground in the sierra are usually from the subfamily Crabronidae, so their common name is crabronid wasp, or ground wasp. There are several types that live in the sierra (and even other ground wasps), but I think the one that most people have trouble with is Ectemnius arcuatus. Each female builds her own nest, overwinters, and then lays her eggs. That's why years after mild winters are worse.
Yellowjackets and the like, often from the family Vespidae and usually the genus Vespula, also nest in the ground and can end up attacking like ground wasps, but supposedly the majority of those situations in the Sierra where you're walking along and the ground explodes with wasps are crabronid wasps. Those annoying things that fly around you while you're near water or food and sometimes come out in groups are probably Vespula.
They all suck
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
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Sep 26, 2018 - 11:12am PT
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My preferred beer in Yosemite.....
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 26, 2018 - 12:13pm PT
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^^^ THAT keeps bees away? WOO-HOO!
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Tobia
Social climber
Denial
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Sep 26, 2018 - 01:54pm PT
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I have been working with a friend who is a beekeeper for years. I rarely get stung wearing no protective hood or clothing while he gets stung all the time w the full armor. If I do get stung, I barely notice.
Wasps will get a slightly more intense reaction. Two years ago I stepped in a yellow jackets nest and got stung about 25 times. I looked like I had been shot with .00
Buckshot, when in the past it was not not very painful, it just itched for days.
Hornets stings are a different story, I have had severe reactions since I was a not so bright young naive boy who threw rocks at their nest when told to do so by my older brother.
As stated up thread, not all stings are equal.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
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Sep 26, 2018 - 02:03pm PT
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Reilly......with that stuff, the bees would "bee" picking up on every queen bee rated 5 or below. "Hey Hive Hottie!.....wanna sample the pollen from my 'pistil'?" Bah-dum-dum.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Sep 27, 2018 - 07:36am PT
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The difference between bees and wasps:
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Tamara Robbins
climber
not a climber, just related...
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Sep 29, 2018 - 02:53pm PT
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In my experience “meat bees” don’t sting so much as take a microscopic bite, and their aggressiveness would seem to vary with location. While in Pinecrest last week, the density of meat bees and other species was striking. Word was that the bald faced has recently been spotted there - something new.
All of the wasps our group experienced were more aggressive than I’d seen before (with exception of a ground nest I stepped in, while hiking into the Upper Yough one year.... (an aside, hiking with someone who has Moonshine in their pack is a bonus. It relieved the effects of my many stings/bites as soon as topically applied!)
This week at Yellow Pines they were present, but relative to those up Pinecrest/Sonora Pass way, not nearly as prolific or pissy. Munge can prob weigh in with perspective - being a regular in both places...
The species is one whose behavior may be indicative of bigger things - wondering if it may be tied to either the fires or the massive forestry work being done (or both). In Yos especially, the tree work atm is off the charts - many species are likely being affected (including humans trying to find any peace and quiet between 8 am and dusk🙄)
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Hoots
climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 29, 2018 - 05:56pm PT
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Thanks for all the replies thus far.
Loaded up with plenty of Epi-Pens and Benedryl, let's see if I can brave a day of down canyon climbing without aggravating any of them!
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