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Okay.. for those who aren't afraid of bees.. no seriously..

1K views 59 replies 31 participants last post by  theoconbrio 
#1 ·
Why?

The one big problem i have with summer are bees.. or hornets.. or wasps.. i'm terrified of buzzing insects that sting.

It's a problem to the point that it makes having flowers impossible..

I'm curious.. how are you not afraid? What do you tell yourself? I mean sure.. they say they won't sting you unless provoked.. but when they're buzzing around your head for no reason.. how does that not put the fear of God into you? Would he be flying around you if he wasn't contemplating jabbing you?

I'd really like to get over this fear.. i was stung once by a wasp.. in my shoe.. it wasn't /that/ painful.. i mean, it wasn't fun, but it didn't kill me.. so i don't know what my problem is.

I guess they call it irrational for a reason.. don't get me started on butterflies.

So.. any tips on how to .. lessen my fear? I'm such a girl.
 
#5 ·
No fun getting stung. Just walk away. Unless you are allergic to the venom, its just a painful sore for a few days. I was 35 years old when I got stung the first time, okay, I was lucky till then. Been stung several times since then and each time it was worse. Landed in an emergency room the last time. Turns out I have developed an allergy to the little stingers. Still not afraid of them, but I do not waste any time putting distance between me and them. Have to carry an epipen now.
 
#6 ·
I'm not afraid of any of them, but I don't like wasps. They hurt when they sting. I kill them if I can. Bees don't bother me, I just shoo them away with my hand or something and ignore them. I haven't been stung in years. We have a big garden and lots of flowers everywhere. I don't know what I tell myself, I've just never been afraid of them. If you wave your arm around enough, they'll leave, or get a fly swatter and smack em dead!!
 
#10 ·
It doesn't seem that they come after me even if they are pissed off. If you flap your arms around enough eventually, they just leave. I probably look pretty silly to the neighbors though.

BTW, I'm more afraid of stepping on a slimy slug in my barefeet. EEwwww.
 
#8 ·
I'm very cafeful not to get them excited, don't want stung cause I'm allergic to them, it has worked good now for almost 25 years. That's how long it's been since I got stung. Cost me three days off at work.
 
#22 ·
Well, i still have it.. i mean.. i have tulips in the front.. so.. and besides.. maybe some day i'll conquer the fear.. agony.. terrifying, debilitating disease.. you never know!

Plus i was touched.. yeah that's right.. touched *crude winky face*
 
#13 ·
I remember when I was little, I sat on my bike and got stung in the ass. :eek:

I'm not afraid of them, we have them all over around here. What I am afraid of, however, is Macy trying to catch them. She's constantly trying to catch them. Last year she was sick for 24 hours after eating a carpenter bee. She was sooooooo sick, throwing up or dry heaving every 5 minutes. :(

My husband isn't very fond of them. Ran over a yellow jacket nest with the mower last summer :
 
#32 ·
I remember when I was little, I sat on my bike and got stung in the ass. :eek:

I'm not afraid of them, we have them all over around here. What I am afraid of, however, is Macy trying to catch them. She's constantly trying to catch them. Last year she was sick for 24 hours after eating a carpenter bee. She was sooooooo sick, throwing up or dry heaving every 5 minutes. :(

My husband isn't very fond of them. Ran over a yellow jacket nest with the mower last summer :
That looks SO painful! :( We had a yellow jacket or ground hornet's nest in the yard last year, both boys got stung on the muzzle. I sprayed the crap out of the nest and got them all, plus the surrounding area of grass.
 
#21 ·
I got ours at Home Depot, there are several different kinds- uses a bait to get them in and then they can't get back out-buggers caught!:D The zapper that Colin mentioned also works well- the suit is a little over kill but you wouldn't have to worry about tan lines:D
 
#20 ·
Gee, Kel, not some irrational fear like the girl on "Rock of Love"...who thought everything might deflate her...is it?

FWIW - we bought a WONDERFUL electric fly swatter (must used D cell batteries - not C cell) and swing and fry their little butts any chance we can - it looks like a yellow and black tennis racquet. However, the **** thing stays charged for a bit after you sit it down, so watch where you sit - just sayin!
 
#26 ·
Yep those will work! The ones I have are just cone shaped- you put a liquid on a cotton ball place it in the trap- remember to keep them away from the area you spend most of your time ;) I put one off to the side of the deck and another one hangs from a tree limb to keep the bees away from Sammi!
 
#28 ·
Not to worsen your fear of bee's but I'll share a story with you... several years back I was out mountain biking with a few friends, as we were flying down a really nice part of the trail I felt something hit me in the leg and then crawl around my leg.. inside my shorts. Instead of interrupting my ride I just smacked my leg, well it was a freaking bee and smacking him didn't kill him, just pissed him off, so the mother smurfer stings me on the inside of my leg..way up my shorts, if you get where I am coming from. So my nice ride included a trip to the ER for a shot of andrenalin and some monitoring.
 
#30 ·
DO NOT READ ERIC'S POST.

kelli, I think you need old-fashioned counter-conditioning and desensitization. Have someone go outside with you, on leash, with lots of treats. Start very far from the bees. When you look at a bee, you get a treat. Then we take one step toward the bee and treat. It's very important to set you up for success, so your helper shouldn't go too far too fast.

The alternative would be the Cesar Millan approach:

 
#33 ·
I'm scared of them. You should see how fast I can turn back around and slam the door if I see one hovering around the deck, porch, etc.

I've never been stung before. I think it's the fear of the unknown for me.
 
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