Yellow Jackets Attack At Elementary School

CHANNEL CINCINNATI.COM ^ | 08/26/2005 | CHANNEL CINCINNATI

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Children Transported To Hospital For Treatment

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- As many as 15 adults and children are being treated for what authorities said was an attack by a swarm of yellow jackets on a Washington-area elementary school.

Montgomery County Fire spokesman Pete Piringer said it happened shortly before noon at Montgomery Knolls Elementary School in Silver Spring.

Officials said the children were walking in a wooded area with adults from their day-care center when they apparently moved a log, which turned out to be the nesting spot for the yellow jackets. That got the yellow jackets buzzing, and before everyone could escape, 11 of the 15 children were stung, along with three adults.

According to Piringer, the children range in age from 3 to 5 years old. Three of the children were stung repeatedly and had reactions. Eight others were stung once or twice.

All 11 children were taken to Holy Cross Hospital to be checked out.

[metmom]

That's photoshopped. Right? Right?

[null and void]

Not as far as I know...

[chronic_loser]

I had a lawn care business as an adolescent. I ran over more yellow jacket nests than I can count. They do swarm you, and I have suffered more than a few stings. My MO was to take a 16 oz bottle and fill it with gasoline, haul ass up to the mouth of the nest, and set it upright. Do it quick and get out. Then go running up again and tip it over into the hole. Then you can throw in a match from a few feet away. Almost always a workable plan.

They are aggressive little buggars, but the sting is not nearly as bad as a hornet or red wasp. My brother and I used to pull up the boat to within about 10 feet of hornet's nests on the Tennessee River, and shoot the nest with a 12 gauge, slam the boat into gear and take off. You could literally see the swarm come out after you (they have this thing with sonar or something that they can "follow" the projectile that struck the nest back to the source). My brother once throttled up too fast and stripped the transmission out of the motor. We both went over the side, as hornet swarm will literally kill you if they get all over you. Crazy days, fueled by testosterone, youth and way too much alcohol and dope, but some fun and funny memories.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Are they too buzzed to be embarrassed? That's truly a horrifying picture.

[I still care]

My two year old got attacked by a swarm and got stung several times. He ran over their nest in their little tykes car.

When I went out to check, while my husband put him in the tub, I saw them attacking the yellow roof of the car.

Let's just say the nest didn't survive the night.

[Monitor]

I got bit by one of these SOBs today at 4:30 PM, in the palm of my hand. It's now 12:46 AM, and my hand STILL feels like someone is hammering a dull nail into it.

[kenth]

No wonder they taste like chicken.

[Thinkin' Gal]

[endthematrix]

I found a 5" BMF Chinese Mantas in suburbia and took it home as a pet for my son. I had to let it go, no mantas is a match for a 2 1/2 yr old: "Daddy...bug...squash it?"

[I still care]

My brother would never forgive me if I didn't post this.

[null and void]

Another of life's little mysteries solved...

[denydenydeny]

31 posts and no one's said it yet?

Bush's fault.

[oyez]

Its that time of year for Yellow Jackets. When I was in elementary school we didn't have the luxury of air conditioning so we we had these huge open windows. The wasps always would visit us after lunch when we smelled of sweets. We learned to sit like statues. I can't recall anyone getting stung.

[metmom]

You can order praying mantis egg cases and watch them hatch. It's really cool. I can't remember where I got them but you can google it and find out where they're sold.

[Loud Mime]

That Mantis is the COOLEST insect.

[Loud Mime]

My gawd....they're even selling Mantis eggs on ebay!!!

http://search.ebay.com/praying-mantis-eggs_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1QQfromZR8

[Arthalion]

I've never seen a yellowjacket or a hornet in my life, and reading through this thread makes me glad I live where I do. Out here all we have is mud daubers and paper wasps, and they're so mellow you can practically pet them (don't try it unless you want a swollen finger). I once knocked an 8" paper wasp nest out from under the eve of my house, and the wasps simply flew into back up beneath the eve and started rebuilding the thing. They're a bear to get rid of, but docile enough so that you don't typically have to.

[dr_lew]

Yellow jackets are vicious little mofos that don't even really need a reason to sting you..

Manifestly untrue. If you're at a picnic or someplace where they are foraging, you can let them crawl all over you, ( or your hand anyway ) and they will not sting. The only reason they sting is to defend their nest - or if they get caught up your sleeve or something, but hey, who wouldn't.

BTW, I got stung repeatedly once when I was maybe 12 years old when I was playing at a construction site and we were rolling some old tires down the side of a dirt pile. I was hauling a tire up the hill, and noticed a bunch of yellow jackets swarming around - "Gee, where did these come from?" Well, the tire you idiot! I got zapped 5 or 6 times, but I handled it OK. Chalked it up to my own stupidity.

[Experiment 6-2-6]

I remember a squirrel at Texas A&M eating a sparrow. Squirrels are rats with good pr..

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

; )

I saw them at the Mount Hood Jazz Festival. To my knowledge, everyone was okay and got out of there without being stung.