Insect and/or Spider Bites

[NightFlight]

Today, I opened up my farm shop and while I was opening the back roll up door, I inadvertently stuck my hand in a spider web and yep, it was a black widow's. She got me on my right index finger right at the tip. Those little bitches are fast! It hurts typing. Not to fear, I have been bitten by black widows since 1983, the first time on my back while I was calibrating a five section rail scale. You can't feel them bite but you know it in a few hours. The first symptom I have is pain running up and down my arm (today's bite) and my finger tip becomes really sore at the bite. I'm starting to have joint pains but they aren't as severe as when I was first bitten. Soon, I'll have a headache and a little aspirin will take care of that. Then, about 8pm, it will be back to normal (as if I'm normal).

My question to all is: What is the worst insect or spider bite you have ever experienced?? Do you shrug them off like me as I'm not allergic to most bites or, do they cause you to seek immediate medical attention??

I will say that wasps and bees don't give me life threatening symptoms. The earliest I remember getting stung was when I was 4 or 5 and I picked up a beautiful fuzzy red and black ant. That bitch hurt. It was a Cow Killer. The other only (so far) sting I have had that made me think I was going to have to seek medical attention was I put my hand on a European Hornet. I have never had my hand swell up that bad and got nauseated to where I was throwing up. Ice and time took care of it that time.

[KTemplar]

Two wasps on my neck while I was working, I’m looking at my boss and telling him to get them out of my hair.  I have long hair, poor guy was trying so delicately to get them.  My hands were full, finally I said get in there and get them, which he did.

i lived in AZ for a couple of years and thought black widows were pretty docile and they never bit me.  I had a neighbor that swore they would thrust at her like hissing, she was a mean girl so whatevs.

i didn’t care for the huge brown ones that had bellies the size of tangerines and would bounce when you tried to kill them.

i was so used to spiders after year one, I’d walk by tarantulas in my yard and tell them to head to the neighbors house cause I didn’t feel like killing him.

The most frightening was being stuck at a red light next to the Union Pacific train track and a swarm of killer bees approached my car.  I was on the phone with my sister and she kept telling me don’t worry they can’t get in.  I sat for about a minute and couldn’t take it anymore and blew the red light (nobody was around).

[NightFlight]

Two wasps on my neck while I was working, I’m looking at my boss and telling him to get them out of my hair.  I have long hair, poor guy was trying so delicately to get them.  My hands were full, finally I said get in there and get them, which he did.

i lived in AZ for a couple of years and thought black widows were pretty docile and they never bit me.  I had a neighbor that swore they would thrust at her like hissing, she was a mean girl so whatevs.

i didn’t care for the huge brown ones that had bellies the size of tangerines and would bounce when you tried to kill them.

i was so used to spiders after year one, I’d walk by tarantulas in my yard and tell them to head to the neighbors house cause I didn’t feel like killing him.

The most frightening was being stuck at a red light next to the Union Pacific train track and a swarm of killer bees approached my car.  I was on the phone with my sister and she kept telling me don’t worry they can’t get in.  I sat for about a minute and couldn’t take it anymore and blew the red light (nobody was around).

OOOH! Twice on the neck! That had to hurt!

I have stood over a yellow jacket nest, they nest in the ground, and got stung 20 to 30 times. Another time I accidentally got near a swarm of honey bees in a small tree and they weren't happy, either. Only got stung 5 or 6 times. Bumble bees hurt, too. Stepped over a log and right on their hole, stung twice on my legs.

[KTemplar]

Night flight, I actually stood in a pile of leaves once as a kid while playing hide and seek and was chased down by yellow jackets and stung a few times as well.  It started to rain thank god so they finally retreated, but the wasps on the neck hurt worse for sure.

[Oldcarpy2]

I was carping.  Arrived in the morning and screwed my bivvy pole into a handy hole in the bank

Bailiff told me it was a wasp nest.

I thought I can't see any wasps.


Apparently they come back to their nests in the evening.

They did.

"Some bastards stuck a pole in our nest".

"No, THAT bastard stuck a pole in our nest. Get him"!


They did. Got stung about 50 times.  Ouch.

We have Blandford Flies which are nasty little buggers, but nothing too deadly.

When doing nights I used to open a can of condensed milk for a brew in the night.

One night I made a brew and got a mouthful of extremely angry Wood Ants.

Not nice.

[NightFlight]

I was carping.  Arrived in the morning and screwed my bivvy pole into a handy hole in the bank

Bailiff told me it was a wasp nest.

I thought I can't see any wasps.


Apparently they come back to their nests in the evening.

They did.

"Some bastards stuck a pole in our nest".

"No, THAT bastard stuck a pole in our nest. Get him"!


They did. Got stung about 50 times.  Ouch.

We have Blandford Flies which are nasty little buggers, but nothing too deadly.

When doing nights I used to open a can of condensed milk for a brew in the night.

One night I made a brew and got a mouthful of extremely angry Wood Ants.

Not nice.

We have imported fire ants, little tiny bitches that bite and sting injecting with both ends. The first time I "experienced" them I swelled up and it did feel like fire initially, but then every bite itched like hell! I've been bit and stung so many times by fire ants that they do nothing anymore. I have them everywhere as do everyone else in the south.
The native ants that sting and bite are carpenter ants and harvester ants. They hurt, too!

[Oldcarpy2]

We have imported fire ants, little tiny bitches that bite and sting injecting with both ends. The first time I "experienced" them I swelled up and it did feel like fire initially, but then every bite itched like hell! I've been bit and stung so many times by fire ants that they do nothing anymore. I have them everywhere as do everyone else in the south.
The native ants that sting and bite are carpenter ants and harvester ants. They hurt, too!

Thank goodness we don't have Bullet Ants!

https://factanimal.com/bullet-ant/

[NightFlight]

Thank goodness we don't have Bullet Ants!

https://factanimal.com/bullet-ant/

Or Murder Hornets!

[Unknownparadox]

I had something sting or bite me while working on a old car, when I was young. Got me on the side of the elbow made hole about as big as a pencil lead. It felt like a cigar had been put out on my elbow. I come out from under that car fast. The old guy supervising, had long grimy finger nails. Which proceeded to squeeze the crap out of the bite/sting. Which help make it a lasting memory. 

I got about 10-15 what I think were chigger bites on my ankles. It was like fire, I rubbed most of the skin off my ankles on that. Worst chiggers I ever had.

While it wasn't the worst, I was kind of amazed by it. I was painting a deck. I grabbed a 4x4 post up against the house. I put my index finger right over the top of a wood boring bees hole. And it was in there. It bit me, and they have a serious bite. I snatched my hand out, and it looked like my finger had been pinched by a pair of needle nose pliers. That's the only time I had a wood boring bee bite me.

[DontTreadOnMe]

Don't really have a worst sting story.

But two odd stories.
First, I was preparing a small area for cucumbers to grow up a fence next to the garage.   Pissed off some little itsy bitsy driveway ants.....2-3 bit me.  Powerful grip for such little thing.

Then the other day some little itty bitty flying thing bit me.
I guess it was an noseeums.....a midge?
Didn't really swell, but a wide red area that itched a LOT! For two-three days.
Had to treat with plantain drops several times a day.   You can also use leaves of the fresh plant. but none around here.