France in Focus

While clearing some tree cuttings yesterday afternoon and taking them to a quiet corner way down at the bottom of the garden I've used for years l met the new lodgers!
I chucked my cuttings down and turned to walk away when a fierce sensation in my right armpit made me immediately hit what was there but instantaneously l was hit 3 or 4 times on the back of my head just above the neckline. Other stings followed but by then l was legging it like an Olympic sprinter on speed and fortunately l wasn't followed.
About 3 or 4 stings under the arm, a couple of others on each arm and about 10 in total.
Last night my head was killing me but eased this morning although my armpit is still on fire.
Little buggers were certainly well primed as extremely painful and as a diabetic type 2 I waited for the onset of anaphylactic shock but fortunately nothing happened.
So beware out there

Hope you're okay Wilbro. Wasp and bee stings hurt like hell and the armpit is a very sensitive area. Vinegar (acid) for wasp stings, alkaline (bicarb) for bees.
If you've got any lavender oil, it's a good pain reliever for a sting. Otherwise a hydro-cortisone cream can help (provided you're not allergic to cortisone !).

10 stings !! Oh you have my sincere sympathy. And yes, under arm area is quite sensitive. I'm griping about around 6 mosquito bites.

Hope you have (and can use) hydro-cortisone cream. I think 10 stings would have me calling my MT, but this being the weekend that wouldn't get me anywhere.

My sympathies too, Wilbro. Very nasty! I used to keep an Anapen after I went into shock from 1 wasp sting here in '91 and generally keep a wary eye out for the buggers. They seem quite numerous this year, despite our neighbours doing away with their pear trees.
Reminder to self: get another prescription!

I got one on the finger yesterday, little bugger must have been on my tee shirt, Anthisan liberally applied and an antihistamine. Last time i got one it clamped on the the front of my neck and got me on the jugular, ended up in the urgence with a drip in my arm, doctor said I might not be as lucky next time, but said I did not need an epi pen or whatever they are called. Worried me this time but seem ok this morning. We have a damn great swarm of them around the guttering on our gite, the pest control man is supposed to be calling me Monday for a RDV, think they charge about 150€ a time now. There appears to be a birds nest where they are swarming, but it looks as though there is a dead bird in there, whether that is the attraction?

Most bricos sell a high pressure aerosol for wasps and hornets and it will spray about 5 metres away. Very effective.

As someone who reacts badly to just a single sting, I cannot imagine what 10 would be like.
Speedy recovery - and I concur with Blaze's suggestions although it is probably too late to apply vinegar. The lavender oil suggestion is very good and as well as soothing it is also a mild antiseptic.

As to Blaze's sugestion I applied vinegar this morning which seemed to help for a while but now the arm is stinging again so will now re-apply anthisan which I used liberally yesterday. Fortunately my head has pretty much cleared but the arm is truly aggravating so will try Lavender oil next assuming we have some.

Thank you all for your kind wishes and I will let you know how it goes. A day in today!

Hughnique and Wilbro - have you bought Anthisan in France? We usually get a couple of tubes when in the UK but by the time we start using the second one it doesn't seem as effective

We have always bought in the UK and it gets used often but on the last tube now. I should have brought some back when I went over recently but stupidly forgot.