A standoff where everyone survived

TheCowGod

Last night I was driving to work when I felt something on my right index finger. I tried to brush it off with my thumb, but it didn't immediately come off. I could feel it moving around, so I realized it must be some sort of insect. I started to do one of those reflexive limb shakes you do when you realize there's an insect crawling on you. The quick motion must have frightened it, though, and I felt a sting. As I realized my visitor was in fact something hostile like a bee or a wasp, my shake evolved into flailing my hand around in a combination of panic and pain.

After a few seconds of what felt like fierce battle (but was probably just me frantically waving my arm at nothing), I saw the bee retreat to the folds of my bookbag in the passenger seat and turn to stare at me warily. I tried to shoo it out the window, but by now I was on the highway, and he was having none of it. There was no emergency lane in which to pull over, so I kept driving, glancing down at him every few seconds to be sure he wasn't preparing to mount another attack.

We held this uneasy truce all the way to work. When I arrived and stopped the car, he was still sitting docilely on my bookbag, so I figured I'd take some macro pictures in payment for the bee sting. I quickly got out my camera and grabbed a few shots (quite nervous about bringing my face inches away from the enemy), but he just crawled around a bit and graciously refrained from leaping onto my face and stinging me repeatedly. I suppose it's possible he was injured and had other things on his mind. Eventually I decided to stop pushing my luck, and I used a napkin to evict him from the car.



I'm not sure if it's a bee or a wasp. That's what I thought bees looked like, but I understand bee stings are supposed to be fatal (for the bee), and I noticed a distinct lack of dying on his part. Maybe he didn't manage to get his stinger all the way into my finger.

DanielB

nice story


nice photos too

the sting looks like it paid off

gus

Nice bright macro. That is indeed a bee. They do die after stinging but that is because their sting is ripped from their body & thus it is never instant. At the top of the sting is a sack with the venom & you should always try & scrap the sting sideways to remove it & not grab it as you will squeeze more venom into yourself.

I get them in my helmet & down my jacket all the time on the bike around here. The last one got me on the nipple & it swelled up so bad i needed a bra....next time i will stop on the roadside to find another bee.

JimM

Great shot! Great Story too!

TheCowGod

Thanks for all the comments. It was certainly interesting operating a camera with a wounded shutter finger

Humungus wrote:

That is indeed a bee. They do die after stinging but that is because their sting is ripped from their body & thus it is never instant. At the top of the sting is a sack with the venom & you should always try & scrap the sting sideways to remove it & not grab it as you will squeeze more venom into yourself.

See, that's why I suspect he didn't get the stinger all the way into me. There was nothing to scrape or squeeze. I was going to take a macro picture of the sting as long as I had the camera out, but there was nearly no visible mark. It stung for about 24 hours though, so I know he made SOME kind of contact I suspect he survived the encounter with his abdomen intact.

Now, looking at the picture, it kind of looks like his left foreleg is at a weird angle. I wonder if I accidentally did that to him while I was trying to brush him off my finger with my thumb (before I knew it was a "him"). If so, then OK, I'd say a mild sting is a fair trade.

gus

Things like this can be serious ..it only takes a split second with you eyes off the road.

We tend to keep our cars shut up around here to stop the spiders getting in...our garage is full of them.

Read at the bottom of 'habitat & distribution' ..it says they love getting in cars. I recon these things are responsible for more car accidents around here than people will admit. They easily grow to a mans hand size & are really hairy & move so fast you can really see them until they stop.

elfving73

Hahaha! Great story! What a thrill ride! : The pic is fabulous! The sharpness is impressive! Good Job!

Skippy

Good Shot!

TheCowGod wrote:

Last night I was driving to work when I felt something on my right index finger. I tried to brush it off with my thumb, but it didn't immediately come off. I could feel it moving around, so I realized it must be some sort of insect. I started to do one of those reflexive limb shakes you do when you realize there's an insect crawling on you. The quick motion must have frightened it, though, and I felt a sting. As I realized my visitor was in fact something hostile like a bee or a wasp, my shake evolved into flailing my hand around in a combination of panic and pain.

After a few seconds of what felt like fierce battle (but was probably just me frantically waving my arm at nothing), I saw the bee retreat to the folds of my bookbag in the passenger seat and turn to stare at me warily. I tried to shoo it out the window, but by now I was on the highway, and he was having none of it. There was no emergency lane in which to pull over, so I kept driving, glancing down at him every few seconds to be sure he wasn't preparing to mount another attack.

We held this uneasy truce all the way to work. When I arrived and stopped the car, he was still sitting docilely on my bookbag, so I figured I'd take some macro pictures in payment for the bee sting. I quickly got out my camera and grabbed a few shots (quite nervous about bringing my face inches away from the enemy), but he just crawled around a bit and graciously refrained from leaping onto my face and stinging me repeatedly. I suppose it's possible he was injured and had other things on his mind. Eventually I decided to stop pushing my luck, and I used a napkin to evict him from the car.



I'm not sure if it's a bee or a wasp. That's what I thought bees looked like, but I understand bee stings are supposed to be fatal (for the bee), and I noticed a distinct lack of dying on his part. Maybe he didn't manage to get his stinger all the way into my finger.

Glad you both survived the ordeal .....can't say I have ever been stung by a bee, but a wasp got caught in my clothes one time when I was cutting the grass, and it must have stung me at least 20 times before I could get the dang thing out of my clothes.......boy was I in a mess later.

I love the detail you captured in the face of this little fellow, even his eyes are hairy ..... considering your little fight with him you do really well
Skippy (Australia)