Saturday, August 24, 2013

There is a Season for Everything

September, we've been prepping the "middle earth", behind the barn, clearing stumps, taking out a few diggers and oak bushes, cleared berries and cut back manzanita growing by the fence.  We have been avoiding the nest of ground bees, until one day and a temporary lack of attention, drug the rippers over the nest.
Within seconds I sensed the attack, a few had intruded into my hair and within moments I was hot, and itchy on my legs and my hands and felt strange. I went to make another pass at the field but couldn't complete the row, I motioned to Cliff on the other tractor that I was "going up".  By the time I got off the tractor and drove the "mater" gator up to the house - something was seriously wrong.  A shower was the ticket, had to reduce the intense itch, so took a benedryl before the dousing.
I'm pretty sure taking the benedryl saved my life.  A five minute shower and I was so dizzy and weak, I could move only two steps holding on, I barely made it to the couch.  No I didn't lose consciousness, but definitely weak, dizzy and still itching.  45 minutes later, in comes Cliff and says "Where'd you go"?  I guess he didn't think anything at all was odd about my towel only clad appearance, on the living room couch, in the middle of the day.
The next three days I treated myself with benedryl, sleeping alot.  The scabs, from the reaction to the stings, went away and the pasture got planted without me.  I feel just aweful about the bees, and hope to attract bees with the clover flowers that will come up.  And it just might be a good birthday present for Cliff, he has been interested in honey bees for awhile.

No comments:

Post a Comment