Has This Ever Happened To You?

[Don Jenkins]

I was getting in some practice flights alone and while pulling out of the second square loop, a large buzzing thing hit my throat and before I could react with my free hand, it stung me twice.  I grabbed it and tossed it away without crashing my plane.  After a few laps to regain my composure, I completed the pattern.  Later I found the culprit and my research indicates it was a European Hornet, which was at least an inch long.  The welt it left was the size of a golf ball and it is tender and itches like crazy!  Good thing I'm not allergic!

Don

[kenneth cook]

              Don, regardless of allergies you were stung in a spot that could've had serious consequences. Some people have experienced anaphylactic symptoms as a result of stings. I threw a apple at my sister and when she went to throw it back, there were several wasps unnoticed on the underside. She was stung about 3 times and within the hour her forearm looked like a Popeye arm. While she's not considered allergic, the doctors essentially treated her as she was because of the swelling that was moving up her arm. Benadryl quickly took care of the itchiness and swelling. My dad had to work and I was left to be in charge. I have to admit, it really was a scary experience. She had a terrible rash that went from her feet to her fingers mainly on the side she was stung.

[Dwayne Donnelly]

I was getting in some practice flights alone and while pulling out of the second square loop, a large buzzing thing hit my throat and before I could react with my free hand, it stung me twice.  I grabbed it and tossed it away without crashing my plane.  After a few laps to regain my composure, I completed the pattern.  Later I found the culprit and my research indicates it was a European Hornet, which was at least an inch long.  The welt it left was the size of a golf ball and it is tender and itches like crazy!  Good thing I'm not allergic!

Don

You finished the pattern?!! You sir are a stud.   

[Steve Fitton]

I had a bumblebee crash into my face and get caught under my sunglasses during a Nats official, but the bee got himself sorted and escaped before I could get stung.  The rest of the flight was pretty shaky though....

[De Hill]

Locusts at Brodaks...An unforgettable experience.

[Brett Buck]

I was getting in some practice flights alone and while pulling out of the second square loop, a large buzzing thing hit my throat and before I could react with my free hand, it stung me twice.  I grabbed it and tossed it away without crashing my plane.  After a few laps to regain my composure, I completed the pattern.  Later I found the culprit and my research indicates it was a European Hornet, which was at least an inch long.  The welt it left was the size of a golf ball and it is tender and itches like crazy!  Good thing I'm not allergic!

  Not that bad, but I did have a Japanese Beetle fly in and land between my eye and my sunglasses during a qualifying flight at the 98 NATs. Right in the middle of the square 8.


     Brett

[Ken Culbertson]

We used to fly late back in the 70's.  Field was next to a car dealership with huge lights. One evening I was attacked by a bat.  Does that count?

Ken

[James Mills]

I had a bumblebee crash into my face and get caught under my sunglasses during a Nats official, but the bee got himself sorted and escaped before I could get stung.  The rest of the flight was pretty shaky though....

Steve, I remember watching that flight.

James

[Steve Lotz]

Oh yeah, I remember the cicadas at Brodak's! I saw some poor soul trying to fly and his body was just covered with them.

[John Park]

Once (1966, IIRC) had a bumblebee hit me in the throat when I was doing eighty-odd on my BSA Super Rocket.  I thought someone had shot me.

[Don Jenkins]

You finished the pattern?!! You sir are a stud.   

At the time, finishing the pattern seemed to be a better option than spinning in circles for 4 or 5 minutes.  I was recording my flight, and after the sting my flying degraded significantly!

Don

[Jim Svitko]

Hornets going for the throat?  First it was murder hornets.  Now we have vampire hornets?

[Dan Berry]

Buffalo gnats are the worst I've had to deal with.

[EddyR]

 I was stung on left arm while flying. It was like a needle going in. Never saw the critter. It was sore for a couple of days,then OK. I have had a lot of stings over the years but not while flying except for that one time.
Ed

[John McFayden]

My bug story involves a large dragonfly. Mid-pattern the lines were suddenly jammed. In a fraction of an instant I imagined all the things that might be wrong with the control system when I saw this dragonfly stuck in the lines midway to the model. I could just barely move the handle and the model is just barely controllable. The more I reefed up and down on the handle the more I could get it to move. After several panicked laps the lines sawed through the dragonfly and I saw the two halves fall away and full control was returned. No I did not finish the pattern.

[BillLee]

Back in the days when cars had wind wings.... Was headed home from work one fine fall afternoon, window open wind wing as well... a wasp hit off the wind wing and came inside.... ended up on the seat between my legs... stung me through the slacks.... on the inside of my thigh ... less than an inch from....

Needless to say, you can stop a van into the first parking lot in a BIG hurry!

[dennis lipsett]

I had a bumblebee crash into my face and get caught under my sunglasses during a Nats official, but the bee got himself sorted and escaped before I could get stung.  The rest of the flight was pretty shaky though....

Steve,
That couldent have been a male. All of the bees you see in the air are female. Males are produced when a new queen is made and is starting a new hive. They make the weding flight and the males fertilize her enroute. Then they fall out of the air dead  as their purpose has been fulfilled.
I'm sure that there is a  female bee somewhere that is calling yoiu a chauvenist LOL
Addendum. The female remains fertalized for the rest of her life turning out more worker bees at a prodigeous pace

Dennis

[John Park]

Hornets going for the throat?  First it was murder hornets.  Now we have vampire hornets?

Not hornet - bumble-bee.  It was simply buzzing around, doing its own thing, when an Oxford undergraduate on a big motorcycle came along, going much faster than the law permitted, and their respective courses intersected.  Ouch.  The Oxford undergraduate survived.  The bee didn't - I found it later, inside my shirt.

[Will Hinton]

Had a buddy who met with a bumblebee that hit where his helmet and face connected, hit hard enough that it went clear into his ear and proceded to object strongly to being there.  He actually laid his bike down at about 30mph!  His ear was huge by the time he got to work later!  And, again, he was fortunate to not be allergic.