# Yellowjacket stings.  Will anything make them stop hurting?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowjacket-stings-will-anything-make-them-stop-hurting/505791>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 9, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowjacket-stings-will-anything-make-them-stop-hurting/505791 "2009-08-09T01:47:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowjacket-stings-will-anything-make-them-stop-hurting/505791/21 "2009-08-09T17:34:39Z")

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I got stung about 20 times in the lower leg/s one time as a teenager. I was doing a job where I had to cross a narrow bridge several times, that happened to have some yellowjackets buzzing around it that day. I had an injury at the time that prevented me from running, so I had to just walk through (actually I tried sort of using the bridge handrails like crutches to move faster) and deal with it. It wasn’t that bad.

I assumed they were yellowjackets, at least, because they were yellow and I don’t recall them leaving stingers in me.

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**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowjacket-stings-will-anything-make-them-stop-hurting/505791/22 "2009-08-09T17:39:56Z")

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A month or so ago, I was cleaning the gutters on my carport. I discovered during this process that the cheap gutter covers the previous owner had installed were much more effective at keeping water out of the gutters than anything else, so I decided to just pull them all off. I got to the last one, slid it off and discovered a large yellow-jacket nest. Fortunately, they didn’t notice me, and I managed to get the thing back on before they attacked. Unfortunately, the ladder was up against that section of gutter, and I had to figure out how to manipulate it to a new spot and get down, which is not that easy to do from the roof.

I haven’t been stung by any kind of wasp since I was probably 12 or so. I got a single bee sting when I was about 20, and nothing since then (I’m 33). I’m really fine with keeping that streak going.

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