Poor Gertie- and poor you and your husband. I am glad you have all come through such a dreadful ordeal, I don't think I'd have been thinking straight if I was being stung by a swarm of bees. I was badly stung by one wasp once and hallucinated all night.
Gertie is so lucky you found her (both times). I wonder how she was hurt the first time? I can't imagine dumping a pet no matter what the circumstances.

I love wirey terriers like Gertie!She is a cutie! The bee experience sounded horrible for everyone, glad to hear all is well now.

I am so very thankful for people like you, Marilyn. Bless your heart. I'm glad you, hubby and the dog are now all okay.

Oh poor Gertie, what a horrible experience! I am glad you found her. or she found you!

Gertie is adorable and I'm so glad she's OK.

So what's happening with the bees? Did they all move on? I love regular bees, but this story will forever change how I think about them. Killer bees are really scary.

I've just read update#2, and #3.

I don't know how you manage to keep up with all your set backs, but thank goodness you do!

Poor Gertie. She is so cute, and lucky that you found her.

Glad to see that you are back with us here at the KT.

Keep the updates coming when you have time.

Don't forget to give yourself and Jodi a break now and then.

Sue

Gertie is so cute. What a story of the bees. I can't imagine getting stung more than once. I am happy you all survived. Marilyn, you have the most interesting stories of your life on the bayou.

Wow! What a nightmare! Glad everyone survived. What an adorable little doggie that Gertie is!

Yes, I'm glad you and Gertie found one another. I used to have a dog nearly identical to Gertie - her name was Hazel Lee Cunningham I. lol I loved that little dog, she was by my side constantly, would pick up anything I dropped and even if I didn't realize it. I would turn around and here she would be wanting to give me a kleenex or such other that I dropped. Hazel lived to 16yrs. old. The best little mutt ever - just like Gertie.

Hope the bees have moved on. That had to be a terrible experience.

Hazel:
{{gwi:1691219}}

There is an abandoned house on our road that had bees in the walls. The yard has grown up in brush and part of the house has now fallen in...however, I am sure there are still bees in it. I believe they came from there. Regular bees can cross with killer bees. I think the killer bees kill the queen and put one of their own queens in there. (Not sure about that...so for anyone who "asks the HARD questions" that is just what someone told me). The house is owned by an elderly woman who lives in Houston. I called her and asked her to see about doing something about the bees, because if those are Africanized now...it will be a threat forever. From that house to our place is solid, thick woods. You can't get in there and burn down the house...which is what some people have suggested. It is mostly pine trees...and they burn like a torch.

She said she would do something. I don't think she will. She has money, so she could hire it done. We were going to talk to the county agent and see what can be done about it but then my husband got very sick and for the past several days, we've had to deal with that.

I have never had a fear of bees, or wasps either. I will pick up bees out of the water troughs with my hands. (I found out it doesn't work so well with wasps, but I will give them a stick to crawl up on.) Right now the privet and tallow trees are blooming and they are covered with bees. I went out to feed the donkeys yesterday and I heard a very loud buzzing and I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn't see a swarm...I guess the sound was coming from the privet.

I'm still not afraid of bees...but now I worry about walking out in the woods. If I got too far from the house, I don't know what I would do if I got attacked. I would have no where to go. If I had a bad reaction the next time something like this happened, I would be dead before I could get help. Like I told my husband, if we had died, we would be dead for days before anyone realized it.

Jody had a friend who was killed by two wasp stings. One stung him on the throat and before he could get help he died, so ever since then, he hasn't liked wasps. I, on the other hand, never kill them or destroy their nests. We had a huge nest of them right over the back door one summer, and he never knew they were there.

The bees also swarmed to the house behind the abandoned house...not close as in town, but within a few acres. The guy who lives there said they had a big swarm in a tree and he didn't do anything about them until they started after his cat. I think he said he burned them out.

My fear is that they will find a hollow tree or something back in my woods and no telling where else around here, and we will have to contend with this from now on.

With the high price of hay now, we have decided to clear 10 acres and make a hay field. Big concern now about getting equipment in here to do it. Noises and vibrations from equipment tend to set them off.

Before we bought this house, it had bees in the walls. We bombed them. Then, last year, we just happened to be in here and the windows open on the sun porch (no screens yet because we have to have some custom built) and a swarm of bees flew in and tried to get in the wall where bees had been before. We had no thought of killer bees at the time, and we were able to spray them and chase them out. I worry that I could come home some day and find the house full of bees.

So it is something to contend with from now on, I suppose.

Each time I hear about that bee attack, it amazes me you, Jody and Gertie survived.

Great update on Gertie...such a sweet girl...you two were meant to be together, Marilyn. :)

Geez, what a story! Did I read that right -- your friend murdered her husband??

"Did I read that right -- your friend murdered her husband??"

Kill or be killed. It is your choice. She didn't lay down and die.

Wow! I was in shock reading about you, Gertie and Jody.
What a horrible, horrible experience.

I'm so glad everyone is all right.....at least I hope everyone is.

Gertie reminds me of Eddie from Fraser.....he was adorable and so smart! She definitely has the right home, now.

Dedtired, read the Update #2 for the explanation of Marilyn's friend.

Just want to add that "Gertie" owns that name. Bet if we looked up that name in a dictionary, her picture would be there.

Thanks Marilyn for all you do.

I did read Update #2 and now this one - but for some reason I can't find Update # 1 - was there one?

Marilyn - I sure hope you somehow save all of these because it would make a fascinating book or even a series of articles in a magazine.

So glad all turned out okay, bees can be very scary. I wonder how Gertie was injured, maybe another animal. She is very, very lucky you found her.

Your life is anything but dull, Marilyn! I'm so sorry for your recent troubles but very happy to read about your acquisition of Gertie--what a sweetheart of a doggy. I would be terrified if those bees came after me. Is there no Beekeepeers Guild in your area? I realize you're in a rural area, so perhaps not. I wish you and your husband returning good health and hope the bees won't bother you anymore.

I am so sorry about you and your pets. Bee's can be so dangerous. My husband spent 4 days in the hospital with one bee sting many years ago, then went thru allergy shots and still has to be very careful. If we go anywhere and I see/hear bees I will not let him out of the car. He will end up in the hospital and in is condition will not make it. Hope the other person will contact someone to take care of the bees around her house.
Take care
Marie

I am glad to see your posts too. I wish I had your fortitude! Your life is not dull, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing with us,... it's always interesting.

How scary!! (I laughed at your HARD questions line, Marilyn). Gertie is so lucky to have found you. She is so adorable I would have taken her in, too. I would love to help you out to have her spayed, if you would like a donation. Send me an email with your address.

I appreciate it, sleeperblues, but I get good deals from the shelters that I work with. I will get her taken care of way before she comes in heat again.

Maire Cate...Update #1 was the one that caused the brouhaha when I told gave the update on my house. I didn't label it #1...I just called it Update (I think). I think someone had it deleted. I haven't looked for it. I quit reading it when people started pissing me off. I have had a lot of stress lately, and I didn't need the extra hassle. I only came back to do these to show people they aren't going to run me off....if I get ready to go, it will be because I want to. And, I believe I have a lot of friends here, and some don't belong to Facebook, so they don't see the things I write about the animals there. I think these updates are kinda silly...but sort of fun...and if someone thinks I have a big ego for doing this....well, so be it. ;)

Marilyn, the older I get I find that I don't "care" what anyone thinks. You do the same and just be you and keep on posting about your life and the animals for those of us who "do" enjoy reading them.

You could write a book. I would love to read it. I really enjoyed Nita's. Never a dull moment. Gertie looks so sweet! I can't imagine being swarmed by bees!!

Lisa, I wrote the story of my life at another forum. Did you read that?

Marilyn - thanks for taking the time to explain the threads. I didn't mean to dredge up the old one. I was afraid I'd missed a recent post where you updated us on your home.

You do have lots of friends here at the KT and I always enjoy reading about the various creatures in your care. I hope you've made a lot of progress!

Your friend sounds courageous. I hope she is okay today.

I grew up with a wire hair terrier named Flip. Gertie looks a bit like him. You have a wonderful heart.

Keep on Writing.... See how many of us enjoy reading about your interesting life. Nanny

We are in the suburbs, and we had a swarm of bees move into my new owl house. We called bee keepers, and it cost us $200 to have them come get them and relocate them to their hives.

I would think in farm territory that a farmer who keeps bees might like to adopt those bees. the bee keepers I used said that it is the pesticides that farmers use that are killing the bees, so maybe they would welcome a swarm or two. They said here in the city where pesticides are not sprayed with large equipment, there is no shortage of bees.

These were killer bees. No one wants to adopt them. They are extremely dangerous to be around. They will attack and chase you for a quarter of a mile. What happens, the killer bees cross with regular honey bees, and the only way to tell them apart is microscopically. They are extremely aggressive and dangerous not only to people, but animals as well. I am sure any bee keeper in this area would want to eradicate them because they don't want them taking over their hives. They do produce honey...and that is how they managed to spread. An experiment in Brazil (in 1956, I think) went wrong and they escaped. They were trying to produce a better honey bee by crossing them with African bees. Over the years they have migrated up from South America into the southern states. I am sure people everywhere would want to stop them before they infect hives and continue to spread further.

hey there Marilyn..sent pics of my old Scruff to your FB page....

No Marilyn I didn't read it. Is there a way to? You can email me thru may page if you would rather not post it.

Lisa, you don't have your email listed on your My Page. Are you on Facebook? I have several friends from KT as friends at FB but most of them, I have no idea who they are. I just know they are from KT because we have mutual friends that I do recognize from KT.