If her nest is in the ground near the porch staying away is not a phobia, it is good sense.

If you can take some time to observe, maybe you can see exactly where her nest is and know what specifically to avoid...or shoot it with raid to eliminate it.

I was taught not to wave your arms around, because that can agitate wasps or bees - just move away quietly. They usually only sting when threatened.

Also, when spraying wasp nests, wait until after dusk, when they're resting and won't attack.

If it's the wasp I think you mean, they don't really have nests like we think of wasp nests. The mom will dig a hole, lay an egg, and stuff it with a few caterpillars to feed the baby, but she won't live there. She'll just move on and make another somewhere else. Kind of like cicada killers.

She's probably long gone.

Yes, as I wrote above they live in the ground. After reading more about them I didn't know the female lives alone. They love pollen and nectar from flowers and she's near the Zinnias, tons of them.

It's impossible to know where her hole is because they're so tiny.

Annie, Raid Wasps Killer is my bff in the summer. I'm not afraid to kill a nest providing I can run inside. :)

Carol, that's when I spray, either early dawn or dusk when they're gathered. I usually walk slowly away if I get near a wasp but this one had already planned on stinging me. It circled my head and the buzz was close by, that's when I started waving my arms. I cannot believe how fast they are in stinging. Like a missile coming for me!

If you want to get rid of your phobia, I would suggest reading more about their habits and actually sitting outside and observing them. Take a comfy chair and sit on that side of the porch. They(all insects) are super fascinating and really getting to know them would probably make you less fearful. Also, do not wear bright yellow or fuschia.

I typically don't move when a bee or wasp is about and don't wave my hands or anything. But I still remember that one bumble...I was picking a rhodie to put in the house and the bee landed on my lip and was very agitated. So I just froze and let her be...but after about 10 seconds of dancing on my lip, she stung me anyway. Such a shame as for bumbles, once they sting, they die. A shame for my sore lip too!

One post this week about snake bites; another about stinging wasps/bees. This is why I do not garden.

I walked out my back door one day and a wasp came from above and behind, got in between my eyeglasses and face, and stung me on the eyelid. It was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever experienced, like someone put a hot poker in my eye. I’ll bet the neighbors one street over heard me scream. It was so fast, I had no idea what happened at first.

It swelled up so bad, I couldn’t open that eyelid for days.

My DD called every flying insect “sting bug” when she was a tot. :D

Sorry you got stung! I wish I had advice. I just try to be as watchful as possible outside. But somehow I manage to step in every Fire Ant bed there is!

I was stung a few weeks ago by a wasp in our backyard and had a terrible reaction that lasted for a couple of weeks afterwards. The area of my affected arm stayed swollen for a long time, was painful and itchy, and I developed a secondary rash that made my arm hot and inflamed (not an uncommon response). To my mind, avoiding wasps at all costs isn't phobic, it's sensible.

I don't know if I have a true phobia, but I am definitely afraid of wasps. I tried to put out wasp traps early enough this year to reduce the numbers (maybe catch a queen or two if I'm lucky). This is a good reminder that I need to refill the attractant in them this weekend.

@Jilly I am horrified at hearing your eyelind sting story! I am so sorry! That sounds absolutely awful and terrifiying. @Ida yours sounds terrible too! I've never had a wasp sting last that long (though I've had some other unknown sting last for a week or more).

My only recent wasp story is more amusing than scary. My husband and I were ripping out some honeysuckle vines that were out of control. We didn't really know what was underneath and my husband was pulling the vines while I was nearby putting them into the waste can. Next thing I know, I felt a sharp pain inside my leggings on my bottom. Then another. Then another. It's not stopping. My first thought is that I've somehow gotten spiders down my pants. So naturally I do the smart thing: I rip off my leggings in the middle of the day where probably some of the neighbors in the nearby houses can see me. And start running around the yard like a crazy woman with no pants on. Well, it turns out there was some kind of wooden structure underneath the vines that housed a wasp nest. My husband disturbed them and they went after me. I was stung repeatedly all over my bottom and the backside of my legs. At least none of the neighbors have ever mentioned seeing me running around the yard without any pants.

Thanks, Prickly, and owww! Your story! :(

These sting stories are making my phobia worse!

I'm very familiar with all the species of wasps out here and always avoid them if I see one at a distance. I sit outside all the time watching nature. DH taught me how to behave when I see one instead of acting like a girl screaming and running. lol

What I did was accidentally provoke the wasp because I didn't see where it was. It was on the deeply shaded side of the porch and the black is hard to see.

I don't think I told you all about the honey bee on my pillow a few weeks ago. I was sitting up in bed reading and when I decided to get up, I laid the book down, then saw the bee just sitting there on top of my pillow about 8 inches away. I froze. The only thing I could do was gently get up & the bee didn't even budge! The fly swatter got rid of it. :)

Sorry Oakley! The stings I received hurt initially, but really weren't that bad. I took some Benedryl since I was worried about having a strong reaction to so many stings, but it was really just itchy and annoying for a few days. And hilarious for the rest of my life. I was hoping my story would give you a good laugh.

I put out wasp traps and otherwise just try to leave them alone and move away slowly if I encounter them. It does seem like the biggest risk is accidentally disturbing their nest. If I do see a nest, I am usually too chicken to do it myself and ask my husband to spray wasp/hornet killer on the nest. I wouldn't be above calling some kind of professional to try to address a nest like the one you mentioned is impacting your ability to turn on/off the water.

I do agree with localeater's suggestion to learn more about the wasps. I do find that knowing more information about the creatures I'm afraid of (spiders, snakes, etc) help me understand a little more rationally about how to avoid them and helps shape my fears into more reasonable caution rather than outright phobia.

Some years ago, I got hit 3X in the center of my chest when I was clearing out old tomato cages, and didn't see a paper wasp nest hiding in there - broke out in hives all over - that was scary!

We have 3 sizes of paper wasps here - teeny tiny, medium and large. The ones that got me in the chest were medium, the tiny ones are more aggressive and do hurt but it passes quickly.

Papain - the enzyme in papayas, will neutralize the venom - Adolph's meat tenderizer contains it. You can make a paste and apply it to the sting to make it feel better.

I wonder if bromelain - the enzyme in pineapples - works similarly?

Not all species of wasps sting.

And beige and white are invisible to bees and wasps, I understand...

Great Black Wasps are pollinators and, like bees, considered important for the environment. Plus they keep grasshopper and katydid populations under control. Apparently their underground colonies are small and not to be worried about. I don't blame you for being scared though, I freak out around any kind of wasp too! (not bees though, I love them.)

Do you think you would feel more confident gardening if you wore insect proof clothing? They make kinds that are breathable for hot weather (and some types might double as good UV protection too). Or maybe using sprays like Off?

Don't poison the nest! It could hurt good insects, and birds, etc. Do some research in your area to find out if there is a safe way to deal with them. I know that when it comes to bees, people will come and relocate them (sometimes for free). Since it's also a pollinator, IDK if this type of wasp is considered as worthy of protection, but somebody local might be able to help advise you. IDK who to ask though. Maybe find an apiarist and if they don't know, ask them if they have referrals?

One other reason why it might be a good idea to have somebody come and take a look is to confirm that it's the "good kind" and not something that's going to be a total hazard for you.

Prickly, after living here for years in the middle of wheat fields and pastures, we're very familiar with all creatures. It's not that I don't know what they do, it's that I need to get over this phobia.

Seattle, I'm aware wasps are good for nature but I have a rule. If a nest is on my house, it's a goner. Our safety comes first. We killed a yellow jacket nest the other day on the eve of the house where DH likes to trim hedges. He's been stung many times and said black wasps are the meanest.

This morning after watering and right when I opened the front door, there was a big black wasp right behind me. I nearly broke the door shutting it!

I think the best way to deal with a serious phobia is to consult a professional who can aid in cognitive behavioral therapy, or something similar.

Carolb, that advice is great for those with a true phobia which is defined as an unreasonable fear. I'm not at all sure that this situation qualifies as a phobia. I sought out a specialist in my last year of college to help me with my debilitating fear of heights. It was truly amazing to go through that process in just a few sessions and some homework.

I accidentally stepped on a cicada killer wasp one day while in my bare feet. That was over twenty years ago but I feel pretty certain that my scream can still be heard faintly in the old neighborhood.

A few years ago, I was reclining in the backyard, reading. We had a lot of paper wasps at that house and one landed on my book. It unnerved me, but I just watched it walking all over the page of the book until focusing on the edge where it began making a tiny buzzing sound while moving up and down the edge. She swooped off after a few seconds but made several more trips collecting building material the entire time I was outside.

Those paper wasps never made me nervous after that.

Sorry you got surprised and stung, Oakley. I hope you’re feeling better.

I’m not crazy about stinging insects, and got a bad sting years ago from a white faced hornet next to a timber step. My foot and leg swelled and it left a ‘crater’ on the top of my foot.

These days, I watch wasps and bees at the compost heap way out back. Fascinating. I find it’s easy to capture wayward black wasps in a jar, then release them outdoors.

I once spotted a solitary bee/wasp take an insect into its nest beneath some old clapboards on a shed. Fascinating.

Yellow jackets always concern me because they don't follow the ”rules.” They are like stingers on meth. I had a labrador once that was riding in a car with me. He quickly snapped at, caught, crushed and spit out dead a yellow jacket that had found its way into the car. I was so impressed with my dog.

It’s great that you and your DH have gotten to learn about the insects and critters around your home and gardens. So, you think it was a type of solitary wasp? Do you know which one? I would avoid it and try to discourage them, but, as someone cautioned, I would be very reuluctant to spray or use pesticide.

During the Covid-19 shutdowns, a British guy mde a documentary about the various bees in his gardens. It was on PBS, so you can, if you want, find a link and watch it.

Here is an article that you might find interesting.

https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/paper-wasps-yellowjackets-and-other-stinging-wasps.html

If a nest is on my house, it's a goner.

I agree 100%. I would too. I was just talking about the ones that live in the ground.