Part of my morning farm
drill and fitness is to stroll around the perimeter fence of our HomeGarden,
and remove/cut vines that riddled the plants.
Being an active morning person is my way of losing weight. For many, finding time to exercise is
tough. For me, a little here and a
little there while doing my regular farm drills became my fitness session also.
Incidentally
around 7:30 a.m., I ran a distance of 45 meters in 3 minutes. It’s not a part of my fitness session; I ran
because I was bitten and chased by hornets!
(For your info, I was a sprinter for 100 meters; a distant runner for
1000 meters; a triple jump runner, and high jumper during my high school years).
Ouch! Safe and back in the house, I realized that I
may have accidentally disturbed a whole colony while cutting thick foliages. I know for a fact that hornet swarms guard
nests ferociously. They are very
aggressive, and the killing of a single worker can disturb the whole
colony. They will chase over some
distance, inflicting numerous stings.
John
Wiseman in his SAS Survival Guide gave the following information: “Wasps and
hornets are dangerous. Hornets sting on
sight and the pain is extreme. Bee, wasp
and hornet stings may cause severe allergic reactions, especially if there are
multiple stings. Bee stings should be
removed from the skin as quickly as possible by stroking sting with side of a
needle then extracting with tweezers. Do
not squeeze the poison sac as this will release more venom. Apply cold compress.”
I
sat for a breather, and dried up myself from too much perspiration and
muck. Then, I took a glass of water and
take a shower. My wife was shocked seeing
the multiple stings in my body; all swollen.
She cleans the sting sites with soap and water, and place an antibiotic
ointment. She also gave me an
antihistamine tablet to drink as it will help with itching. This is the second time I was bitten and
chased by hornets. The first happened
last March. Relaxed, we both decided to
watch a movie.
To this day, I carry
scars on my knees, legs and right shoulder from the numerous stings of hornets. Tiny insect but the damage is threatening.
