tasadam wrote:walkinTas wrote:... If you think you are likely to experience a severe reaction you should probably talk to a doctor about appropriate medication you can carry with you (self-injectable adrenalin) if you are going to be walking a long way from help.
Good info there. How do you learn so much about wasps?
A bit like Jack jumpers? A friend of mine carries an epi-pen and stuff because of jj.
You are right - exactly like Jack Jumpers! Any bushwalker who has one bad allergic reaction to bees, ants, and wasp should talk to their doctor about the need to carry an epi-pen. Apparently somewhere around 2% to 3% of the population have had generalised allergic reactions and each sting makes them more sensitized to an allergic reaction. So once you have one generalised allergic reaction, the next time you are stung
may be worst than the previous allergic reaction. The condition is called
anaphylaxis and it can be very serious. My brother has an anaphylactic reaction to some sea food. Poor sod can't eat crayfish, scallops or ousters.
Some Science: My insect studying days are old history now, but a quick refresher suggests that stinging insects belong to the order
Hymenoptera. In this order there are three families of interest to Tasmanians: aphidae (long-tongued bees), vespidae (hornets & wasps) and formicidae (ants). I couldn't find a definitive list anywhere on the Internet, but honey bees, bumble bees, English and European wasp, bull dog ants and Jack Jumpers are all examples.
Did a little bit of Googling!
[*]This
DPIW Site explains that there are two nearly identical Vespula wasps in Tassie. I didn't know that!
[*]This
health site talks of four deaths in Tassie from "jack jumper" bites between 1980 and 1999.