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ducks and bees/yellow jackets

3K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  teacher504 
#1 ·
I'll try to be brief:

This morning while working with a dog using a shackled bird, on her return she continued to spit it out, readjust, shake her head, etc., as if the duck were biting or scratching her. She got the bird to me, after being corrected (e-collar) for dropping it (guilt....you'll soon know why). When I went to take the bird a yellow jacket was stinging the sh** out of her on the corner of her mouth...repeatedly...jab, jab, jab, jab. I grab the little sucker and squish it; I also immediately understood why she was having a hard time finding a way to hold this bird without it hurting. Her jowl is swollen like crazy at this moment.

Now I've got the live bird in my hand and I get stung! I inspect this bird and it's infested with yellow jackets (like four or so)! As if I didn't have a spooky dog anyway...I don't need my moody chessie bitch associating live birds with being stung in the mouth by ornery yellow jackets.

Anyone ever had there ducks become a colony of yellow jackets/bees???? This is a new one to me. And there is a pool in my duck pen, they have water to swim in...

Bobby
 
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#3 ·
Those suckers are in the process of moving underground for the winter so that might be your source. I have seen several in my yard this week doing just that.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I nearly walked into a ground nest of them up by our burn pile the other day, freaked me out as I'm allergic. And they are MEAN this time of year, it's like they know they're about to die so they want to take you down with them! Not sure if they are attracted to dead ducks but they do ground nest and it's entirely possible the duck landed in it so they were already worked into a stinging frenzy by the time your poor dog picked it up. One time I jabbed a real estate sign into a ground nest and even though I took off running as soon as I got the first sting, they chased me and stung me a few more times. Oh btw....roman candles work great to blow up bee nests! Oops edited to say I just read again where the duck was a live shackled one but still think you probably lobbed it onto a ground nest and it was being swarmed as Belle picked it up, as others mentioned they're aggressive this time of year. Did the duck survive? You and Belle can both take benedryl, helps w/the swelling.
 
#6 ·
Yes, had it happen to my dog in a trial in her derby days. She picked up and spat out a bird and refused to pick it up again. Judges walked out to the bird and couldn't find anything wrong with it. Dog was eliminated. Put the dog up and when checked about 30 minutes later, her head was the size of a watermelon. Bad luck, but fortunately there were no lasting bad associations for her with birds.
 
#7 ·
Geez, I thought this forum was suitable for the entire family to read. And here we are discussing the birds and the bees.

:twisted: :twisted:
 
#9 ·
That's funny, when Julie posted this about yellow jackets...

it's like they know they're about to die
I thought I was on the College Football (GDG) thread.

Hunker Down Hairy Dawgs!
 
#8 ·
Came home from work and took a careful look at area where bird waddled before being picked up. Found a pretty big ground nest, swarming with angry yellow jackets! Here I was thinking my duck or duck coop had been infested and never even thought to consider I threw the duck on a nest. Thanks again for the replies, friends. Now...it's bee killing time!!!
 
#11 ·
Pour gasoline in the hole.

Lonnie Spann
 
#15 ·
Believe I read that while they seem more aggressive, the lower overnight temps in the Fall affect their little brains (like a brain freeze) making them less cognizant of surroundings. They initiate closer contact to food, etc. with less apprehension, and the resulting behavior puts them in closer contact. Hence, more stings.

And blow torches work too.
 
#16 ·
'round about 10 PM I cut a square of porch screen and placed it over the hole using three small pieces of lumber to hold it in place. I then poured gasoline in the hole and watched the little suckers die, die, die. It was beautiful, in a sadistic sort of way. My only concern with this method is that the hole is near a leland cyprus that I like; I'm hoping the gasoline doesn't contaminate and kill/injure the tree. I'm going to go flush the hole out with the hose and try to dilute the affect of the gasoline.

I kept the screen over it all night. Just checked it this morning and there are no survivors...ducks, dogs, and children are now safe from that nest. The hole was huge, like the size of a baseball.
 
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