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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,217
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,217 |
Twice now, I have been bitten or stung from something in a bale of hay. I buy hay locally, it's just a grass hay the horses love it. A month ago, I took a bale to the covered feeder, cut the strings and grabbed flakes of hay and was throwing them into the feeder rack. About half way through, when I put the flake in the rack, I first thought I grabbed a thorn of some kind that pierced into my middle finger. But very soon I knew better, my hand started to swell and I could feel a flush of heat on my face. A definite reaction. Never saw anything in the rack of hay.
I thought it a fluke, but be dammed of it didn't happen the exact same way again yesterday afternoon, same hand/finger, same reaction, hand swollen. I thought I saw a flash of "black" in my peripheral vision, but again could find nothing in the rack. I looked for a wasp nest inside, under the rack, nothing.
Anyone ever have something like this happen? Even as hot as it is, I'm wearing leather gloves from now on. And what would happen if a horse bit down of whatever this is?
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 69,663 Likes: 15
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 69,663 Likes: 15 |
Sounds like the way a scorpion sting feels to me.
I don't swell up from them though.
Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla!
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 13,661
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 13,661 |
Maybe you're just good at finding the needle in the haystack...
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Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,239 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,239 Likes: 1 |
+1 on the possible scorpion. What followed after the initial pain? Scorpion sting is usually followed by numbness.
Let's Go Brandon! FJB
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,549
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,549 |
Might have been a spider I see them in hay bales around here !
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,817
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,817 |
+1 on the possible scorpion. What followed after the initial pain? Scorpion sting is usually followed by numbness. A scorpion in Va. ?
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,217
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,217 |
None of those around here, thankfully!
This swelling got worse and spread into my wrist area over today, so I went to the doc. Got antibiotics and steroids. Don't know about the steroids, but I'll see what a couple days does on the other.
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,202
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,202 |
I've found bumble bees nesting in hay before Buy some gloves
Last edited by Snyper; 07/22/16.
One shot, one kill........ It saves a lot of ammo!
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 19,822
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 19,822 |
I've found bumble bees nesting in hay before Buy some gloves Me, too. I exercised my Google Fu and discovered that there are two types of scorpions native to Virginia and the sting of the most prevalent one has symptoms exactly as the OP described. Whoda thunk it? Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,252 Likes: 25
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,252 Likes: 25 |
This year has been hell for wasps and hornets.
I found a hornet nest moving hay and got stung 6 or 7 times. One took a chunk of meat out of my forearm and gave me 'popeye arm'. Hurt and itched for a week.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,235
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,235 |
Invest in a pitchfork. Four-tine should work well for throwing hay slices.
I could wish a lot of things on my worst enemy but neuropathy ain't one of them.
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,107
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,107 |
I came across a few scorpions as a kid in northern GA. Wouldn't be a shock at all if there were a few in VA.
“Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.”
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 19,212
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 19,212 |
Probably a spider. They love hiding in hay.
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