Bug Identification

[theGinsue]

We often find Solifugids in and around our house outside Palisade. They like dark concealed places and can enter through small openings under door seals. Same with small scorpions. I recently found two 2 1/2 inch scorpions in our dining area. I kill 'em all and fortunately have never been bitten or stung.

Wasps and hornets are my real bane. Last month I got stung on the lip and chin by a wasp, and yesterday a hornet stung me 9 times before I knew what happened. The yellow-jacket and bald-faced hornets are really aggressive now.

While I have yet to find one at my home in NE Colo Spr, I recall about 19 years ago they found a wind scorpion in my building on Peterson AFB. They sent warnings out to everyone in the building about the presence of these bugs as if it were a prolific venomous spider. Made a lot of folks worried for a while.

As to Bald-faced hornets.... On September 17th my neighbor told me there was a wasp nest in the tree in my yard. I went to investigate and found this bald-faced hornet nest (hard to tell from the pic, but the thing is about the size of a volleyball). I had mowed under this spot 1 week prior and it hadn't been there. Facing the wrath of these very angry insects, I sprayed inside the nest repeatedly and saturated any of the wasps falling out (they say bald-faced hornets are actually wasps and not true hornets - but they're territorial and mean). I then clipped branches that were in the way and put a trash bag around/over the nest, then clipped the branch it was on - and saturated the inside of the bag with wasp spray). I didn't get stung even one time but karma has a way of catching up with you.

Last Saturday, the 24th of Sep (a week after finding and removing the nest), I was on my way to pick up dinner and driving with my windows open. I heard a "thwack" on the rear of the drivers door window frame then immediately felt a severe burning sensation across my left jaw and neck. It took everything I had not to lose control of my truck. A minute later I was sitting at a red light and used my mirror to check out my jawline - there was a 1/8th" stinger and venom sack on/in my jaw. I never saw the actual bug but it had to have been large and the sting hurt like hell for a few days. Karma really can be a bitch.