The epipen didn't exist back when I was having problems with bee stings. At least no doctor I went to ever mentioned such a device. One very successful treatment for a swollen arm was ACTH that my dermatologist injected. Absolute miracle cure. The swelling was gone before I left the doctor's office (15 minutes?). Zero aftereffects. When I told my GP about it, he mumbled something about dangerous stuff he'd never use. I just checked the price of an epipen. Try several hundred dollars for one, with an 18 month lifespan. And they sell them in 10 packs! Apparently US people who pop over to Canada can buy them over the counter for about $90. Half price. Canadians get them for a trivial co-pay with a prescription. I tried to figure out the price of my DMSO/VitC slurry. I have no idea how many tablespoons of DMSO in a jar, or tablespoons of C in a bottle. But under a dollar wouldn't be too far off. And no doctor visit for a permission slip.
wow, that's ridiculous, and probably not covered by insurance. they'd much rather pay for the after affects.
On one hand, bees (stinging or stingless) do a lot of pollinating. On the other, bee stings can be a problem. This guy is sill alive: Man survives up to 1,000 stings by swarming Arizona bees But there are others who did not survive. Bees and others within Hymenoptera use their chemical delivery systems to modify behavior of vertebrates. This is very different from insects using venomous chemicals to prepare food for consumption. I've lost hope that PC people would share my fascination about this, but the literature is right there at your fingertips. Fingertips not swollen I hope
Re: Stings We lived in Louisiana briefly and it was the blasted little fire-ants that sent me to the hospital. Mowing my lawn, the buggers climbed up my leg. At the hospital they gave me intravenous benadryl and Pepcid AC chewable. Apparently Pepcid is an H2 antihistamine, what ever that is (internal organ antihistamine). Bee stings I am in pain for days but I just take benadryl and Pepcid AC. I had an epipen for a while but my reaction was not extreme, just bad. When the fire ants get to North Va., then I know we have global warming and I move to Boston with Bisco. If the fire ants get to Boston, its game over.
Among ants, fire ants' venom is not so bad. Their attitudes are, however. An Arizona ant Pogonomyrmex maricopa wins in venom toxicity.
Plain ol' honeybees? Not for the 'lucky' drone: Chapter 8: Most Spectacular Mating | The University of Florida Book of Insect Records | Department of Entomology & Nematology | UF/IFAS
Well, I'm hoping sightings of Japanese giant hornets in the US are just cases of mis-indentification.
Other than by fly-fisher-people, mayflies don't get much attention. Spend most of their lives under rocks in streams, as predators of other under-rock-life. They are at immature stages (molts), and apparently go through more such immature stages than any other insect. So, life under rocks is pretty good? When they emerge as adults for 'dating', they tend to do it all at the same time. Leads to interesting situations Dense mayfly swarm causes crashes, closes US bridge - BBC News For me it is hard to imagine that out of such a mess, a sufficient number of eggs can get put in the river for the next go-round. Human-based intuition often does not apply well to world of little critters. +++ I think 'random nouns as messages' above are a defense against actually visualizing the situation of 'successful drone bees.
