All things back-country camping! Gear discussions, destination talks and everything else within that realm
We decided to check out a different camp site over the weekend and got swarmed with wasps when the sun was at its warmest.
Luckily the next day and during packup it was over cast and cool so they couldn't fly, but we spent like an hour shaking wasps out from all the poles of the canopy. We easily stomped to death over a hundred wasps that fell out, I've never seen anything like it
Why stomp them?
They were trying to fly and are pretty scary, plus thats what the park maintenance guy said to do
When I am camping (and when I'm not) I try to think of my position in the world. Is the scorpion in my shoe invading my space or am I passing through theirs? Who should have the right to be there? Do they only get to exist if they play by my rules, or do I acknowledge the right of things that scare me to have a place in the world? Will I be someone who lashes out or someone who makes space?
You are totally in the majority with your actions, and I'm not trying to lay anything on you at all. I only wish we as a species could extend a little more kindness when it is the emotionally hard choice.
Yeah I agree with you, we didnt want to kill them but we also didnt want to risk them flying at us which is what they seem to do after they fell out of the canopy. The whole weekend we basically hung out with them, and lit fires to see if the smoke would make them leave. Each morning after the sun rose they would fall out of the tree nearby as well it sounded like it was raining when they'd hit the tent and the tree was like a loud buzz. They were just everywhere when it warmed up on the first day. Another camper went into the restroom and came out screaming bloody murder because it was also just full of them
Sounds like it was a boom year for them for some reason. That's actually pretty cool ecologically speaking (maybe less when you can't move for worry of being stung). Now I get to do some research. Do you mind saying what part of the world this was (dm ok if that's better)?
It was in Modesto reservoir, thinking back it seemed the other camp areas there didnt have that issue, we drove to the other side for the showers and didnt notice any wasps, but then again it was still a bit cold and overcast so they could have still been dormant. Good thing for them too that was the last weekend most of the campground was open for use until next season.
Theres a lot of farms and orchards around the camp we stayed at
If wasps were human size they’d stomp me in an instant.
Even if that is true, do I adopt that morality for everything - ie what would they do if the sizes were reversed? Mosquitoes would leave me alone if they were human sized. Does that make it wrong to kill them?
A mosquito would suck you off like a capri sun.
Where? This is like my worst nightmare come true
It was in Modesto California, they kept crashing into me and landing on my sweater, but luckily none of them stung
Get swarmed, bro
I wonder if you inadvertently set-up on the entrance to a ground nest, though they likely would have been aggressive if you had.
I think they were just everywhere, the bathrooms nearby were the same and the only other campers a few spots down were dealing with the same issue. I just walked away for the few hours they were active and we only had to confront them when we wanted to pack up the canopy, they were all in the frame so we had to shake it and tap it with a hammer so they would fall out
You killed over a hundred of them?? It sounds like they weren't attacking you. I may be missing something.