Okay, “near death” might be a slight over exaggeration, but it was one heck of a mess!
As mentioned in this post, we have a wasp problem. I’ve been stung 4 times in the past 3 weeks. I’m not allergic. It hurts, swells a bit, goes away. I don’t even need to take Benadryl.
Yesterday though was a whole different can of worms. One of those demonic yellow jackets stung me on my middle finger. *For the record I was not even bothering it or it’s stupid nest of devil spawn, I was simply turning off the water and was senselessly attacked*
It hurt worse than any sting thus far and it BLED!! I’m not talking about a lil' dot of blood…It was a steady dripping of blood…at least 8 drops before it slowed to an ooz. Since when do insect stings cause BLEEDING??? Strange & seriously painful.
That’s not all though…this brutal, unprovoked attack led to BONE PAIN. Starting from the sting and shooting all the way down into my hand the bone HURTS….the same kind of bone pain I had when I fractured my finger. It’s intense and bewildering as I just can’t explain how a sting from a wasp caused it. The bone pain lasted for an entire 12 hours before it started to ease and it still hurts to close my hand.
Anywho…I whined for sympathy on FB about it…then talked a big talk about my planned revenge on the wasp. I mentioned cans of wasp spray & discussed my desire to hunt down that particular wasp, remove his wings and legs one by one & feed him to the chickens. Yes, I was THAT mad over the whole stupid thing!!!!
This morning I set out to fulfill that promise & went hunting nest in the vicinity of where the attack occurred. Armed with a sore hand & a can of wasp spray.
Found the nest about 15ft from where I was stung.. Attached to a board laying on the ground close by the fence…It’s a good sized nest.
I flip the board, readied my spray can to spray…
And not a damn thing happens…My sore hand struggles to push the button on the spray can, the wasp are ANGRY…….several wasp come to the attack before I finally get my injured hand to squeeze the button and hit the nest.
Got some, killed their precious eggs, but not before the ones who left the nest first came after me.
I try to run.......only to trip on my stupid flip flops…..
I fall and in the process bite my tongue so freaking hard I have a mouth full of blood… and manage to get stung twice on the back, once on the neck and once on my scalp!!!!
Stupid, demonic, evil, cursed wasp!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This time, I take Benadryl, the stings hurt, but thankfully they don’t seem to be of the mutant, bleeding, bone pain causing sort I got on my finger yesterday.
They may have stung me…….I shall give them props for getting a total of 5 hits on me, 6 if you want to count the bit tongue. But in the end, I won…….. I got the nest!!
After coming inside to tend to my battle wounds and change into boots I arm myself again & hunt up more nest.
I’m feeling kind of like a Noodle Mob Boss….you hurt me, I kill your family you devilish wasp!!!!! Though I shall have to work on my evil laugh and Italian accent a bit…
Total for today: 5 large nest soaked, dead & gone, and morbidly each nest down gave me such immense pleasure.
Pictures of a few of my kills from today..
Twisted, yes I know, but you would completely understand if you lost most use of your right hand simply because a vengeful, hateful wasp attacked you without just cause.
The first time I was stung by a bee it was on my middle finger - the middle joint. I still have a SCAR from it. Must be something about not a lot of sift tissue in a finger that makes it really bad. I thought I was going to die. It swelled so bad and I really imagined having to go to the hospital to have it cut open so it didn't burst. It was hideous. And then the next year I got two beehives. I apparently don't learn my lesson - glad you took care of business the right way!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat'll show 'em! I'm not allergic to anything, but I sure don't like being stung. Actually, I can't remember the last time I was stung, I must be really lucky, but I know that I don't enjoy being stung, whether I remember the last time or not.
ReplyDeleteMine was right above the middle joint!
ReplyDeletePerhaps your right & its simply so bad because of the lack of tissue there. Whatever the cause, I know it hurts!
Sorry you had to deal with the same thing.
We don't have much of a problem with bees....the few we have really have to be provoked to sting.....the wasp on the other hand sting no matter what you do our don't do..
LOL! Yep... I showed them.....Until next week that is when all the nest I destroyed are replaced.
ReplyDeleteI totally feel for you! I am very allergic to regular honey bees so I am sure these devils spawns probably would have sent me to the verge of the death bed!
ReplyDeleteThe day we set our bees I got stung on the middle finger when I was half way back to the house and ALL DONE! It really seemed unfair! My finger swelled up until I thought it was going to explode. It lasted for at least two days.
I am glad you got all of them! I hope they never return!
We get some pretty demonic wasps here, too. Might I suggest locating the nests during the day and spraying them at night? The wasps will be less likely to fly out after dark and you will get more wasps together. That is what works for us. Feel better soon-tongue and all!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, what a mess. I am glad that you got 'em in the end. I am thankfully not allergic to bee's either but have severe allergy to fire ant's (I learned this when I lived in Florida for 10 years) it is amazing how much pain one tiny insect (ant or bee or demon spawn wasps) can cause! I hope you feel better real soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
ReplyDeleteDeb, those fire ants are awful too! I'm having a plague of them in my doe's pen & I can't figure out how to get rid of the...DE didn't do anything, so I may have to move the girls, treat with an ant killer then return them to the pen..
Oh yes..... lol I thought about getting the nest in the evenings, but my need for revenge got the better of my good sense! So the nest I did kill still have plenty of members that were out reeking havoc who are still alive....Which means until I can get all the nest with a full house of wasp, they'll just be rebuilding....Wish I would have considered that important fact BEFORE I got spray happy!
Uhhh, I don't like wasps either! Sorry to hear about your wasp problem. :(
ReplyDeleteI have to ask, since you seem to know a lot about goats. We just brought home a goat and began milking her and it tastes awful. We think that she was running with a buck. Will her milk be forever ruined? Is there something we can do to get rid of that icky taste/smell? Sorry to bombard you with questions, we just have no idea what we're doing! :)
Yellow jackets have absolutely the worst stings ever. I've never heard of a sting bleeding though! Your blog is appropriately named. Every time I come visit there is definitely an adventure going on! :)
ReplyDeleteLeigh- life is a series of daily adventures....Mine just happen to take place in Noodle :-)
ReplyDeleteSarah- No worries, I bombarded folks with questions at many times in my life & would be floundering clueless if those more knowledgeable folks hadn't taken me under their wing! So I happily pass on what I've learned.
First of all, milk quaily & flavor depends on MANY factors.
Bucks running with a doe ruining milk flavor is an OLD WIVES TALE. Bucks do not, & can not change what is in an udder...
Proper milk handling is essential...
1. Start off with stainless steel or glass milking containers. Sterilize them! I use a dairy sanitizing kit from Hoeggers & LOVE it. If you don't have this though, wash your jars/pail well, preferably not with a sponge... I have a long handled brush for washing milk equipment, it is never used on other dishes. If you have milk stone or hard water residue in your containers you can scrub with white vinegar then rewash. Rinse well. For sterilizing, either rinse with boiling water, or do what I did prior to my dairy cleaning kit & soak in a bleach water solution. 12 parts water, 1 part bleach. Soak for 10 minutes, let air dry on a rack (not dish towel) until all moisture is evaporated.
2. Now that you have sterile jars, its time to milk. I have my girls inner hind legs, udder & belly in front of the udder shaved to keep loose hairs at bay. I brush off her belly & use a spray bottle to soak her udder until dripping with my udder wash. Udder wash is essential not only for clean milk, but also to keep the udder healthy & free of staph. I make my own... it's 3 tablespoons of Nolvasan, 1 Tablespoon of glycerin mixed in 2 quarts of water. This is my favorite as it cleans well & is gentle. I've tried other recipes (like the bleach one from Fiasco Farms)and didn't like them. Use a clean wash cloth to dry the udder well & repeat.
3. Now that she's clean, WASH YOUR HANDS before you touch her udder. I keep a tub of Wet Ones antibacterial hand wipes in my milk caddy.
4. Milk out two squirts into a strip cup (I use a clean baby food jar) look at the milk.......is there any flakes, clumps? Pink tinge? Blood? Strings? Do this on both sides.
5. After you've milked two squirts from each side your ready to milk into your sterilized jar/pail.
6. After milking use a teat dip. This seals the open orifice to prevent bacteria from entering.
7. Get your milk in the house QUICKLY! Fast chilling is ESSENTIAL to prevent off taste & lengthen shelf life.
8. I use the stainless steel mini strainer from Hoeggers with the disposable filters. Prior to this I cut up several white t-shirts into squares. Bleached the squares, boiled them & let them air dry. Place over top of clean, sterilized jar & pour your milk through it.
9. Once filtered into a clean jar you need to get the milk into the low 40° area as fast as possible. I place the jar (1/2 gallons at a time) in the freezer for about 2 hours... I check on it & give it a slight swirl after an hour, then put back in the freezer. Once icy cool, I store on the bottom shelf in the back of my fridge...
To be continued...
Many people who have "bucky" milk do not follow the sanitary rules STRICTLY listed above.
ReplyDeleteI've milked does who were running with bucks in rut.....just separate the doe so the buck isnt in the milk area with you, clean like crazy (hands & udder) & get that milk in the house to filter & chill ASAP...& dont pat or handle the buck before or after milking.
Now if you've tried all of this with not much luck, lets do more trouble shooting. Is there any oddities in the milk? Flakes, strings, off color, blood? Is the bad taste "goaty" or salty? Salty could be sub clinical mastitus....this form of mastitis shows very lil symptoms. You'll need to send a sample to LSU for testing. Testing is FREE, but it has to be shipped over night air, so shipping is pricey (last time I did it, shipped was $40 for my milk samples.... I'll come back & give you all the info for milk sample testing).
Next thing we rule out is diet & minerals. Milking girls NEED as much alfalfa as they want. Many people think grain makes milk, but its actually good grass hay/browse & alfalfa that makes good milk (grain maintains body condition). I feed coastal grass hay & Standlee Brand Alfalfa pellets from Tractor Supply....they have a long trough & I fill it up with alfalfa pellets each morning. Grain is fed on the milk stand. "Grain" can be actual whole grains or a premade goat ration like Purina goat chow. I personally use primarily whole grains.....my home made mix is 3 parts whole oats, 1 part Purina Dairy Parlor 16% & 1/2 part Black Oil Sunflower seed....My Alpine girl who tends to get thin gets 1/2 cup of rice bran for fat. You don't have to use this mix...lots of folks use different grains & mixes...General rule of thumb I give is dont over feed grain & steer clear of sticky sweet feeds.
Minerals are your next biggey.....Goats have very smooth tounges, more like a dog than a cat. Using mineral blocks doesn't provide adequate minerals & takes a lot of work on the goats part to lick away at the hard blocks. I use a loose mineral that isnt full of cheap salt like blocks. It looks like a very course, large sand, sold in 50lb bag. I use Right Now Onyx by Cargill....it's a cattle mineral with higher cooper (which goats NEED, but most commercial goat minerals dont have). Bluebonnet, Techmaster & Golden Blends are other loose minerals I've heard people use with great sucess. I have a feeder nailed up in the barn & I keep it full of minerals...they nibble it at random & usually takes 2 weeks to empty it.
Next I'd like to rule out a parasite overload. When was she last dewormed, with what & at what dosage? Safeguard is highly ineffective in most of the country due to overuse.....plus it doesnt get rid of the dangerous worms like liverfluke or barber pole, both of which can KILL you goat, and in the case of these parasites I've not found a single herbal wormer that works. Ivermectin Plus or Cydectin are my wormers of choice but I fecal test to see exactly what parasites I'm dealing with.... What color are her inner eyelids? Google the "FAMCHA chart for goats" you should get a chart that shows how to check the inner eyelids. If, according to that chart they are pale, I'd quickly get a proper dewormer & deworm her....Will get a link for you with dewormers & dosages.
Parasite management, diet & sanitary milking procedures are your best friend when it comes to goat care & milking.
Going to dig up promised links & shall return :)
Promised links...
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing ever is this sanitizing kit! I bought this & 3 large spray bottles. Labeled one "Step #1 Dairy Detergent", next "Step #2 Acid Wash" (this gets rid of milk stone build up & hard water residue which can off flavor your milk" next, "Step #3 Chlorine rinse. To use I rinse my jars, Spray with Step #1, scrub with mylong handled, milking equipment only brush. Rinse. Spray in Step #2, let sit for about a minute or two, rinse well. Spray lightly with Step #3, do not rinse (the chlorine evaporates away as it dries) & place on dish drain....So, so much easier & my stuff is always sterile...prior to this kit I was having some off flavored milk due to me not getting everything perfectly sterilized.
http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=3838&cat=15&page=1
And here is the strainer I use...love it, just make sure you grab a box of the filters it needs:
http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=3344&cat=17&page=1
For milk sample testing here is a sticky from a forum I'm on (reccomend joining, the goat forum there is great)...this has how to pictures & if your unsure of any of the details, just post & ask away:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=385147
For worms & parasites, here is a link to where you can send in mail in fecal samples to determine what parasites your dealing with... only $5 a sample..my vet charges $16!:
http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=14929.0
And here is the list of dewormers.....this forum, Dairy Goat Info is my goat bible... I've called the owner at midnight when I had a kid down with puemonia & she jumped through hoops to help me, great folks:
http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=8934.0
Any new addition here gets dewormed the day they step foot on my property so they dont shed live parasites on my grounds... Cydectin is used. When you have a small number of goats though I reccomend buying a tube of Quest Horse Gel (same drug as cydectin, smaller package..Cydectin is $60+, Quest Gel, about $10 & you can dose several goats with one tube). Empty your tube of Quest, mix well to make sure the active ingredient is evenly mixed in the gel & either put back in the tube, or other air tight container... I store in a 12cc syringe.....Dose is small 1/2cc per 50lbs. Give this & repeat in 10 days.....After that mine are usually good to go for several months....
Oh, on udder wash, you can also use baby wiped with alcohol poured in, or places like Hoeggers or Jeffers Livestock sell premade dairy wipes :)
To sum things up though.....No, your girl is not ruined. She's in a new place with everything different. Keep milking her on a regular schedule so she learns what to expect (goats are comforted by routine), revamp sanitation procedures, get get on good minerals, dewormed & alfalfa and if none of those work, then I'd shell out the shipping fee for milk sample test.
Good luck!!
Wow, that was a ton of information! THANK YOU SO MUCH. I do need to make some changes and hopefully that will help the taste. And I totally owe you some soap!!! Send me your address to teufelhundenfarm@gmail.com and I'll get you some in the mail once it has cured. Thanks a million Crystal. I don't know you, but I love you. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL Sarah!! That would be awesome, I'll shoot you an email.
ReplyDeleteHappy I could help. I floundered with goats in the past following outdated, inccurate info published in many books. This go around I wanted to do better & started researching info & asking for advice from a few of the "big names" with herds I admired...
I was shocked at all I learned, & thankful for those who helped me out... In one case, my 1st conversation with one of these people was at midnight when I called asking for help with a dieing kid. She walked me through everything, and I was so grateful for the help, especially at the untimely hour.
If I can, I try to pass along the info to anyone who needs it :-)
Happy I could at least give you a starting point to figuring out what's going on with your milk.
And I love you too.... lol I get such a laugh from your blog...your family sounds a lot like mine so it seems like I know you already :-)