Steve Gray
05-30-2006, 11:09 PM
Memorial Day, went down to San Angelo to go fell a few pecan trees and use the horse to haul them to my landing area. Took LOML for her first trip to the river and take pictures. Shade trees, a nice breeze, it was a really nice morning. Was felling last tree that was partially blown over and was dead. Took a long close look at tree and everything looked good. Shook tree, walked around it, everything OK. Cut through one limb and found Bees inside!:eek: Mad Bees! Ran for the truck, managed to kill chainsaw while running and yelling BEES all at the same time. LOML and I didn't make into the truck in time. I lost my glasses, hard hat, chainsaw and ended up with a swollen forehead and knots on top of my head. Wife came out OK. I couldn't get the windows up in the truck because I was too busy trying to get them little stinging machines out of my hair!!! Wife started truck and I finally got windows up, bees hitting windows like crazy. Drove away from them, looked back to see the horse had pulled loose from the tree he was tied to and was running up the far bank of the river. Dog followed us away from the bees. Got dog in truck and went and found horse at the fenceline on the edge of the property about 1/4 mile away. Horse shaking and eat up pretty bad. Welts along his sides and by his ears. Took a breather and regrouped, then walked horse back toward river and found a gravel bar and was able to cross about 100yds upwind of bees. Made it across river then got jumped again!! Just a couple of bees, but between me and the horse I wasn't sure who was more jumpy. I guess they could smell the sweat and dead bee smell on me and the horse. Anyway, sprayed myself down with OFF and drove back to get glasses, saw and the rest of the stuff that was in bed of truck when we took off. Got jumped by several bees but at least they didn't get stuck in my hair. Got important stuff back. Left the rest, including a one-use camera. Only manged to fell one more tree away from bee area, was so jumpy I finally said the heck with it, loaded horse back up and came home. Horse looks much better today, and the swelling is gone from my right eye. I never did get sick, just queasy at my stomach.
Going back next weekend with 7-dust sprayer and a really LONG copper spray tube. ( put tube out pickup window, put duck tape over crack at top of window and use compressed air to spray 7-dust) Time for a little pay-back.:mad: Going to try to use horse to move logs before spraying bees.
Get my camera back and take a few more pics and post next weekend.
Man, this learning curve for wanting to learn to saw my own wood is really steep!!! Going to look much more thoroughly before cutting in the future. Also getting precription for one of the epy? pens from doc tomorrow.
God does look after fools and hopefull woodworkers!!!!!!!!
In all seriousness, I feel extremely lucky today. I know the outcome could have been much worse.
Going back next weekend with 7-dust sprayer and a really LONG copper spray tube. ( put tube out pickup window, put duck tape over crack at top of window and use compressed air to spray 7-dust) Time for a little pay-back.:mad: Going to try to use horse to move logs before spraying bees.
Get my camera back and take a few more pics and post next weekend.
Man, this learning curve for wanting to learn to saw my own wood is really steep!!! Going to look much more thoroughly before cutting in the future. Also getting precription for one of the epy? pens from doc tomorrow.
God does look after fools and hopefull woodworkers!!!!!!!!
In all seriousness, I feel extremely lucky today. I know the outcome could have been much worse.