Wasps

[OwlHoot]

I was in central Italy many years ago, climbing Monte Tifata (one of the places where Spartacus holed up with his army during the slave revolt).

Anyway, I saw this purple striped critter that looked a bit like a large wasp. Casually I picked it up for a closer look, and out darted a huge sting almost the length of the whole thing, unbelievably long.

Luckily, from the way I was holding the brute, the sting didn't actually pierce my skin. But I guess the moral of the story is that not all wasps are yellow and black.

[dang65]

fewer - were you educated under the Tories?

I think you'll find that "fewer" is deprecated in English 2.009. In fact, it is now only used by people who go round "correcting" the far more natural sounding and commonplace "less". Evolution of language before our very eyes.

[xoggoth]

The only reason you lot get stung by waspies and it swells up is because you are not nice to them. You should feed them with jam.

[Zippy]

I believe it can be dependant on whether you have drunk any alcohol but I have no personal experience of this.

[TimberWolf]

You have the added option of anaphylactic shock...

Chap died of that in Pembroke the other day...

Is that the one where you can get a mild reaction to a first exposure and on the second your whole body goes into shock and dies?

[ace00]

........... But I guess the moral of the story is that not all wasps are yellow and black.

No the moral is don't go around man-handling strange brightly colored insects.

I believe the cave-men actually got that one....

[Menelaus]

Is that the one where you can get a mild reaction to a first exposure and on the second your whole body goes into shock and dies?

Nope this'd be the one where you go into VF as a consequence of exposure.

And you die.

[TimberWolf]

As if we haven't got enough to worry about with swine flu.

[Zippy]

As if we haven't got enough to worry about with swine flu.

I hate to be a bore (shut up at the back) but it is incredibly unlikely that you will die of anything interesting. Sorry. If you do you'll go with a smile on Cybermans face. Which is a comfort, I'm sure.

[darmstadt]

Also when you get stung by a wasp it leaves a pheromone which attracts other wasps so once you're stung, get the sting out quickly and wash the area to get rid of this otherwise you might get stung again, and again, and again...