Thought I Was A Gonner Today...

July 9, 2005

During a cache today this is my experience, from the log note I posted. It should be noted that the name of this cache is Shoe Gobbler so I expected it to be difficult, but nature seems to have pulled a quick one on me.

So I thought I'd share my experience with everyone.

Shoe Gobbler Cache Page

Ok here is the deal, I thought this would be my last cache ever and I was a gonner. I parked at the listed coords, entered at the right spot and was happily on my way. Crossed the creek with no problem and made it to the "Gobble Zone." I have no problem doing the most daring of things for a cache and ALWAYS welcome challenge. I manged to use the same log that trowel used to cross the gobble zone, with the aid of a walking stick of course. I had the cache in sight and as I approached it I felt the sting of a bee under my shorts on my right quadricep (yes I cache in shorts in the summer). I was covered in Deep Woods off so the Deet was doing its job in keeping the nasties off me, but the bee's found a way around it. It seems that the cache area has been overtaken by a beehive!!!!!! I then noticed there were HUNDREDS of bee's engulfing me within seconds of the first sting. I am not joking. I am very good at keeping my cool in stressful moments - had lots of experience in the past, trust me. I turned around to exit the area immediately but panic had set in. I hit the gobble zone and SUNK like a stone (205 lbs, 6 foot guys usually do that), I was WAIST deep in the gobble zone and tree roots were my savior. Bees swarming on my head, neck, face area I managed to pull myself up out of there and RUN full speed toward the river and without stopping did a FLYING leap into it. Adrenaline is the best drug out there I tell ya.
I may approach this one from another angle that I noticed so that I can grab it and sign the log but I am not so sure, with all those bees and all.

3.8k · July 9, 2005

Bummer!

11.3k · July 9, 2005

Wow! That is quite a story. YIKES!!

I'm sure glad you made it back okay.

July 9, 2005

I am assuming that the gobble zone does not mean that hungry alligators are waiting below the log for lunch.

Being allergic to bee stings, and not inclined to do much running anymore, I am not sure how I would have reacted. But I don't wear shorts while caching. Maybe the bees were swarming and the problem won't exist next time.

1.6k · July 9, 2005

Yikes...

I definately would have freaked, and I'd be dead in a ditch somewhere...

2.7k · July 9, 2005

Just curious, why did you choose to log it as a note instead of a DNF or a Found?

1.6k · July 9, 2005

Just curious, why did you choose to log it as a note instead of a DNF or a Found?

Just my opinion, but I'd say it's not a find, because he didn't actually sign the log book, and it's not really a did not find, because he found it, he knows it's there and where it is, he just didn't sign the log book.

I know it's a weird double-standard type thing, but it makes sense to me at least.

July 9, 2005

Just curious, why did you choose to log it as a note instead of a DNF or a Found?

Exactly what TeamK-9 said!

I saw it, but did not collect it and sign the log book, so I could not log it as a find. I will go back tomorrow and try to get it from a different angle. Once I sign the log book and replace the cache I will log it as found!

July 9, 2005

Some of us are allergic to bee stings. I have to carry around meds, just in case I get stung. Not sure I woulda been able to made it out as you did. You were very fortunate.

July 10, 2005

Are you kidding me? You're going back?? You're a braver man then I am.

If I had that experience, it would be mid February before i went back there.

1.6k · July 10, 2005

Are you kidding me? You're going back?? You're a braver man then I am.
If I had that experience, it would be mid February before i went back there.

I'd go back the next day with several large cans of bee killer.

I would thoroughly spray a ten foot radius. around the cache..

2.4k · July 10, 2005

Are you kidding me? You're going back?? You're a braver man then I am.
If I had that experience, it would be mid February before i went back there.

I'd go back the next day with several large cans of bee killer.

I would thoroughly spray a ten foot radius. around the cache..

Use one of the "house fogger" style. That way you and start it spraying, the THROW it toward the cache, and wait.

1k · July 10, 2005

I may approach this one from another angle that I noticed so that I can grab it and sign the log...

Now THAT's a true geocacher!

1.6k · July 10, 2005

Are you kidding me? You're going back?? You're a braver man then I am.
If I had that experience, it would be mid February before i went back there.

I'd go back the next day with several large cans of bee killer.

I would thoroughly spray a ten foot radius. around the cache..

Use one of the "house fogger" style. That way you and start it spraying, the THROW it toward the cache, and wait.

There we go.

Make a couple bee killing grenades.

Actually, now that I think about it, I remember the CSI episode where they used the fre extinguisher to kill the ants.

Wouldn't the cold do the same thing to the bees?

I don't know that you'd want to lug a fire extinguisher into the woods, but it's a thought.

July 10, 2005

Use one of the "house fogger" style. That way you and start it spraying, the THROW it toward the cache, and wait.

Ohh good thinking!! I'll be sure and yell "FRAG OUT!!" before I toss it!

July 10, 2005

I may approach this one from another angle that I noticed so that I can grab it and sign the log...

Now THAT's a true geocacher!

July 10, 2005

There's no way I'd go back until winter! I'm STILL getting over a bad case of poison ivy (turns out I'm quite allergic to it!) I got while trying to find an ellusive cache. I haven't been back since, and curiously enough, no one has been there since either!

July 10, 2005

Whooahhh!!!! I think we should start another topic named "Yikes, Bees'" Have you ever seen any?

July 10, 2005

Are you kidding me? You're going back?? You're a braver man then I am.
If I had that experience, it would be mid February before i went back there.

I'd go back the next day with several large cans of bee killer.

I would thoroughly spray a ten foot radius. around the cache..

OMG!

Geocachers are killing thousands of innocent bees so they can dig up their coded messages left in the forest!

I hope homeland security is keeping an eye on this thread.

24.7k · July 10, 2005

I think running like hell and jumping in the river is a perfectly rational action when being attacked by a swarm of bees. That you didn't have to think to do it just means you did it that mush faster. That's what training does for you. Makes you spend less time thinking instead of acting by doing the right thing. You are already there.

Edit: Wording Tweak.

Edited July 10, 2005 by Renegade Knight

July 10, 2005

Somebody has to jump in with the tree hugging response here and it might as well be me.....

While it's freaky to come across a mess of bees unexpectedly, the last thing we want to do is kill them. They're only protecting their homes.

With the introduction of various mites and foreign pests into this country, the native and cultivated bee populations have been decimated. Since the bulk of the food we eat depends on bees for pollination, we need the little buzzers more than they need us. I used to be a beekeeper and they really are fascinating little creatures.

That said, I was a bit taken aback when I grabbed onto a tree last year to avoid getting wet on a stream bank and found myself face to face with the entrance to a wild colony's hive. The walk back through the creek bed was a lot less stressful...

July 10, 2005

My wife and I had a similar experience... ok, we wasn't stuck knee deep, but I do know what you mean by the panic setting in.

Our incident

July 10, 2005

Bees already have enough to worry about.

This is an amazing video

Bees under attack.

Edited July 10, 2005 by Larry H

July 10, 2005

WOW! That IS some amazing video. I've never quite seen something like that before. Thanks for sharing

3.8k · July 11, 2005

Bees already have enough to worry about.

This is an amazing video

Bees under attack.

22k · July 11, 2005

ah, Japanese giant hornets. of course.

I still say the camera shot over the back of a flying insect was a nice touch.

Edited July 11, 2005 by BlueDeuce

July 11, 2005

I will go back tomorrow and try to get it from a different angle.

Have you been smoking crack?

Did you go back? Did you find it? Hello?

*tap* *tap* *tap*

Are you still alive?

July 11, 2005

Bees already have enough to worry about.

This is an amazing video

Bees under attack.

Incredible video. Almost makes you feel bad for the little buggers. Almost! :blink:

July 11, 2005

I will go back tomorrow and try to get it from a different angle.

Have you been smoking crack?

Did you go back? Did you find it? Hello?

*tap* *tap* *tap*

Are you still alive?

Well I went back today and found the source of the bees!!! I went in from behind the cache, had to be stealth and run between homes and through private property but I was not spotted, and found about 15-20 Bee keeper boxes a mere 50 feet from the cache!! There is a farm where someone has a corral with 3 Bison in it (yes Bison!!) and the bee boxes are along the treeline, closest to the cache area. I made it past the bee boxes and back into the swamp/gobble zone but aborted the attempt because it is just too filled with bee activity and the ground is quite dangerous. Well, you can't say I didn't try!! I WILL be back in the dead of winter when the ground is solid. :lol:

July 11, 2005

Have to add my bee adventure from last spring:

After getting skunked on the first stage this weekend, I decided to take Wednesday afternoon off and set things right. I located the first stage easily this time and set off for the second with the key in hand. Found the padlocked wooden box on top of an upright section of culvert pipe. Saw a few bees flit in and out of a crack in the box, but didn't think much of it, as the wash is full of bees this time of year. Unlocked the lock, flipped the hasp, and raised the door. As soon as the door was open a crack, I was engulfed in bees--they poured out in a torrent, like a tidal wave of some malevolent, gravity-defying liquid.

I know what the experts say, but I ran anyway, swatting at the bees with my hat. Fortunately, the bees were not all that interested in pursuit. Maybe a dozen kept after me for 100 yards down the wash. I got only one sting (in the coward's place, between the shoulder blades) as I ran away.

After things settled down a little, I crept back to see whether I could at least return the padlock, but no luck. So I made an improvised logbook from my pocket notebook, outlined the situation for the next cachers, and left this in the first-stage location. If the bees move on (though they seem quite at home), or someone flushes them out, then the cache can be restored to its original configuration.

Sorry, Taco Dust, I know you were hoping for someone to retrieve your travel bug. Seems that nature's own travel bugs have different ideas.

Took nothing, left swarm of angry bees,

--Mule Ears

22k · July 11, 2005

I know what the experts say

What do they say?

I've raised bees and in that situation the best thing is to return to a primate state of mind and run like hell. If they were hornets you probably would have been in a world of hurt.

I've worked bee swarms which is actually a pretty cool thing to do. For the most part they are really only interested in hanging out with the queen and finding a new place to live. When approached correctly they aren't a problem to control.

One thing I can offer is that you do not want to smash a bee. The smell it gives off will trigger the others to defend. (Or more appropriately, an alarm pheromone)

July 11, 2005

What do they say?

Here in Southern AZ the local TV news outlets do a couple of horror stories a year on killer bees, bee infestations, and bee swarms. They poo-poo the efficacy of running away, since the bees can supposedly overtake even a fast runner. So what should you do? "Get indoors away from the bees." Thanks, guys.

My experience was that my running was exactly the response the bees were after--they seemed to be escorting me away from their home. They kept bumping into my back as a sort of deliberate goading. "That's right, keep running and we won't have to sting you." From an evolutionary standpoint, it wouldn't make much sense for hundreds or thousands of bees to suicide by stinging me, when threatening me was doing the job.

You mentioned hornets--I also had a wasp encounter last summer::

I followed Mindfulness' detailed hike plan, and it's spot-on perfect. Only thing he neglected to mention was that on July 5 2004 the yellow-jacket wasps would be having their annual convention in this area. Yikes! I've never seen so many of the darn things. But I'd driven 98 miles from Sierra Vista to do this hike on my day off, so I wasn't going to let some bully-bugs stop me. I found that If I ignored them they'd just land on me (making the hair on the back of my neck stand up), drink some sweat, and fly off. I had hundreds of such encounters and wasn't stung once. Whew.

Buncha these guys:

Edited July 11, 2005 by Mule Ears

22k · July 11, 2005

They poo-poo the efficacy of running away, since the bees can supposedly overtake even a fast runner. So what should you do? "Get indoors away from the bees." Thanks, guys.

Yeah, I love them reporters, "You can run or try reasoning with them". :blink:

I will say this, Wasps are cranky. Hornets are the Devil incarnate. They will attack just because and will chase you for even less reasons.

July 12, 2005

I did a cache last summer in a normal, wooded area. There must've been a yellowjacket nest nearby because, right when I was reaching for the cache container, I got stung on the right ear. I don't know if anyone has ever been stung on the ear, but I don't recommend it. LOTS of nerves. I aborted on that one, but, with the cache owner's permission, logged a find. If I had looked back in the logs I would've seen I wasn't the first to be stung.

July 12, 2005

They poo-poo the efficacy of running away, since the bees can supposedly overtake even a fast runner. So what should you do? "Get indoors away from the bees." Thanks, guys.

Yeah, I love them reporters, "You can run or try reasoning with them".

I will say this, Wasps are cranky. Hornets are the Devil incarnate. They will attack just because and will chase you for even less reasons.

LOL! This made me laugh out loud. :blink: :lol:

July 12, 2005

I will say this, Wasps are cranky. Hornets are the Devil incarnate. They will attack just because and will chase you for even less reasons.

I recall my Grandmother telling me once that God created bees but the Devil made hornets. Ouch.

The best time to approach a wasp's nest is at night. Check out this link for details. FYI, bees nest in trees, yellow jackets in the ground, (more or less).

July 12, 2005

I recall my Grandmother telling me once that God created bees but the Devil made hornets.

Having been stung by bees, hornets, yellow jackets (which do feel different from your normal bee when you get stung) and wasps, I would have to agree with your grandmother. Wasps are a close second. Anything that can sting multiple times and have bad dispositions to start with are pure evil. Yellow jackets are nasty just because they tend to sneak up on you. Bees. Well the only times I have ever been stung by a normal bee was when I squashed them by accident.

July 12, 2005

We were searching for a cache a year or so ago (June 2003, maybe?) and went off the trail too soon. We hiked up a steep hillside, and were at the bottom of a 15' cliff. The GPSr indicated that it was probably right above us. As we (hubby, son, and I) hiked along the bottom of the cliff, I was in the lead, and suddenly our son screamed, and started yelling! Barbed wire and a steep hillside on the downside. Dad almost had to tackle him to get him to stop. He had passed the beehive (inside a small hole in the cliff) after I had. He did get stung (just once, fortunately). Our biggest concern was that we live in a county in Texas that has had "killer bees" in it for several years, so it could have easily been an africanized hive, and really taken out after all of us. We were probably 2 miles from the trailhead and real safety. Has that stopped us from caching? No way.... but we did attempt that cache in cooler weather, and from a different and safer angle.

Several years ago the africanized bees were discovered in a large hive in Georgetown, TX (where we live) and they attacked a man mowing nearby. It can take very little to set them off, and a lot to stop. Just another risk of hiking in the hill country!

Malia

22k · July 12, 2005

They poo-poo the efficacy of running away, since the bees can supposedly overtake even a fast runner. So what should you do? "Get indoors away from the bees." Thanks, guys.

Yeah, I love them reporters, "You can run or try reasoning with them".

I will say this, Wasps are cranky. Hornets are the Devil incarnate. They will attack just because and will chase you for even less reasons.

LOL! This made me laugh out loud.

You do understand when I said you could run or try reasoning with them I was talking about the reporters, right?

Thought I Was A Gonner Today...

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation