Wasps just drive Darwin mad. He chases after them, pounces on them and then, yes, eats them. All the time - every one he sees. I don't know what it is about them, but I'm worried of course that he's going to get stung in the mouth, with all the dangers associated with that. I've only seen him stung badly once, on his paw. He sat licking his paw for a quarter of an hour and looking miserable, but that still didn't stop him chasing wasps, even while he was still recovering! He also got a small swelling on his cheek which I assume was a sting because it went down within a few hours. But if being stung doesn't seem to discourage him, what can we do? He gets so full of drive that he doesn't even notice the corrections. This is all inside the house, BTW.

I know I keep posting these crazy questions - is Darwin just weird? Anyway, what can we do?

Shalom Arik - There was another post recently on this same subject. I recall that one was about bees.

I had a GSD that was quite adept at killing bees or wasps without getting stung. He would snap at them and shake his head immediately before he got stung. He wounded his enemy little by little, shaking his head every time, until it was dead.

Don't worry about crazy questions.

capone's favorite pass time while tied out in the yard is catching bees.....
can't get that dog to work a springpole to save my live, but he'll leap for those bees...


he too has not gotten stung.

pending your dog being allergic.....let him get stung, he'll stop then.

or, he'll get really good at it, and never get stung.

Just keep an eye on him when he's doing it. If he developes an allergic reaction you will know quickly. How many times has he been stung? The first time the exposure occurs, there is no reaction, it's the second or third time. (BOdy has to develop the allergy) If he's been stung a few times, I wouldn't worry so much. My Boxer is allergic to fire ants, but she finds them anyway. I put repellent down and kill every mound i find, but the buggers always come back and darned if that dog doesn't find them before I do! Have some regular benedryl or something like that on hand just in case.
I love your questions! They are always great!

Ditto Molly. She's learned to kill them without getting stung too or at least I haven't seen her get stung and no swelling noticed.

If the dog isn't allergic however there shouldn't be much problem. In fact getting stung multiple times, if no allergy is present, will build up an immunity to bee stings. I know because I used to raise bees and over the years I've built up immunity to the swelling. Still hurts though.

 Quote: Arik Kershenbaum

. . . This is all inside the house, BTW. . .

Now that part got me.

My GSD loves to catch and eat bees, too. She got a minor sting in her mouth once, but it didn't slow her down.

I'd just be careful the dog didn't go after or disturb the nest like this! You might Google bee stings/wasp stings and get some tips on how to make the inside/outside of your house less attractive to them.

Mike

I have seen my dogs trying to kill flies, bees, and wasps too only if they were bothering them. I like bees and don't want to see their population decline because they are excellent pollinators. Without them, no more pretty flowers and honey.

Are bees on the endangered species list??

 Quote: Mike J Schoonbrood

Are bees on the endangered species list??

well, now that you mention it...kind of!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6438373.stm

But I can't imagine that their decline will be hastened due to dog consumption!

Some info on bee stings and treatment if anyone is interested.

In case of bee stings, if possible try to identify what type of bee has stung. Wasps, hornets and bumblebees don't leave a stinger but can sting multiple times. With these just remove the dog or person from the area of the bees and/or remove the bee from the dog or person and kill it.

Honey bees however do leave their stinger behind along with a venom sack. They can sting only once and the bee dies after stinging. You can often see the venom sack on top of the stinger. It will be pulsing (injecting more venom). To reduce the amount of venom that gets injected during a honeybee sting try to find the stinger and scrape it out with a dull knife or credit card etc. Start scraping at the base of the stinger against the skin. Don't try to pull it out with your fingers. That squeezes the venom sack and injects more venom.

Watch for signs of allergic reaction such as excess panting (dogs) or sweating (humans), trouble breathing or severe swelling. If noticed contact a vet (dogs) or call 911 (humans).

The best pain medicine for bee stings. Most beekeepers use these. It also works on dogs if you can find the site of the sting. They provide almost instant relief from the pain.

http://www.sting-kill.com/

There are similar products you can get in most pharmacies but they don't have as much of the pain killing medicine Sting Kill brand has.

If you don't have access to pain medication you can mix water with some dirt and apply the mud to the sting area. This is a temporary measure so be sure to wash the sting site and use an antibacterial medication as soon as possible. If at home you can also dab a little ammonia onto the sting site.

Being chased by bees:

In most cases where a bee or multiple bees become agitated you can usually walk around a corner, tree, bush or through a door and the bee will leave. This doesn't work however with Africanized "killer" bees. If you suspect Africanized bees and/or live in the southern or southwestern United states in areas inhabited by Africanized honeybees try to get indoors or inside a car or anyplace behind a door. Africanized bees will stay agitated for a much longer time than regular honeybees and are more inclined to attack in mass.

Edited by Matt Wyrick (06/05/2008 02:04 PM)
Edit reason: Spelling