Bees!

[Catie79]

This is probably silly to this group, but what advice is there for bees? I was out with my friends today on a trail and we had our first run in with the little buggers and ended up with everyone being stung at least once. We were working around a downed log and then letting our horses pause at a little creek we were about to cross when we got hit. My mare got about 10 stings (I got four), the horse in front of us got it worse.

What’s the best plan when this happens? Just run for it? That’s what we ended up doing once we realized what was happening. Actually I dismounted so I could run my mare back up the trail without her trying to jump an unjumpable log (we’re eventers, so she immediately locked on what she thought was the most direct route out). Very glad we’ve done all of that ground work so she was willing to run along side me and let me lead from the offside. Also, is there anyway to keep an eye out for bees? Places they tend to be? We’re in New Hampshire, if that helps. We suspect the fallen log, but I’ve never really thought about this before.

One of the horses reacted to the stings, breaking out in hives all over his body and swelling on his face. Is it over kill to travel with dex in case of a run in with bees (the vet approved it for use)? Like a person would carry an epipen? We’re definitely adding Benedryl to the packing list after this.

Thanks for any words of advice. We’ve been having the best time getting our eventers out and turning them into trail ponies, but it’s a bit of a steep learning curve as we start striking out further from home.

[Whitfield_Farm_Hanov]

Down here in the south we now have to worry about killer bees along with the normal yellow jackets, wasps & honey bees.
In what little research I’ve done it says that the only thing to do when you’ve disturbed a hive is to run. Recommended not to even go into water as the killer bees will wait on you for up to 24 hours.
I think with the normal bees once you’re out of their territory you’re okay.

[katyb]

Try to stay close together, as the first horse usually stirs them up, and those behind get the worst of that. Yellow jackets are pretty quick chasing you down, but running once they get you is really all that can be done. I’m glad you all came out of it basically okay.

[tabula_rashah]

When the bees are bad around here, I either ride at the front of the pack or with only one or two other people. Being at the back of the pack when it comes to bees is usually BAD NEWS.
But yeah, usually the only solution is to yell “bees” and hightail it out of there

[SanJacMonument]

Bees are sometimes an issue down here too. Do some research on the bees in your area and when they move and swarm. Some bees swarm in when they have outgrown a hive and/or split into two new colonies. Some bees/wasps are more common near the ground, others, higher up in trees.

The only choice is run away from them.

There are small bee sting-ease applicators that you can use on both people and horses. I keep one in my trail pack and have used it on stings after we have gotten out of harm’s way. Works really well.

You can buy Sting-Ease at WalMart or a sporting goods/hunting store. It’s about the size of lip-balm, and bright yellow.

[Painted_Horse]

We were pushing cows saturday and keep stirring up bees. The problem is the cows would kick them out, and us bringingup the rear pushing the cows had to evade them.

the dogs gots the worst of it. I’d hear them yelping when ever they got stung. One horse got a bunch but none of the riders got stung, Nothing you can do, but move quickly out of their territory and wear heavier clothing when riding in areas likely to have ground bees
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/2011/Strawberry/Sept2.gif