This is Manabu Itaya from the Michinoku Trail Club.
I’m going to discuss the hornet, which is the dangerous creature I am most scared of.
A few years ago in the summer, I had a very scary experience in the mountains of Hokkaido, where I was chased by a hornet that was flying around persistently for about 500m.
Fortunately, I wasn’t stung, but I was chased for an incredibly long time and a long distance, and I was running while almost crying, preparing myself to be stung in the end.
I want to introduce you to the hornet, a scary creature around us.
Hornet behavior
■There are 17 types of hornets in Japan, and they generally have a highly aggressive nature.
There are more deaths from hornet stings than from bears or poisonous snakes, with 30 to 40 people dying each year.
■They are active from May to October. Among them, worker bees are the most numerous and protect their nests for the next generation, and the majority of stings occur in August and September.
■The locations where they build their nests vary slightly depending on the species, but they can be found under the eaves of houses, on tree branches, in the ground, near tree roots, or in tree hollows.
■They usually patrol within a 10m radius of their nest. When they spot a suspicious person, they fly around the area and use threatening behavior to drive them away.
To avoid being attacked by hornets
■ They fly around vigilantly around anyone approaching their nest. Usually, they circle around once or twice and then fly away if there are no problems.
They sometimes hover in front of you to check the situation. If you get startled and swat or swing your arms at this time, the hornet will go into attack mode.
They react to sudden movements and loud noises, so it is best not to run or make noise, but to get low and to leave the area.
■ They also react to smells. When entering the mountains or forests, avoiding perfume, cosmetics, detergent, fabric softener, hair styling products, and other things that smell good is best. Also, when hornets are nearby, you should be careful of sweet smells such as juice and gum.
■ They react to dark things. One theory is that this is because their natural enemy, bears, are black, but the truth of this is uncertain.
It seems safer to avoid dark or dark clothes and wear light or light-colored clothes. For the same reason, it is better to wear a hat to hide your black hair.
In addition, to minimize damage if stung, it is advisable to wear clothing that limits exposed skin, such as long pants and long sleeves.
■ They may build nests under the eaves of outdoor gazebos or under benches and tables. It is also necessary to carefully observe your surroundings before taking a break, such as whether there are any hornets passing by.
After doing this research, I realized that when I was chased in Hokkaido, I had created several conditions that would make it inevitable for a hornet to attack me.
-Dark clothing
I was wearing a navy blue hat and a navy blue T-shirt at the time. I thought the backpack I was carrying was green, but when I looked at it again, the outer pockets were black and most of what was exposed on the outside was black. Overall, he was a dark-colored man.
-Violent movements
I was running desperately, trying to get away as far as possible. I thought I was lowering my posture a little, but perhaps my movements were violent.
-Loud noises
I didn’t scream, but I was running so hard that the bear bell attached to his backpack was ringing loudly. It’s possible that the loud noise excited the hornet.
A dark-skinned man ran desperately with his body lowered to a lower position while ringing a bear bell loudly.
I’m really glad he wasn’t stung. Maybe his backpack was the one that got stung.
If you are stung by a hornet
First aid
■ Rinse the wound with running water while squeezing it. If you have a poison remover, use it to suck out the poison.
It is strictly forbidden to suck out the poison with your mouth. If there is a wound inside the mouth, the poison will enter the body through it.
■ Apply antihistamine ointment.
■ Cool.
*It seems that the idea that ammonia works is a complete superstition. I’m ashamed to say that when I was a child, I used to proudly say that if you were stung by a bee, you should pee on it.
Anaphylactic shock
Depending on your constitution, you may experience “systemic allergic symptoms” when you are stung by a bee.
It can cause severe symptoms such as swelling and hives, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness.
In the worst-case scenario, it can even lead to death. This is the dreaded anaphylactic shock.
If you experience shock symptoms such as shortness of breath, dry mouth, cold sweat, dizziness, low blood pressure, numbness, vomiting, or hives, please see a doctor at an emergency hospital as soon as possible.
However, since anaphylactic shock is an allergic reaction, it varies from person to person, and it does not necessarily occur the second time.
First of all, it is important to stay calm and deal with the situation.
Reference sites
・Forestry and Wood Manufacturing Industrial Accident Prevention Association
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Hornets are very scary, but they do not live to attack humans.
They attack to drive away foreign enemies that have invaded their living space and to survive. They also have a beneficial side, hunting pests of crops and plants to feed their larvae.
Depending on how we prepare and respond in advance, we can prevent unfortunate accidents from happening.
Hikers on the Michinoku Coastal Trail should pay attention to four points: color, smell, movement, and sound, and enjoy their hike without putting themselves in danger from a hornet sting.
HAPPY TRAILS!
