Bees on the Osseo to Flume 8/26

[Sadie]

Weather was looking gorgeous & I had Friday off, so I headed up solo to the Lincoln brook parking area to hike up Flume. I got to the parking lot ~9:30 and headed to the hiker registry. There were signs posted all over that said something to the effect: “Aggressive Wasps on Upper Osseo trail, they will sting, Pass at your own risk”. Yikes, I hate stinging insects!! I thought about a new plan for the day, but decided to push forward and just take the upper part of the trail real slow and keep an eye out for the wasps to see if I could avoid them by going into the woods or something.

The trip on the Wilderness trail and lower part of Osseo went really quick– nice easy grades and great footing. The AMC guide refers to a right turn and a start of switchbacks at approximately the halfway mark (2.1 mi) on the Osseo, so I used that as my trigger to start looking for wasps. At probably ~2.8 mile mark (I didn’t have a GPS, this is just an estimate based on time), I saw a piece of paper posted on a tree saying “Watch out for bees ahead, hive marked w/ pink marker.” I saw the pink marker and there was quite a flurry of bee activity (think they were yellow jackets) coming out of a hive in the ground. I covered myself with all my extra clothing, thinking that might help avoid bee stings, and I got to the far side of the trail and ran past the hive. It worked, no stings!! I have to say a strong thank you to the person who posted that warning note!! So helpful, I was really worried about just walking through a hive inadvertently. I continued on and soon got to the “ladders”, which are more like steep stairs, nothing scary. Above the ladders is a nice flat area before it continues to climb again and then join up with the Flume Slide trail. I got to the peak in ~3:45 min, book time is 4 h 25 m (I’m usually right w/ the book time, but trail had such great footing that helped a lot). The top of Flume is quite stunning, a lot of nice rocky cliffs and great views!

I had a snack and enjoyed the sun a bit before heading back down. I saw ~8 people on the summit in the 20 m I was up there. I headed down and bumped into a Forestry ranger heading up from Osseo. He asked me if I had been stung coming up Osseo, I said No and he said he had just finished unloading 2 cans of bee killer on 2 hives he found. He said he had been told there was a single hive and he unloaded 1.5 cans on the first one he found along the trail, but the one he sprayed wasn’t the one with the note I had seen, he found that coming up further on the trail. So he had only ½ can left at that point for that really active hive, so he wasn’t sure if he had killed them all. So I was worried again, that the bees would be Angry AND Aggressive now!! But no worries, all signs of bees/wasps was gone!!

Osseo was a really nice trail, highly recommend it for someone looking for an alternative to the trails on route 93. The trail didn’t feel as long as it sounds (11 mi RT). This was my #47, only Moriah left.

 

[una_dogger]

I saw the bees!

On thursday a hiker heading northbound on the AT over Lafayette told me about the bees' nest in extremely accurate detail.
I can't tell you how worried I was about passing it! But by the time I came down the trail it was about 7:30 pm and they were quiet.
I was going to leave a note at HQ, but by the time I got back to the parking area, someone had already posted.

A few years ago in on the Long Path in NY I disturbed a nest of ground hornets and I was swarmed completely on my HEAD! I had so many stings and it was such a frightening experience. THANKFULLY I was not alone and my hiking partner had the courage to approach me and use his fleece to capture many of them. He put the fleece gently on my head and when he removed it, it was covered with hornets, you couldn't even see the fabric. Then he doused the remaining hornets with his drinking water. I was probably very close to a state of shock when this occured and took three benedryl immediately. I was OK but in serious pain for the next few days before I had to bail the trail due to terrible headaches and pain and swelling from all of the stings. Just a terrible experience!

And Sadie! Congrats on your accomplishment!!!!

 

[moonrock]

A reminder to all that ground hornets/yellowjackets/whatever (versus honeybees) become ESPECIALLY aggressive in late summer and fall. Something about the breakdown of their social order as the drones get ready to die off. Or maybe rumors of foreign vertebrate regimes carrying chemical weapons of mass destruction.

I dunno, but every time I've ever been stung on a trail, it has been very late in the season. Last time was en route to Street & Nye, which (all things considered) hardly makes the hike even worthwhile =^).

 

[JohnL]

There was a large note at the Ranger station along with the note on the trail when I went past there early this morning. I did not notice any activity but it was early and cool. I ran quickly past it anyway.

JohnL

 

[una_dogger]

Hornet social chaos..

I find the drone concept interesting. I always thought it was due to dry soil and more disturbance to the nests when the ground is tread upon.

 

[adksteve]

I Hate Bees

I was on a 20 mile hike with a group of Boy Scouts a couple of years ago in late September. I'm always at the end of the line encouraging the stragglers. My son was up front and jammed his hiking pole into a nest without knowing. It was just statrting to get light out and fairly chilly. By the time I got to the spot those bees were swarming and I didn't know what hit me.

I tripped over my hiking pole and fell backwards onto the nest feeling like I had just landed on a hand grenade I jumped up and ran as fast as I could but I must have been stung at least 40 times. Luckily I'm not allergic.

Anyway I hiked the next few mile in pain.

I hope those bees on the Osseo Trail are gone now because my son and I are hiking the Pemi Loop over Labor Day Weekend and I don't need any new bee encounters.

 

[Jim lombard]

Sounds like we missed them on Saturday, took the Flume Slide which I guess connects above where the hive is. Two years ago I ran into a bad nest on Dicey Mill going up Passaconaway. Fortunately (for me) a dog was coming in the opposite direction and they focused their fury on him.

 

[Quietman]

2 years ago I was hiking down East Royce in Evan's Notch when stumbled on an unseen nest on a cool rainy day. Bees in my hair, ears, and in my clothing. Ran down the trail hollering and striping off clothes, only to run past a pair of hikers on their way up. The look on their faces was priceless. I yelled BEES to explain my wierdness and kept running.
After calming down, I walked back up to retrieve my gear, and found the other hikers pointing to one of my hiking poles hanging 20 feet up in a tree!