Mountain rescuers save two hikers after wasp and hornet stings

Mountain rescue teams in the Miesbach district rescued two hikers who suffered anaphylactic shock after being stung by wasps and a hornet, BR reported on Wednesday.

A 45-year-old hiker was stung several times by ground wasps in the Spitzingsee area. He had been walking along a forest road towards the Obere Firstalm when he accidentally stepped on a nest, according to the Schliersee mountain rescue service.

The mountain rescue emergency doctor had already been responding to another call nearby and was able to reach the hiker quickly and treat the life-threatening allergic reaction. The man, who is from Upper Palatinate, was taken to hospital.

In a forest near Weyarn, the Hausham mountain rescue team helped a 60-year-old man after he was stung by a hornet. He had apparently walked past a nest. The rescuers had to drive a vehicle through a stream to reach him and take him to a rescue helicopter.

One of the rescuers was also stung by a hornet and required treatment.

Insect expert Tarja Richter of the LBV said hornets sting only when people disturb their nest and the insects feel threatened. Unlike wasps, hornets are not attracted to grilled meat or soft drinks.

Wasps can become more persistent in September as food becomes scarce, Richter said. She advised against blowing on them because the carbon dioxide in human breath can put the insects into an attack mode. Spraying them with water from a spray bottle is better, she said, because the wasps may think it is starting to rain and flee to their nest.

Wasps also do not sting without reason, according to Richter, but react when they feel threatened. Forest wasps often build nests in gaps in the ground or mouse holes. When several insects attack, they are defending their nest, she said.