Just another reason to wear gloves...

[Mayo South Elgin]

OK so I bought a 6 pack of gloves a couple months ago, they were on sale and unfortunately made in China but they were good for detecting. There were two different kinds in the package and both kinds worked good because of the fabric back side and rubberized palm and fingers. I always keep at least a couple pairs in my truck and *most of the time* I've been in the habit of putting on a pair when I dig.

Today for some reason I decided not to put on the gloves.
Probably because I was near the beach and I figured the ground would be easy - mostly sand and some dirt mixed in. I was detecting in a brush and treed area adjacent to the beach in Evanston.

Well I got a strong signal and it was only about 3 inches deep so I stuck my trowel into the ground a few times to loosen the soil, then as has been my custom up to today, I plunge my fingers into the loosened soil, grab onto it, and pass it over the top of my coil to see if I have the target. When I plunged my fingers into the soil this time though, I thought for a second that I must have hit a thorn from a thorn bush, or a thistle, but then it immediately felt way worse! I dropped the dirt and looked down and saw the biggest bumblebee I have ever seen. Evidently I had been stung on my middle finger.

My friend Bob who is visiting from Montana thought maybe I cut myself on glass or something judging from the expletives he was hearing coming out of my mouth. As he was coming over to see what I was so verbal about, I did a Patsy Cline and made the bee fall to pieces. Bob asked if I was allergic to bee stings, and I said I didn't know since this was my first bee sting ever. Once when I was a little kid I got stung by a wasp but that's been it until today.

Other than the throbbing pain, I didn't experience any other symptoms so that was a good thing.
I'm convinced though, had I been wearing the gloves I had in my truck, the stinger would never have made it into my skin. I certainly never expected to encounter a bumblebee beneath the surface of the sandy ground I was digging in.

So if you have gloves... WEAR THEM!

The targets in this one hole turned out to be two quarters, one dime, and four mem cents - all clad.
Other holes produced more clad, thankfully no more bees, and one Evanston Beach Token from 1965.
Also found a combination lock for a bicycle, a key, and an old car or truck part that I'll post of photo of later.

 

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[Lowbatts]

No, didn't think the black and yellow stripes in your hair were part of any reaction.....

At the park the other day I hit a hole with one of those huge hunting wasps and it flew up straight into my face, they are usually very aggressive defenders who threaten wildly but seldom sting. As it came right into my face another one came out of nowhere and nailed it broadside, taking it to the ground where they tangled for a bit before breaking off and going back to their respective corners.

These guys only nest in sand, one per hole and they're big and mean looking.

 

[kimsdad]

As it came right into my face another one came out of nowhere and nailed it broadside, taking it to the ground where they tangled for a bit before breaking off and going back to their respective corners.

Who was that masked wasp? I don't know, but I didn't get a chance to thank him. WOW!

I'll bet that hurt like hell, Mayo! After Kermit's run-in with the stingers, I threw a tube of Afterbite into my detecting pack. I don't know if it really works, but the act of throwing it in there made me feel better.

I wear gloves all the time. I don't think mine would prevent a sting, but they might eliminate or reduce the threat of a cut. You just never know what's out there watching you or what you're going to surprise...