Results tagged “insects”

The bees of Rock Creek Park are officially out to get us. At around 3:15 p.m., D.C. Fire/EMS responded to a call of multiple bee stings in the area near the horse stables inside the park, at 5000 Glover Rd. NW. Spokesperson Pete Piringer says that seven children and one adult suffered multiple stings, but none of them appeared to be in serious condition and no one needed to be taken to the hospital. This is now the third reported bee attack in the same area over the last week, after two incidents occurred last Thursday.

The Rock Creek Park Nature Center is apparently under a full on assault from nature. D.C. Fire/EMS now report that they've responded to a second yellow jacket attack (the fire department is still referring to them as bees, but the National Park Service seems to think they are indeed yellow jackets). Department spokesperson Pete Piringer puts the initial count of victims this time at 14 children being evaluated for stings at around 3:30 p.m. Earlier today, eight people, mostly children, were stung in the same area. That's all we know right now, but we'll go ahead and recommend not heading to the Rock Creek Nature Center today.

D.C. Fire/EMS crews were dispatched at around noon to the 5000 block of Glover Road NW in Rock Creek Park, for a report of multiple bee stings. According to Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer, a tour group going through the park came across a bee hive, the bees became agitated somehow, and a total of eight people, both adults and children, were stung multiple times. Two children were taken to Children's Hospital, while six others were well enough to skip the ambulance trip. The condition of the two children at the hospital is described as not serious, but they did receive multiple bee stings. No word on how many total people were in the tour group, but it seems fair to guess that nearly all of them will come away with a lifetime fear of bees. Shudder.

WJLA reports that a 'bug bomb' -- those aerosol cans of pesticides that you set off in the middle of a room to battle bad insect infestations -- caused a small explosion in an apartment in a four-story building at 1907 Good Hope Road SE this morning. Yikes! One minor injury was reported. The state of New York actually recently banned such insect foggers due to health and safety issues associated with the products.

Sunday's heavenly sunshine and cool breezes may have helped push last week's endless thunderstorms into the backs of our minds, but WTOP's Kristi King reminds us that this spring's increased rainfall will have lasting effects in form of incessant mosquitoes. King quotes Mosquito Control Program Manager for the Maryland Department of Agriculture Mike Cantwell as noting that the D.C. metro area is in store for increased mosquito activity this season in the evenings, nights and early mornings, and even more fun, later in the summer we should get even more of those annoying daytime tiger mosquitoes. Highly unscientific anecdotal evidence gathered at DCist HQ shows that the number of mosquito bites received by staffers thus far in the month of June far exceeds the same period last year. How pesky are you finding the city's skeeters this year?