You see this thing is crawling on somebody and you think it is going to kill you like a tarantula," he said, knowledgeably noting that it's the claws that can clip a victim like a lobster and the stinger in the back is venomous, though not more than a yellow jacket sting.

Our daughter was 14 years old when she had a pretty severe reaction to a yellow jacket sting.

Wasp Apis venenum purum poisoning, from a bee, wasp, or yellow jacket sting, causes pain at site of sting but induces a fatal allergic reaction in people with bee allergies.

Deaths from either bee or yellow jacket stings are fairly rare, and usually result from a severe allergic reaction to ancillary compounds in the venom rather than to the pain peptides themselves.

William T. Whisner Jr., who shot down 21 enemy planes as a United States fighter ace in World War II and the Korean War, died of complications from a yellow jacket sting last Friday in Alexandria, La.

Yellow jacket stings are painful and can be life-threatening to those with allergies.

I happen to be one of those people who can get a severe systemic allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis, from a yellow jacket sting.

For those who have an allergy to bee, wasp, or yellow jacket stings, it is important to carry a bee sting kit (which requires a prescription) and become familiar with how to use it if necessary.