Red Wasps, they built nests under the eaves in the Barn, the Strip Room, the Pack House....and they were relentless. If you even eyeballed the nest they would attack you...and outside a Japanese Hornet nothing I had been stung by hurt as much. White Faced Hornets packed a wallop, as did one Bumblebee, one type didn't sting, but one did. I always got the two mixed up, and catching them with my hands cupped and then lettin em fly was high entertainment when you added in the "don't remember which one stings" factor. I had a baccer stick (tobacco stick) that we used to string tobacco on and then hoist on the rafters in the two old log barns. Our "baccer sticks"were older than dirt itself, one of my Great Grandfathers, Great Grandfathers or something along that line had hand split them, and they were shock full of splinters. When I wasn't nursing bee stings by putting chewed tobacco on them I was cuttin splinters out of my hands with a rusty "Old Timer" pocket knife that had been taken away from me a hundred times and I had "found" again a hundred times. I evidently had a built in antibody for "lockjaw" (tetanus). Baccer sticks were good used as "horses', just put it between your legs, hold on to the end in front and "run" letting it buck and jump under you like a pretend horse. There were dangers in this but we won't go there. I had seen the nest early that morning hanging on the Pack House and it was big as a mans hand and loaded with Red Wasps. The baccer stick could reach it if I stretched, I would knock it down and do a big service for the family, and then I could fish with the undeveloped wasps in the nest. Bream loved em! I walked up slow and nonchalantly, didn't eyeball the nest but just as I was almost within swinging distance I felt what must have been a six inch stinger enter the back of my neck. Undeterred I slowly made the next two steps, looked up and hit a home run, right across the nest, it fell, I felt the stick break, I had misjudged the distance and a big splinter pierced my palm just as the wind brought the bulk of the Red Wasps into my hair and chest. I had got their home and they made me pay. They ate me alive, I dropped the broken stick, mussed my hands through my hair only to get stung on the head and hands and swiped em off my chest. Running like a mad man I stopped at the Strip Room to catch my breath. I was on fire, Red Wasps were all over the broken baccer stick, I could see em. I could also see the Sweet Gum tree that I knew I would be coming back too very shortly to "pick' a switch off of. I had broken a baccer stick and gotten stung doing what I won't sposed to...a whupping was coming, won't no doubt...I could tell growing up was gonna be a test for me....