Beetles and Bees

I had my first bump in the rode today in my quest to catch all the critters in our backyard. I've gotten really good at catching beetles as they don't scurry away like the lizards do. This morning I captured a June Bug and let him ride along on my shirt for most of the morning putting him in my habitat bucket for closer observation. I gave him some rocks, grass and mulch to climb around on. After a while we let him go back to his real habitat in the woods.

While filling up a glass of imaginary lemonade from the screw at the bottom of the swing set I attempted to capture a yellow jacket. The yellow jacket must have sensed that I had lemonade in my cup. After trying to catch him I realized he wasn't the friendly kind. Dad was sitting next to me but did not see the bee until I turned and started asking for help. I patiently waited while Dad grabbed the bee with his fingers and then started to pull the stinger out of my pinky finger.

Amazingly, I didn't cry. I just yelled for Mom to come and put milk on it. As Mom put breast milk on my finger I just sat there and "oohed and awed" as the pain and swelling intensified. After a few minutes of ice I was ready to go back out. Mom and Dad were a little more scared than I was since they are both allergic to bees. So far, so good. My finger is still swollen but that is to be expected.

A little extra chubbiness

Pinky finger comparison