August and September tend to be wasp season around here. They've only got a month to get enough food to get their queens through the winter and they get very aggressive. The Sweetie's boss had a wasp get in his sock last week as he was mowing the lawn and it stung the heck out of his foot. He couldn't walk for a couple of days. But my reaction was just to the sting, and not (yet) an allergic reaction. Although apparently once you've been stung you've got a 1 in 6 chance of developing a serious allergy. Joy!

Your story in Germany reminds me of a friend from Arizona who arrived in Wisconsin to study whilst I was doing grad work there. When she arrived, she asked quite reasonably what the local venomous snakes and insects were that she needed to avoid. In Arizona, that's a real issue. In Wisconsin, not so much.

I'm feeling better, and keeping my fingers crossed for a Cumberbatch encounter. *g*