BUTLER TWP - In a heartbeat on Monday, Mary Jo Sylvia was stung more than 30 times by yellow jackets.

"They were all over me," she said. "I didn't even see them coming, then I couldn't get them off me."

One minute, Sylvia said she was pulling weeds from a bed of myrtle and azaleas. The next minute, angry yellow jackets - a type of wasp - covered her arms, legs, crawled up her pants and dug into her hair.

She passed out while calling 911.

Sylvia, now recovering in her home on Old Plank Road, is one of dozens who will be treated in Butler Memorial Hospital's emergency room this summer for stings.

Already, 20 people of all ages were treated in June and 42 people in July, according to hospital spokeswoman Melissa Allen.

The count is up slightly from last summer when 14 people were treated in June and 37 in July, Allen said.

To most people, an insect sting is simply a nuisance that can be treated with ice, Benadryl and a Band-Aid. But to other people, even just one sting can be life-threatening.

Dr. Geoffrey Mann of the BMH emergency department said he sees a handful of severe cases about this time each year.

According to a pamphlet of the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, yellow jackets become more problematic at summer's end because their populations peak in July and August.

Mann said insect venom contains toxins and protein that cause an allergic reactions, such as swelling, including that of the tongue and throat, asthma-like breathing problems, a drop in blood pressure and fainting.

Although Mann said insect stings can be fatal, the more severe reactions are more rare.

However, he noted that severe reactions can occur to people who never before showed signs of an allergy.

"You might not even know you are allergic," he said.

Mann suggests everyone keep Benadryl on hand. That helps reverse the reaction, he said.

He also said that if stung, a person should pull out the stinger if there is one, putting ice and antibiotic ointment on the area and cleaning it with soap and water.

If you notice any severe reaction symptoms, seek immediate medical attention, he said.

And those who already know they are allergic should keep an updated Epi-Pen, a prescription of Epinephrin that can be self-administered while waiting for help.

Lucky for Sylvia, her 14-year-old daughter Katherine was playing basketball in the back yard when Sylvia shot around the house - screaming in pain and swatting her body.

"I had no idea why she was screaming," Katherine said. "Then I saw the bees."

Katherine was stung once on the lip while helping her mother knock off the angry insects.

Then, Katherine completed the call for help after her mother fainted.

"She was good under pressure," said Sylvia, who remembers her ears ringing, but she had no pain as she slipped in and out of consciousness three times before the ambulance arrived in minutes.

Sylvia was taken by South Butler Ambulance to the hospital, and released later that night.

At first, she said she was tired. On Tuesday she was sore, especially from the stings to her head.

And by Wednesday?

"I'm itchy," she said.

Sylvia said she was feeling a lot better, but still had welts on her body and bruises on her legs from when she fainted.

She was told she would feel normal in about a week.

She was prescribed an Epi-Pen to keep on hand in case of future attacks.

But she said it would be a long time before she again weeds her 2½-acre yard without first remembering what happened to her.

Katherine and her 15-year-old brother Matt will pick up the bulk of the job.

"It's a never-ending task," she said of the weeding. "My kids have already been back out there."