Yellow jackets are a menace when working outdoors. They generally nest in the ground and, when disturbed, they will attack. Their sting is painful and it is not unusual to be stung multiple times. People who are allergic to bee stings must exercise caution. I am only allergic to the pain and have experienced that on many occasions.

  Early in my career, I worked at the experiment station in Griffin. I was a technician in the entomology department. We were doing work with attractants in an effort to lure yellow jackets away from picnic areas in state parks. In order to do the testing, we needed yellow jackets and a clear understanding of their behavior.

  Ads were placed in the local newspaper and on the radio stating that if you had any of these bees on your property to call and we would remove them. We would go out early in the morning and dig the nest out. The bees and nest were then placed in a screen wire cage, where we could observe them. I would then go to local grocery stores and collect outdated grapes to feed them. Yellow jackets do not make very good pets, so I don’t recommend them.

  Once, we traveled around the state stopping at every state park to discuss yellow jackets with the park rangers. This allowed us to see firsthand the problems that these bees caused. So, while I am not an authority on this subject, I have had more close encounters with yellow jackets than the average bee watcher.

  I remember once when we were clearing brush at the Flint River Beagle Club, we got into bees. I was running the chainsaw when I got stung. I immediately recognized the danger, dropped the saw and left. Bees were swarming all around the saw as it sat there idling. As I was waiting for the bees to settle down, so I could retrieve the saw, an older gentleman walked over and picked up the saw. There was not much that I could do. I could see no benefit in both of us being stung. By the time he got away from them, he had been stung eight times. I asked why he had picked up the saw while it was covered with bees. He said that we should not leave the saw sitting there running. I asked him how he felt about it now that he had retrieved the saw. He said he was not so sure as he rubbed his bee stings.

  My father was a captain with Eastern Airlines. As he was about to leave on a trip, a neighbor’s horse was loose in the yard. He caught the horse and tied it to a fence post. He then went in and called the neighbor. (Yes, he had to go in and call as this was before cell phones). When he came back out, the horse was pitching a fit. There was a yellow jacket nest beside the fence post. The horse was fighting so hard Dad could not untie it. He got an axe, went on the other side of the fence, and cut the rope. The horse left the scene. While he was cutting the rope, a bee stung him on the eyelid. He hit the bee so hard that he gave himself a black eye. Between the bee sting and the hit, his eye was swollen shut. So the only time Dad had to call in sick was because of a yellow jacket.

  When I bought my property and cleared it for pasture, there were lots of bees. I started to notice that some nests would swarm and sting, but would not chase me. Others, however, would still be chasing me twenty-five yards from the nest. I started to sort them out. If they didn’t chase me I left them alone. If they chased me I would go back later that evening and eliminate them. After a few months, the bees got calmer. When I disturbed them, I could apologize and leave. I might get stung, but didn’t have to worry about the kamikaze bee attacks as I left the scene.

  So I guess, as they sit around the bees nest telling stories, they taught their offspring to defend the nest, but don’t chase that guy. Our ancestors did and they were killed. Perhaps knowing history can prevent the making of deadly mistakes. Perhaps it should be a requirement.