Like many of you, the Bug Guy has encountered yellowjackets on more than one occasion. These misadventures often took place while mowing a lawn where native eastern yellowjackets  had set up shop in a subterranean burrow. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet another native yellowjacket, the southern yellowjacket, when my neighbor had the bad luck of hitting an aerial nest of southern yellowjackets while trimming a cluster of ornamental grasses in his backyard. Unlike the hidden buried nest of eastern yellowjackets, this papery nest about the size of a soccer ball was nestled amongst the stems of tall grass. By late summer and early autumn, southern yellowjacket colonies may contain thousands of workers and, under extraordinary circumstances, some nests in the south may persist for more than one year and reach gigantic proportions. There are reports of monster yellowjacket nests in southern states reaching the size of a “Volkswagen Beetle”.

When disturbed by a hedge trimmer, fierce southern yellowjacket workers descended on my neighbor and delivered about a dozen memorable stings. Levels of yellowjacket aggression seem to increase during late summer and autumn, when nests have legions of maniacal workers willing to die to defend the colony. If you blunder upon a nest in the lawn or in a bush, walk away as quickly as possible with a minimum of swatting and arm waving. Walking through a bush (no, not one with the nest) may help throw the pursuing workers off your trail and help you escape with fewer stings. When attacking, yellowjackets release a chemical signal called an alarm pheromone into the air. Like a charge call from a bugle, it incites other yellowjackets to enter the fray with deadly intent. The venom of yellowjackets and their kin has evolved to bring maximum pain to vertebrates like skunks or bears that pillage their nests. Encounters with these fierce ladies confirm that their venom brings agony to humans as well. Yellowjackets are capable of multiple stings, but only to a limited extent. Contrary to common belief, they have barbs on their stingers and many lose their stingers and internal organs during a fatal attack. My unfortunate neighbor had several stingers removed from his body after escaping from the attack.

If you are stung, apply ice to the site of the sting to reduce some of the damage and pain. Sting relieving ointments and creams are available in pharmacies and sporting goods stores and may help reduce the pain and itching. If you know that you are allergic and are stung, seek medical attention immediately. If you are stung and experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or swallowing, hives on your body, disorientation, lightheadedness or other unusual symptoms, call 9-1-1 and seek medical attention immediately. Desensitization therapy has proven very helpful to many people with allergies to stings of bees and wasps.