There seem to be more encounters with these hornets in the Georgia mountains.
Reputedly, they are not aggressive and seldom sting humans. But when a bear has been clawing at their nest hole, they react violently to anything large in the vicinity.
Late last August, I got stung badly while on the Pinhoti Trail on Mill Creek Mountain in NW Georgia. Two weeks later, a friend and I got stung multiple times on the Jacks River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness Area. Last week, I saw a sign posted at the High Point Trailhead on the Pinhoti, near Taylors Ridge, Georgia. I think the sign had been posted a month or so ago after hikers had issues with a nest. During my hike, i saw where the nest had been pulled from a low knothole, presumably by a bear.
The time of maximum exposure to agitated hornets seems to be August and September. That's when they engage in swarming activity around their nests. Perhaps that's also when bears molest their nests.
I wondered if WB folks are seeing anything like that elsewhere? Or is it just here in Georgia?