Today I was stung three times by yellow jackets. In my yard. While mowing. It happened about 3 hours ago and it still feels like an injection of Draino with a crooked, rusty knitting needle heated over charcoal. I can't even dimly imagine getting stung dozens of times by a hive that takes umbrage if you're unlucky enough to stumble on one. You could very well die.

What does that have to do with hiking? Well, yellow jackets tend to swarm more in the fall (I looked it up on the internet so it must be true), and I've seen them with my very own eyes while hiking in Oct. swarming around ground nests.

Yellow jackets are like my ex-wife -- chronically in a bad mood, exceedingly paranoid, dangerously hostile, and will react aggressively to the slightest little thing. Avoid at all costs and pay attention so that you're not caught off guard.


https://www.hobbyfarms.com/yellow-jackets/