Friday is trash day in our neighborhood, and last morning I figured I'd gather some extra yard waste since the trash truck hadn't arrived yet. So, I marched over to where some weedy shrubs were trying to outcompete the evergreen shrubs that already were there, and I began using a saw to cut them down.
About 5 minutes into this work, I felt a brief stab of pain on my ankle, like a sticker bush poked me.
I looked down, and no, it wasn't a sticker bush, but a bee.
I grumbled and shooed it away, then I got stung on my knee.
"What the hell is going on?" I groused as I looked around. It was then that I saw it: bees were flooding out of a small hole in the ground next to me, very upset that I'd decided to maintain my yard right there.
At that point, I did what any rational person would do: I fled.
(With saw in tow.)
I ended up getting stung a third time, on my freaking armpit, before I could evacuate to safety. I checked for bee stingers, but found none. Therefore, these were likely yellowjackets and not bees, but still the stings certainly hurt like hell at first.
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| Yeah, that's the culprit. From The Pest Detective Ohio's FAQ on wasps. as of August 2nd, 2025. |
On the bright side, I'm apparently not allergic to these stings, because at the moment (some 15 hours later) I have some pain but almost no swelling at all. So I likely dodged the worst of it.
Still, I have to deal with a surprise hornets' nest right next to my house. Luckily they decided to not bother me while I cut the grass nearby over lunch, but I will have to do something about this in the long run. I kind of have to maintain that part of the yard, and simply waiting until winter to clear out weeds and whatnot isn't much of an option. Given also that they're pollinators and despite the attack on me pollinators are really needed, I'm going to have to figure out a solution in the long run. Maybe I'll talk to my barber, who is also a beekeeper among his other hobbies. (Such as being a drummer in a punk band.)
#Blaugust2025
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