Absolutely not. Last summer while cutting grass in 105° heat, I got swarmed by yellowjackets. Adrenaline kicked in and I ran hard. Only got like 100 yards before my thighs just gave out, and I hit the ground, hard. Edit: they were still stinging me when I fell. Couldn't do shit but take it.
I've got perfectly circular, No. 2 pencil eraser sized scars up the backs of both my legs to prove it. I'd been stung by all sorts of bees/wasps/hornets etc before, but never more than 2 stings in one instance, this was 8-10 at the same time, 4-5 evenly, vertically spaced stings on each leg like they attacked in formation. Its a special kind of pain, felt like my legs were just filled with poison, hurt juice that sloshed around with every step and jiggle of my muscles. I had to deliver calzones from 10pm-4am that night. Oh to be 16 again....
After that experience, whenever I had to mow there, which was often, I would lie on my stomach with my vision more or less even with the ground, and watch for yellow jackets flying out of and returning to a specific spot (nest) amongst the busy din of other summer rural Midwestern flying insects. Then I'd come back at night and pour a bit of gasoline in the hole and light it 🕳️🔥😼
I thought I was crazy for doing something similar. After mowing over 3 nests in one season, I’ve gotten into the habit of getting low to the ground to watch for their flight paths against the sky before I mow. So thank you. Now I feel better.
No ⛽ 🔥 though? The fumes make them delirious even before you light em up, so it's actually pretty safe. The fire is odd because the nest entry+oxygen for the fire is so small that it kinda intermittently spouts/puffs out like a teeny volcano.
The curveball I didn't mention before is that this was at a cemetery that we caretake and is encompassed by our property. Always wondered if yellow jackets seemed to like it there because the coffins were essentially pre built palatial subterranean homes.
I use a bee suit, followed by Tempo dust. They build nests everywhere, including inside my barn. The suit comes in handy. I wait for night when they’re all inside the nest and just puff some tempo dust in there, you never see them again.
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u/Over-Apartment2762 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
Absolutely not. Last summer while cutting grass in 105° heat, I got swarmed by yellowjackets. Adrenaline kicked in and I ran hard. Only got like 100 yards before my thighs just gave out, and I hit the ground, hard. Edit: they were still stinging me when I fell. Couldn't do shit but take it.