[Termite_Commander]

I loathe yellow jackets.

[AntiGuv]

Yellow jackets are vicious little mofos that don't even really need a reason to sting you..

[vetvetdoug]

Just about everyone has a reaction to Yellow Jacket stings and bites. They are the meanest little @$$holes God ever put into the insect world. I mowed over a nest of them today and got away (I didn't last week when I found another nest). I sprinkle orthene around their little entrance and exit holes (yes they have two holes per nest) and give them about 48 hours to die out.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Beware!

[RandallFlagg]

See? This is why we all need to mass produce these little babies to take care of the annoying little stinging SOBs:

They're as friendly to humans as a cat. Completely harmless.
And they kill and eat every bug that comes near them. INCLUDING yellow jackets.

I plan to breed them to get to be about the size of a doberman.
To guard my political yard signs from vandals, of course.

[glasseye]

I got swarmed by those little bastards years ago.....

Still gives me the chills.

[martin_fierro]

When 80s Hair Bands go horribly wrong.

[pcottraux]

JUST WAIT TILL THE BLUE DEVILS SHOW UP!!!!!!

[JSteff]

"As many as 15 adults and children are being treated for what authorities said was an attack by a swarm of yellow jackets "

They were attacked by Century 21 agents?

[chronic_loser]

I had a lawn care business as an adolescent. I ran over more yellow jacket nests than I can count. They do swarm you, and I have suffered more than a few stings. My MO was to take a 16 oz bottle and fill it with gasoline, haul ass up to the mouth of the nest, and set it upright. Do it quick and get out. Then go running up again and tip it over into the hole. Then you can throw in a match from a few feet away. Almost always a workable plan.

They are aggressive little buggars, but the sting is not nearly as bad as a hornet or red wasp. My brother and I used to pull up the boat to within about 10 feet of hornet's nests on the Tennessee River, and shoot the nest with a 12 gauge, slam the boat into gear and take off. You could literally see the swarm come out after you (they have this thing with sonar or something that they can "follow" the projectile that struck the nest back to the source). My brother once throttled up too fast and stripped the transmission out of the motor. We both went over the side, as hornet swarm will literally kill you if they get all over you. Crazy days, fueled by testosterone, youth and way too much alcohol and dope, but some fun and funny memories.

[I still care]

My brother would never forgive me if I didn't post this.

[denydenydeny]

31 posts and no one's said it yet?

Bush's fault.

[Arthalion]

I've never seen a yellowjacket or a hornet in my life, and reading through this thread makes me glad I live where I do. Out here all we have is mud daubers and paper wasps, and they're so mellow you can practically pet them (don't try it unless you want a swollen finger). I once knocked an 8" paper wasp nest out from under the eve of my house, and the wasps simply flew into back up beneath the eve and started rebuilding the thing. They're a bear to get rid of, but docile enough so that you don't typically have to.

[Trailerpark Badass]

All 11 children were taken to Holy Cross Hospital to be checked out.

I had my spleen removed there. Oh, the memories...

[Wednesday's Child]

Last summer I was weeding and there was a dead log in the flowerbed which I never saw due to the weeds. I must have moved it and all of a sudden I saw something flying at me and felt intense pain.....I was stung 3 times on the face. My husband came up with a solution.......a SHOP-VAC! He attached a section of 2" pipe with DUCT TAPE on the end of the shop-vac hose and moved it towards the nest and turned it on........out they came to attack the pipe and WHOOSH! up the pipe they went! very, very cool :)

[mware]

i don't know what kind of species of yellow jackets we have in our area, (South Jersey) For all I know they may be wasps but they are very large about two inches in length and the marking of a yellow jacket.

Last summer while remodeling my house the construction worker stirred them up from somewhere.

Two of the guys got stung and both wound up in the hospital.

My neighbor about 5 houses down got stung this summer and the hospital told him he had about 2 minutes left to live before his heart swelled up so large that it would burst. He never had an allergy to bee stings before and has made a full recovery. He now carries around that injection needle that gives him a grace period of about 10 minutes to reach the hospital

[Dan from Michigan]

I hate those things. I wish I could kill them by shooting them.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Wait a second.

Public school kids taken to "Holy Cross" Hospital? That can't be - what about seperation of church and state? GET THE ACLU ON THE PHONE!!