[QUOTE=Ogre]
Fun yellowjacket fact: Once you disturb the nest, they are hyperaggressive, and the first 'jacket to sting you leaves a little smear of pheromone on you that says to every other 'jacket in the vicinity, “Enemy! Sting this until it dies!” At that point, it’s entirely possible to be swarmed by hundreds or thousands of them (although tens is far more common,) and they don’t stop stinging.
Two years ago, while doing field work in north Alabama, I disturbed a nest, and within seconds, I was mobbed by the little demons. One got under my T-shirt and stung me 8-10 times in the ribs. One got my elbow. One stung my left eyelid. I got stings all over my hands, ankles, and legs. It was brutal. I’m not allergic, thank god, but I didn’t sleep for two days because of the pain. I literally could not straighten my body completely because of the stings on my ribcage. It felt like somebody hit me with a baseball bat.
And the kicker? Because of the little pheromone marker, I could not outrun them. I felt the first sting, and took off. I ran for 50-100 yards, and was immediately attacked again when I slowed down. I ran again, toward the truck, and was stung again as I approached it.
Hideous little bastards, yellowjackets are.
Oh, and freckafree, yellowjackets (Vespula spp., Dolichovespula spp.) all build paper nests, but Vespula build them under ground.
[/QUOTE]
Dude, I soooo feel your pain. I got attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets a few years ago when I was working for the power company. I stood on their nest; they didn’t like that very much. I had my first ambulance ride that day. I had 30-40 large stings (greater than 1 inch diameter) and hundreds of smaller ones. They shot me so full of benadryl and epinephrine I felt like I was on a roller coaster. They also told me that if I got stung again any time in the next year to go to the hospital immediately, as my immune system might freak out. I still have nerve damage in one arm that got especially stung - it tingles sometimes.
I still hate them little suckers. Kill 'em all!!!