Yellow jacket swarms in Virginia will sting if their underground nests are disturbed

A yellowjacket emerging from the ground.Photo byWiki YouTube screenshot

Yellow jackets will sting if disturbed

According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension, yellow jackets can be pesky from late summer until they die out in early fall. My brother and I found this out the hard way. When I was ten, and living in Blue Ridge, I tripped in the backyard one summer day and my foot went into a hole.

A swarm of yellow jackets emerged and began stinging my arms and legs. I ran to the house crying but was not seriously hurt. Yesterday my brother was cutting his mother-in-law's grass in Salem when yellow jackets began stinging him.

His mother-in-law came out to see what was going on, the insects began chasing and stinging her as well. My brother had cut this grass for two summers without any sign of yellow jackets.

The Cleveland Clinic says ice and antihistamines will help those who are not allergic, but if you have shortness of breath or swelling in your throat after being stung, call 911 or go to the closest Emergency Room. Those who know they are allergic to yellow jackets should keep an EpiPen.