Frank wrote:
....
I've had trouble with yellow jackets. They are not pollinators and have
no reason to live.

In past years, I was not allergic but last couple of stings caused
swelling and one on the finger sent me to the doctor for prednisone as
whole hand swelled up.

Benadryl and maybe one of those sting pens are a good idea.

no reaction to the stings. no need.

the wasps, hornets, etc. here are very frequently
seen on the plants looking for caterpillars. the one
year i grew cabbages they helped by finding eggs and
worms from the cabbage moths. i enjoyed watching
them (unfortunately they didn't get them all) hunt
around.

i've been stung so rarely here that it surprises me
actually. there's a lot of bees here and many other
species too. honey bees (there are six hives about
150ft away), etc. stung about five times in all the
years and two of those were the other day from the
same bee. all the rest were because i'd grabbed one
or had it caught in my clothes. the rest of the time
i'm out there there's bees just a few inches from
my face or hands and they don't bother me. i don't
swat at them... perhaps also because i tend to be
rather calm and deliberate in my motions. i don't
weed whack or thrash about... don't mow either.


songbird