"Matthew Reed" nospam at zootal dot com nospam wrote in message
...

Those yellow jackets are just trying to clean your garden. Here they
are no problem until a dry August occurs then they search for water.
They like sugar water aka soda and have been known to enter soda cans.
They like to spare with my hummers so I provide a yellow trap on
occasion too. Hummers are primary here.

I once weeded a jacket nest and was stung many times. If you see a
hole about the size of a US quarter and yellow jackets come and go mark
it and give ground. If possible but take it out if kids and others may
stumble on it.

Bill

Do they bother you when you working in the garden? I'm afraid to pull a
turnip for fear of there being a bee on it that does not take kindly to my
pulling it's food source out

Matthew, bees do not eat turnips. When you see bees around the garden, their
main interest is the flowers. To them, you're like a maintenance person
changing fluorescent bulbs in a busy office, with your ladder getting in
everyone's way. It's their office.

I've got a butterfly bush, which (obviously) attracts butterflies, but also
bees, some of which seem to be on steroids. They're huge. But, I give them
as much space as I would a person operating a miter saw, and I haven't been
bothered. They also hang out in the large flowers of eggplants, melons,
zucchini and other stuff. They may fly out & take a look at you, but you're
more likely to cut yourself on a piece of glass hiding in the soil, then be
bothered by them.

I suggest you grab a good book, set up a chair right alongside the garden,
and spend a few hours near them, watching what they do. I doubt they'll even
notice you.