"Matthew Reed" nospam at zootal dot com nospam wrote in message
...
Our adventures in Oregon gardening continues. Within the last week an
infestation of jellow jackets has developed in my garden, particularly in
the area where there are rows of turnips and mustard close together. I've
watched for a while, and there does not appear to be a nest nearby, they
just seem to like the area. There are so many I'm afraid to work in that
area while they are there. What to do?

We had a yellow jacket ground nest in our small orchard in Oregon. The dogs
were being stung and avoiding the area but I didn't find the nest until the
day I stepped on it. I was swarmed immediately and hi-tailed it back to the
house swinging and swatting. Many, of course, got in with me and I even
found several inside my clothes. That night we dug out the nest and sprayed
it. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of them. Be careful in your
garden until you find the nest hole, then you can decide if you want to
tolerate their presence. I think they become more aggressive in fall, but we
and our neighbors were getting stung at any time in summer.