On Jul 10, 5:39 pm, beecrofter wrote:
"Yellowjackets also live in the
ground, nasty buggers, but they aren't pollinators. "

Guess again.

Yellowjackets and other wasps are pollinators just not as efficient as
the fuzzy bees at the job.

Ground nesting solitary bees are generally docile, stopping to mess
with you means their young do not survive.
You could get stung if you pinched one or put it in your pocket or
otherwise trapped it in your clothing, but that's the kind of effort
it would take.

I've been stung by yellowjackets in ground nests while cutting grass.
Last time ankle swelled considerably. Year before, one bit me on the
finger and hand swelled so badly I needed cortisone treatment. Been
bitten several times in the past but now it seems I've developed
allergy.

Wiped out a nest or yellowjackets in a bush last week with two shots
of wasp spray directly in the opening. For ground nests, I give them
a good spraying and then make up a gallon of malithion spray and dump
it in the ground. OP would need to get someone to do this for her but
I've never been stung in doing this myself.

Frank