Thank you

I cut a big fir down in my backyard yesterday and it landed on a yellow jacket nest which I didn't know was there. They were not happy about that! The yellow jackets came boiling up out of the ground so we had to use a choker to drag the tree away from the nest so we could buck it up. Nobody got stung but based on the number of yellow jackets zooming around the area it was a big one.

My riding mower took a crap about the middle of June, and I dragged the old push mower out to mow the yard....almost an acre! I know you know where this is headed....lol. I ran over a nest when I was almost done. I'm just glad it was the push mower, cause I can run a LOT faster than my riding mower will drive in 6th gear! Got stung 6 times anyway, but the little bastages got a 16 oz. Coke bottle full of gas after dark! I always lay a long stick down with the tip right at the hole. That way, I can find the hole quickly without the bees seeing the light.

I ran over a nest once with a push mower. Just spun around and left the mower running on top of the next. That was back in the day before they had dead man kill switches on them. As they came buzzing up out of the nest the mower whacked them to bits. I left the mower running on top of the nest for about 5 minutes and then came back and got it. That was the end of those guys!

Part of my mowing is done with a 60 hp International tractor and a 7 1/2' finish mower, I use it about once a month. In June I went to the barn and got the tractor out, engaged the pto and started mowing around the barn. There are a couple places on the front that I have to back into. When I backed up to the barn I noticed bumble bees swarming around so I changed gears and started driving away. I didn't make it far before I had to leave the tractor and was stung twice, once on the forehead and once on the temple before I could get the tractor shut off. I have had bumble bees in the ground in and around the barn before so after taking a couple Benadryl the investigation started and ended unsuccessfully. It had been about 30 minutes so I figured I'd mow and just stay away from the barn. I started mowing but only made it about 30 yards before I had bees again. This time I got away faster and didn't get stung. Now I'm thinking they are in the mower so I get my wasp and bee killer and kill a few as they are flying around but don't see where they are coming from. After a few minutes I walk around the tractor, the bees are coming out of a hole in the front axle. I used the whole can of wasp and bee killer but got my revenge. I've lived on a farm all of my lofe and have had a bunch of run ins with bumble bees and this is the first time I've found them in a piece of equipment, always in the ground before.

Bumble bees usually aren't too aggressive so you must have made them mad by driving off with their house. We have a lavender tree in our front yard which is loaded with bumblebees. Sometimes hundreds and hundreds of them on there during the early summer. I can mow around the tree and move the branches and they never bother me. I haven't messed with them in the ground though.

Yes, they were somewhat pi$$ed.

Save yourselves

Bezzzzzzz you say ...

In the blown up motor of my offshore boat before picking it up ...

we have a large Rose of Sharon onew one end of our dck, and a Lilac bush on the other, so we always have Bumble Bees around.Never had any trouble with them. I was sitting on the dack fixing some loose boards one day and when I looked up, one especially big Bumble was just hoovering pretty close to me, just watching what I was doing.