Louisa’s Sherman Shifflett says to beware of yellow jackets. They’re everywhere.
“I talked to a friend tonight in Louisa who has been hunting for many years,” Sherman said. “ He said he has seen more yellow jackets in the woods this year than ever. Workdays at the hunt clubs have been difficult. In addition to the hot weather, we have also been plagued with yellow jackets and Japanese hornets (bell hornets).”
Sherman noted that at Holly Grove, they disturbed yellow jacket nests most everywhere.
“I bumped into another club member on a 4-wheeler path, both of us pulled over and stopped to chat. He parked right over a yellow jacket nest. Those boogers swarmed, but I had some Wasp/Hornet spray and that took care of the problem. Both of us escaped unharmed. On the way out, I stopped and gave the bees more therapy. I sprayed into the hole.”
Sherman said that other club members also ran into yellow jackets while bush-hogging, weed-eating, draining mud-holes, removing fallen trees and limbs from trails.
“About 20 members were there, and I think we got just one sting,” he admitted. “ Last year I got hit 7 or 8 times by yellow jackets. That smarted.”
“I haven’t seen any Japanese hornets this year, but last fall they had a nest in a large tree right beside the road. It took us a while to eliminate them, but we kept zapping them. This past Saturday, my hunting buddy Greg Barlow, his son Terrell and his grandson, Jake, worked at the farm we hunt near Cuckoo. Greg ran a bush-hog right past a large tree where there was a Japanese hornet nest. The bees did not attack. Greg did not know they were there. When he and Jake walked back to lop some over-hanging limbs, the big bees attacked. The bees chased them for a good distance. One nailed Jake. We will take care of them.”
Sherman said a Japanese hornet stung Greg a few years ago.
“He said his foot throbbed for three days. They are vicious. I have fruit trees at home and generally yellow jacket nests. For whatever reason, haven’t seen as many this year. Some have been dug out by skunks or foxes. I see Japanese hornets too. One year, the Japanese hornets built a hive in a birdhouse.”
These hornets, however, can be deadly.
A few weeks ago a man in Henrico County was cutting a tree. The tree had a Japanese hornet nest. They attacked him and stung him numerous times around the head. The man died. He was from Louisa County.
Be careful out there.
