I hope this post saves someone from what happened to me a few years ago. I won’t name the campground this could happen anywhere, and the staff did everything right but it was a memorable weekend.
As many of you know, yellow jackets don’t politely hang out in trees. They live underground like tiny, winged mob bosses. Dawn and I were setting up camp with the pups safely inside the trailer (thank goodness). I was bending over to hammer stakes for the dog fence when WHAM apparently I was driving a tent peg straight into their living room.
Instant chaos. They boiled out of the ground like I’d rung the dinner bell. Those evil little stunt pilots went straight for my face, neck, and arms. Dawn escaped with just a couple of stings. Me? Eighteen. Seven on the face, one inside my nose. I do not recommend this experience.
I started having a bit of trouble breathing swollen nose the size of a bratwurst so off to the hospital we went. A few shots later I was patched up and back at camp within hours. The campground crew nuked the nest while we were gone and the rest of the weekend was great.
So here’s the PSA: when you’re setting up camp, watch the ground. A random hole in the dirt can house more than a mole it might be a whole squadron of very angry yellow jackets. Trust me, you don’t want to be their next project.
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