Garden invaders

I have been waxing poetic about the joys of pollinators in the garden all season long, right? Now I get to face the dark side of pollination. A nest of yellowjackets has invaded the front-garden bed....

I discovered their nest when planting up all the winter garden veg starts, and I was digging around for a place to stick a kale plant when I noticed a few bees swarming up angrily. Then I had one who was clearly angry and flying around me....I backed up and thought it would go away, which it didn't. Then it landed on my wrist and bit me. Painful and scary....like someone hitting you when you weren't expecting it. I yelped and ran, because the bugger wasn't dead (sign that it isn't a bee), but was coming back for more. At first I thought that we could co-habitate, but I realize that these insects are agressive and occupying primo real estate in the front yard, where we walk all the time. Where I'd like to safely plant more plants.

So now the removal strategy kicks in. I've found a local bee expert who will come in and take them out without chemicals, and he arrives tomorrow night. I find this very exciting and interesting (and also annoying). Stay tuned for more updates and maybe pictures.