DEAR JOAN: After a recent experience I am wondering what triggers yellow jacket attacks.
Recently, I was hiking at Rancho San Antonio on a popular trail when a woman called out for help. A yellow jacket had bitten her on the head and was stuck in her hair. After helping her remove the wasp, a second woman complained that she was being stung in the head. She had four yellow jackets stuck in her hair.
After I finally removed them, she was attacked a second time by another small swarm. At this point I told her to run down the hill away from the apparent source of the wasps. As she ran, I noticed the wasps followed her so she had to run quite a distance.
Once they stopped following her, I was able to remove the new wasps that had gotten entangled in her hair. Luckily, I was only bitten once on my abdomen through my shirt.
What triggered these attacks? I hike this trail about twice a week and have never had a problem before. The sources I found on the Internet indicate that yellow jackets can attack when there is food or when their nests are disturbed, but neither of these reasons applies in this situation as we were hiking on a wide trail that is a well-maintained PG&E access road.
I have witnessed and have been subject to previous attacks but they only involved a single wasp. Is there anything that can be done to mitigate the chances of such attacks? Both women were wearing light colored clothing and not vibrant colors, which I have read can attract the insect.
Julia Lockwood
Cupertino
DEAR JULIA: Yellow jackets always seem to have a bit of an attitude, although at this time of the year they are, for them, relatively docile. They become more aggressive in the late summer and early fall, when the lack of food turns them into scavengers that show up at backyard picnics and such. But still, it doesn’t take a lot to anger them and the hikers’ actions may have escalated the situation.
I suspect something had gotten the yellow jackets worked up before you and the other hikers came along. Yellow jackets are not fond of things with motors, and the engine doesn’t even have to be right on top of them to get them agitated. If maintenance crews were working in the general area, they may have annoyed the wasps.
Yellow jackets are carnivores. In spring into early summer, they feast on insects, which makes them a good garden partner. They may have come upon an excellent meat source and saw the hikers as potential threats.
However, given the large number of wasps present, I’d say it’s likely there is a nest very near that trail and that something had been along earlier that got them riled up. That could have been a passing vehicle or someone who stepped too close.
Running may have seemed like a good idea, but fast movements such as fleeing in terror or swatting at the wasps just makes them angrier.
Yellow jackets are drawn to bright and dark colors so it’s always a good idea to dress in light clothing when hiking.
They also can be attracted by floral shampoos and perfumes, as evidenced by their being in the hikers’ hair.
If attacked, stay calm — easier said than done — and walk away slowly into a heavily vegetated area, or get inside a car or building. Cover your face with your hands.
Stings hurt more, but bites can present long term problems. Clean any bites with an antiseptic and watch for signs of infection.
Joan Morris’ column runs five days a week in print and online. Contact her at jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com; or 1700 Cavallo Road, Antioch, CA 94509.
