The dry weather has a lot of insects out hunting for water and that includes honeybees and yellow jackets.
You may notice signs next to a water fountains at local parks warning people about yellow jackets in the area. The yellow jackets collect water droplets from the bowl of the fountain. Bees and wasps are more likely to drink from droplets on wet surfaces whether that’s rain drops on leaves, small puddles of water splashed from water spigot, or drops of soda on the lid of a beverage can.
If you water your lawn you may see swarms of these insects around the grass that is still wet from watering, or where there is a slow drip from the hose bib, or from the condensate line on an HVAC system (or even from a window AC unit).
The site of hundreds of yellow jackets or honey bees “swarming” over an area can send a lot of people into a panic and in search of a pesticide to spray. The insects are more interested in getting a drink then they are stinging you (unless you start stomping on them). Our advice is to be cautious in these areas, and let the insects get their drink and head home.
