I know that the bees and other stinging insects can be quite agressive in the Autumn, when they are trying to get and store up food for the Winter. This possibility took a more dangerous turn yesterday. My husband and I were clearing out stored items by the garden shed, so we could get the weeds cleared out of that area. When I moved a tree stump that we use as a stand for a flower pot, the tree stump fell to pieces in my hands. As the large pieces fell to the ground, yellow jacket wasps came swarming upwards towards me. I yelled at my husband to get out of the way. He is allergic to bee stings and I did not want him to get stung by a swarm of yellow jacket wasps. My husband returned later and sprayed the nest inside one large piece of the tree stump. I disliked using insect spray and especially disliked using the insect spray on the nest. However, we could not have the nest in the yard due to my husband's allergies. We left the nest and the yellow jackets alone until this morning. This morning, I looked at the nest and discovered that it was a hatchery for baby wasps. I still feel bad about the death of the yellow jackets, but I know that they could have been life threatening to my husband. I read today that all female yellow jacket wasps can sting. However, they are beneficial insects because they prey on pest insects. Perhaps the remaining yellow jacket wasps can move to a neighbor's yard and live there. Then, they could visit my yard one by one and we could live in harmony.
I'm quite afraid of bees, wasps and especially the yellow jackets. I agree that the ideal situation is for them to live in their own space and you in yours, but that isn't always possible. You did get a great (but a little scary) capture!
When someone is allergic in the way your husband is you can't worry about the bees- you have to keep him safe. The insect world is pretty resilient though so I'm sure the bees will find a better and safer place to live. You did get a good shot though! And I'm glad you weren't stung too.
