For some reason, we’ve had a lot of reports from gardeners this year of bug bites, wasp stings, mystery rashes…well you know what I say…when you work in the yard, keep an open eye, and carry a big stick! Okay, maybe the big stick is a bit too much, but I will use a stick in a situation like working in or around a thick hedge like these Japanese yews or boxwood.  These dense hedges can sometimes be the perfect homes for ground bees, yellow jacket nests, and of course, the spiders love them too… so with my stick, I can forewarn those critters that I’m working in the area, so they can either move on or at least let me know they’re working here as well. And I keep an eye open at all times…always looking for things buzzing around or crawling thru the plants that I may not want to deal with.  Take a look at this…it’s a bold faced hornet’s nest we found last week in an Austrian pine that maintenance crews mow and mulch around every week.  But no one saw it until the tree finally got bumped, and out came the hornets.  Fortunately, no one was stung. Now I’m not trying to scare anyone when it comes to working in the landscape…but let’s face it…bugs and critters enjoy our plants as well we do…its all a part of nature…and we just need to keep an eye out for those who are less likely to share their space with us.  Enjoy your gardening…just be aware of what’s buzzing and crawling around you.