Back in 1980 I met an old fella in the hills just out of Hayesville, NC. His name was Leon and he and his sister lived in the same log cabin they were born in. They were both in their early 80's.

Leon always wore bibs but went commando under them. He made guitars banjos and dulcimers and I would stop by to make music with him on occasion.

One afternoon I found him laid out on the couch obviously in pain. I asked him......"Leon, what happened" ? He said he had stepped on a ground nest of hornets and they flew up his pant leg and ....."did him a turrible meaness".

He wasn't in the mood to make music that night.

That made me laugh out loud...and cringe at the same time.
Those baldies got me on the head and ear a few years ago as I was walking up the steps to my deer blind mid-summer. I unknowingly disturbed their nest on the underside of the steps. Ive been stung numerous times over the years and can confidently say the sting from them baldies is the worst Ive felt. My ear looked like a small catcher's mitt for a couple days. Nasty little rascals

Once I was packing a haulback block across fell and bucked timber. The trees were laying crosswise of the way I wanted to go but I was able to zig-zag or jump across small gaps. I came to a patch of brush with no walk logs so I threw the block as far as I could and jumped in right after it. Turns out right on top of a bald-faced hornets nest. A good sized one too. I got stung but good but the worst part was I failed to retrieve the block so had to go back in for it.

In Manitoba over the last 25 years we are faced with the European wasp Vespula germanica being introduced. The colony can overwinter in peoples artics and start the spring off with 500 individuals. Come June they usually chew through the plaster and emerge into the homes, then you have a big problem.
Worst part is the queens do not have barbs on their stingers and can hit numerous times, were as workers the stingers just pull out of their bodies and 95% of the serum is inside the little sac, best to use a long nail or credit card to side-scrape off.....do not pinch or you get the whole jab.