While they can sting without provocation, try not to be afraid. Fear causes humans to produce phermones, which encourages the aggressive stinging. Western yellow jackets display extremely advanced social patterns. The fertile queen overwinters, then emerges, first to lay and feed the brood, then to be attended by the emerging colony. She goes on to lay 300,000 or more eggs by summer's end.
Workers process wood bits to create a light, strong paper-mache nest below ground.
California black bears spend the summer preparing for the hibernation to come. They eat berries and leaves and whatever else they can find, including freeze-dried camping food. They also must find or build hibernation dens by summer's end. Black bears mate from May to August. Their cubs will be born next winter, while their mothers are still in hibernation.