Toni, it sounds like yellow jackets that got you. They look similar to honeybees, with their black & yellow stripes & small size. They can sting multiple times & are extremely aggressive. Also, IME, honey bees are pretty laidback like bumble bees. They aren't real fast & kind of just buzz slowly from flower to flower. I can swat them away & they just buzz off contently to the next flower, not paying me a bit of mind. They only time I've seen honey bees get aggressive is when their hive is threatened. (We have a lot of wild hives up here in old trees here) Honey bees can only sting you once & it breaks off their stinger in your skin, they die shortly after. If it was truly honeybee stings, you'd have had to scrape the stingers out of your skin & you can see the stingers. Not yellowjackets or hornets, though. Those little devils can sting & sting & sting. And they will chase you! My hubby & his crazy siblings & cousins have this summertime "game" (I'd say it's kinda like roulette, LOL!) where they spray the yellowjacket nest & knock it down & then run like hell. Crazy, right? I do not participate! Love my crazy in-laws, but that's one thing I consider a little too crazy ;-) I know that dragonflies lay eggs, that's how they reproduce. I have no idea if you could order dragonfly eggs or larvae, but that's something worth looking into. I strongly disagree with the government's spraying for West Nile because it does affect the healthy bug population. And ignorant humans don't realize just how important bugs are to our planet. That spray was also linked to adverse reactions by people with compromised immune systems, elderly & young people, & people with any type of breathing conditions (COPD, ashtma, etc). Simple fact is that it's poison & there are many more environmentally friendly ways to deal with such a problem. Just one of many reasons I converted from a city girl to a country girl when I grew up...I much prefer living up here in the boonies of southern Oklahoma, with its wild natural beauty & undisturbed, well-balanced ecosystem, than in DFW with its smog & concrete & just general yuckness that they subject the population to.

tcamp, my NJ Citrus are getting kicked out TOMORROW! So DONE with this Winter, our minimum was only 15 F. but Feb. had persistent deep snow and March was COLD. This weekend all will begin the great exodus..., Citrus, Cycads, hardier palms (Phoenix and Livistonias). Deer devoured my "deer proof"plants this winter (Holly, Rhododendrons, etc)..., HAPPY SPRING!!!

I just wet the paper towel, fold it to about 3mm thick and put the seeds inside, fold it over, put it in a small self seal plastic bag with no holes, put it on the bed of the heated propagator and they germinate in a few days, I dont crack or remove the shell of the pips at all they grow fine on there own, once germinating I move them over to small compost pots about 3oz in volume filled with compost made from 1 part peat, 1part grit/sand and 1 part garden soil, and then put them back in the propagator with a small plastic bottle over them as a mini greenhouse, just until they get growing I always put the pips in the refrigerator for a few days before germinating as it seems to speed the germination up.

Cc I'm going to post my Florida, dahlia garden in dahlia forum. Please check out my pics !!? - I've learned the hard way! being a heavy smoker ( I always smoke extra when gardening Bc I work hard, I'm determined to get work done, plus, I'm outside!!) ive noticed over my 8 yrs gardening, I've given many transplants - nursery bought plants & home grown seeds what looks to be the tobacco mosiac virus! It doesn't take much @ all to give it to my plants! Unless I quit smoking - or smoke far away from my plants, change my clothes, wash, disinfect my hands and arms, I doubt it's going to stop ! I've been more aware of this virus since & notice MANY plants when I head out to buy from stores (lowes, Walmart, Home Depot) & even nurseries will also have plants being sold w/TMV - I'm sure this is from workers handling the plants after/ and or during smoking! I used to work @ dolins & we would take smoke breaks while unloading the trucks but I didn't know this back then :( I've noticed some of my dahlias are lighter in color than they should be :( I also notice the virus' signs can have slight variations depending on each plant- even ones of the same cultivar. Please check out my dahlia pics when I post them to let me know what u think ! Bc I'm in Florida & have nematodes I won't be sharing tubers but throwing them out every other year or so. And I don't share my plants. It spreads easily & so fast that I figure until I quit smoking I'm just going to have gardens full of plants with tobacco mosiac! But this is the heavy price I pay for being a smoker ! ( along w/cancer & some other miserable probs!!)