🐝 When War Came to My Parcel of Peace: A Homestead Battle Against Yellowjackets

There’s a quiet rhythm to life on the homestead—a tender dance between tending and trusting. You plant. You protect. You pray. You let the bees find the flowers. You learn to live alongside the wild things.

But sometimes, the wild doesn’t want to live alongside you.
Sometimes, it comes to conquer.

That’s exactly what happened when an unexpected war broke out on my little patch of peace. It started with a well-meaning new neighbor, unknowingly knocking down yellowjacket nests just beyond our shared fence line. What began as his backyard chore quickly turned into a full-scale invasion—one that sent angry, displaced yellowjackets flooding onto my property in droves.

And where did they go? Straight for my honeybee hives.

🐝 The Battle in the Bee Yard

I’ve always tried to live in harmony with nature—following biodynamic rhythms, creating safe spaces for pollinators, even building my gardens with the bees in mind.

But when the yellow jackets descended, they didn’t come to coexist. They came to raid.

Fortunately, I had installed robbing screens—a simple but powerful defense that gave my honeybees a fighting chance. Even so, the days that followed were tense. I watched as my sweet honeys held their ground, battling back wave after wave of aggressive invaders.

I barely slept. I prayed. I wept. I hovered over the hives, ready to help but knowing it was ultimately up to them.

And by God’s grace—my bees were victorious.

🛑 A Hard but Necessary Line

It would be a perfect story if it ended there, but life on the homestead is rarely that simple. Just days later, I was chased out of my greenhouse by a hidden wasp nest that had quietly taken hold. I was stung, bruised, and left with a difficult decision to make.

See, I don’t exterminate lightly. I’ve built my life around biodynamic practices and a deep reverence for all living things—even the ones that sting. But when it comes to protecting my home, my livestock, my food sources, and my family—sometimes I have to draw the line.

Safety isn’t optional.
Boundaries aren’t cruel.
And peace isn’t always passive.

I had to remove the nests. I had to stand guard over what I’ve been entrusted to care for. And I’ve come to realize that true stewardship isn’t just about nurturing—it’s about defending, too.

🌿 The Lessons from the Land

Homesteading has taught me many things—how to tend, how to wait, how to let go. But this battle taught me something new:
Sometimes you have to fight for your peace.

Not recklessly. Not out of anger. But with wisdom, discernment, and firm compassion.

It reminded me that healthy ecosystems, like healthy lives, need boundaries. It’s not enough to simply love what you’re building—you have to protect it.

I still believe in living with the land. I still believe most creatures belong and can find their place here. But when war comes to my parcel of peace, I’ll stand firm in defense of my home.

And as I walk the gardens this morning—lifting shade cloth, uncovering flowers so my honeybees can dance among them—I whisper a quiet prayer of gratitude.

For another day.
For hard-earned peace.
And for the sweet sound of victory buzzing in the air.