A Sting of Wisdom: Bob Timberlake and the Buzz About Pollinators

At the Lexington Farmers Market, surrounded by the colors of summer produce, artist Bob Timberlake asked a question that cut through the hum of the crowd:

“Have you ever been stung by a yellow jacket?”

The question, originally tossed out by a former Lexington High School cheerleader, drew chuckles and nods from folks swapping sting stories. But behind the humor sat a deeper truth—those yellow jackets are more than just a local mascot They’re actually among the most successful pollinators in the world, second only to honey bees.

Yellow jackets, often maligned for crashing picnics and guarding their nests with fiery persistence, serve a vital role in the ecosystem. Like bees, they collect nectar and pollen to feed their young, unintentionally fertilizing plants along the way. Their work helps sustain wildflowers, gardens, and even the fruits and vegetables that filled tables that morning at the market.

It’s a reminder that the sting we dread is part of a much bigger picture. Pollinators—bees, butterflies, wasps, and even bats—are the unseen workforce holding up our food systems. Without them, the bounty at the Farmers Market would look very different.

So perhaps Timberlake’s question wasn’t just small talk after all. In a season where pollinator populations face challenges from habitat loss and pesticides, it was a mighty question indeed. Sometimes it takes a sting to remember the sweetness pollinators bring to our lives.

What is the Great Southeast Pollinator Census?

Davidson County Center | N.C. Cooperative Extension

It’s a simple, two-day community science project that empowers anyone to be a scientist. All you need to do is observe a plant that’s being visited by pollinators for 15 minutes and tally each time an insect lands on it. Don’t worry about identifying every insect – the free datasheet (available on the GSEPC website) has pictures to guide you. Afterwards, you just upload your counts to the GSEPC website. It’s that easy!

If you’d like to sharpen your insect identification skills, a free webinar we recorded with entomologists from NC State gives you a crash course in what these insects look like. You can watch it on the NC State Extension website at https://go.ncsu.edu/gsepcinncinsectidwebinar2025.