If The Park Has A Beach, Your Dog's Outa There!

Hey Johnston: My leashed cocker spaniel and I were stopped in the grassy area in Enatai Park and informed by a Bellevue police officer that dogs were not allowed in ANY Bellevue parks! I requested to know where this was posted. It was supposed to be on the park entrance sign, which states only that dogs must be on leash (which mine was) and that all feces had to be picked up (partially filled baggie in hand). Not wishing to "break" the law, I left. I have also been requested by the lifeguards on earlier visits to leave the beach area with my dog, again while on leash. Is there a law against dogs being in Bellevue parks?

Answer: There are no parks in Bellevue where your dog can run totally free, but you can bring your dog to most Bellevue parks as long as your pooch is on a leash, said Colleen O'Grady of Bellevue Parks.

The exceptions are Bellevue parks with beaches. You cannot take your dog to those parks from June through September and you can't take them at all to the barn area of Kelsey Creek Park because there may be baby animals in the barn.

Otherwise, bring your dog on a leash and bring along a plastic bag for cleanup to any Bellevue park.

We think we can see where you ran into trouble. The name of the park you were at is Enatai Beach Park. You can't have your dog there until the end of this month. And that "police officer" you met is actually a park department employee who polices the city parks.

Hey Johnston: I was in the kitchen and heard a soft, busy, clicking sound. It appeared to originate inside the wall. Under the eaves several insects (looking like little bees) were running around. Now and then, two or three took off for a short flight, then returned. They were making that clicking sound. Could they be small hornets? During past summers, we've had a small number of hornets, but never as many as the number of insects I'm talking about. In case they are, how could we get rid of them?

Answer: Yipes! We don't want to scare you but you should start running for the hills!

Just to give you an idea of your situation, before we could even finish reading your question to our bee expert, Frank Fitzpatrick, he screamed: "Yellow jackets!"

Frank runs Normandy Park Honey (206-244-1291). Lately, he has been doing more business wiping out yellow jackets and hornets than collecting honey from bees. The weather has been too cold for honey bees, he said.

"They are yellow jackets and they are eating through her wall," Frank said, explaining the noise you are hearing.

One thing Frank likes to do is tell stories about people walking into a bedroom and finding it filled with angry bees who ate through a wall. You could try to removing the nest yourself, but Frank said it rarely works for a person not trained as a professional bee killer.

To learn more about your house guests, call the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service at 206-296-3425 and press 1243 and 1244 for a short taped course on yellow jackets and another tape on how to get rid of them.

How to Just Ask Johnston: This column appears Mondays and Wednesdays in the Eastside edition. Leave your questions on Steve Johnston's voice mail at 206-464-8475. Or write: Just Ask Johnston, c/o The Seattle Times, 10777 Main St., Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004. E-mail: east@seatimes.com