Do yellow jacket wasps remember you?

Yellow jacket wasps do not remember you in human sense of personal recognition and holding a grudge for days to seek revenge, as they are insects with simple nervous systems that lack complex memory for individual humans, though they have short-term colony defense that can appear as memory. Yellow jackets defend nests vigorously and release alarm pheromones when threatened that alert other yellow jackets and cause heightened defensive state persisting for hours, and if you disturb nest and return soon, they may be more likely to sting due to lingering pheromones on clothing or near nest, but this is not personal memory. Yellow jackets can learn to associate certain colors, smells, or locations with food or danger, for example they learn that sweet foods at picnic are food source and return, and they may associate dark colors or strong perfumes with threat, but they do not recognize specific human faces. Research shows some wasps recognize wasp faces, not human faces. So yellow jackets do not remember you personally, but colony may remain agitated for hours after disturbance and defend more vigorously if you return quickly, and they may learn to return to food sources. Best to avoid nest area after disturbance, wash clothing, remove food attractants, and if you are stung, move away quickly as venom contains alarm pheromone that attracts more yellow jackets, and clean sting area to remove pheromone.