Wasps are some of the most feared of all insects due to the fact that they can attack without warning. It seems that they can build their nests in the most unexpected places and will protect those nests with a vengeance. Take one step too close and they've got you! Running is pointless as the wasps can fly much faster than any of us can move. In some cases, the entire hive can swarm out and cover you in a matter of seconds. Hornets and yellow jackets can have a hive of thousands (yes, really) of critters and each of those critters is fierce! It is best to keep a wary eye out for their nests and not venture too near.
Paper wasps nest in much smaller colonies. Their nests are usually dangling like a little umbrella beneath a sheltered area. Eaves of houses, branches with thick leaves, benches, conical wind chimes and bird feeders all offer shelter for the wasps. Even a lumber pile covered with a tarp will suffice. Yep, that is where the wasps were found today. Mark found it the hard way and received a couple of stings before he was able to retreat to a safe distance. Crazy thing is that I work in this area daily and see the wasps in the garden constantly. Perhaps they are accustomed to my presence.
Paper wasps are so named because of their nests. The nest is made from chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva. This forms a papery substance which is shaped into the nest with open cells. Each cell is fitted with a paralyzed insect or caterpillar before a single egg is inserted. The cell is then capped over for the egg to hatch. The larvae feasts upon its meal and grows to maturity inside that cell.
With all of the bad hype surrounding the paper wasps, they do provide one good service. These wasps do a fine job of keeping the garden a bit more pest free. If you can get over the fear of being attacked, the wasps can be viewed as helpful. I hate killing them but this nest was in a spot that was undesirable. Mark and Son needed the lumber that was housing the nest. We had no choice but getting rid of the nest and the wasps. I am sure there are numerous nests around the place so we will have to be a little more careful as we work.
Yesterday, I wrote about being attacked by the horde of mosquitoes that had sought refuge from the flooded marshes. I was thankful that I only received a dozen or so bites after I intruded in their midst. It was nigh on the same thing earlier in the day...only it could have been much worse. Sometimes, there is just no explanation of a near miss but it sure makes you appreciate that thing called luck when it happens.
In preparation for a storm that was supposed to hit the Bayou but then changed its mind, I decided to cut back the overgrowth of jasmine and rose canes. The all summer long rains had sent the things into a humongous growth spurt and had them covering everything in sight including several potted cedar trees. Well, it was time to do some severe trimming. I have found it far easier to do clean up after a storm if you start it long before it ever hits. Garden snips in hand, I started lopping vines. While yanking on vines, several red paper wasps were noticed flying about my head. The critters were shooed away and the lopping continued. Once the potted cedar trees were untangled from the vines, the pots were pulled out from the spot so I could get "down and dirty" with the remaining vines. Darn! Those pesky wasps were back again! Once again, they were shooed on their merry way. There was no time to play with them as hurricane preps are far more important.
Then fast forward to today. Mark had just arrived home and we headed to the pier. Noticing that the wind had knocked over one of the cedar trees, I stopped and righted it. Uh, oh! There were those buzzing critters again. Then I spied the problem. I literally had moved their home! In one of the potted cedar trees was a huge nest! The thing was a good six or seven inches across and covered with wasps! Wow! How had I not gotten stung? Yesterday when I was yanking on that tree and cutting those vines, the dozens of wasps calmly tried to warn me instead of attacking.
Well, to make a long story short, I was not as nice as the wasps. They tried to warn me which I fully appreciate but the nest had to go. Too many people walk through that part of the garden as it leads to the front steps of the Little Bayou House. I could not take the chance that someone may be stung. The nest was sprayed and knocked out of the tree. Several dozen adult wasps were killed. That, my friends, was a near miss and now a diverted critter attack!
