The Critters Are Stalking Me!

   It seems as if things are stacked against me this summer.  Oh, how I wish winter would arrive with a bang.  Yep, here it is only the last of July and I am dreaming (and wishing for) cold weather.  I imagine those not used to the heat are doing the same but it is not the heat that is bothering me.  It is what comes with a hot, muggy summer.  Bugs!  We have an overload of insects this year.  My garden has been decimated by the eastern lubber grasshoppers, there are mosquitoes in droves and cicadas are crawling out of the ground and leaving their castoff shells everywhere.  Those are bothersome but can be handled.  It is the wasps that are the thorn in my side.  In the past two months, I have been stung ten different times.  Most of the time, I get too close to their nests and the are letting me know to mind my own business.  Well, I WAS minding my own business and still got stung today.  

  After the last bout of stings, everybody told me "Stay inside!  You will not be stung."  Yeah, right.  Those wasps are stalking me now.  They are out to get me by hook or crook!  This afternoon, I was cleaning our tool/craft room when I found a bunch of things that belonged to Darling Daughter.  I figured those needed to be returned to her so I left the room, went to the dining room and put the items there so I would not forget to give them to her.  Then, I wandered back through the living room.  Aha!  There was my glass of lemonade!  I looked down to grasp it when, suddenly, I felt a stabbing pain in my neck!  Thinking I had somehow inadvertently gotten something sharp caught up in either my hair or shirt, I headed to the bathroom to check my "wound".  Staring in the mirror, I noticed something strange on my collar.  Yep!  There was a WASP!  That critter was fiery mad and was searching for another spot to attack!  I flipped it off into the sink, threw a washcloth over it and rushed to get the bug spray.  Son came to my rescue, though, and killed the beast!  He, also, found the nest and got rid of the entire thing.  It seems that the nest was between the window and screen in the living room.  That wasp evidently did not like me being so busy.  It literally stalked me in my own house!  Oh, winter, where art thou?  How I wish you would come for an extended visit and rid my place of all these bugs!

Those Vicious Ones

  The other evening, Mark and I toppled a bottle filled with gasoline into the hole that led to a yellow jackets' nest.  This was to kill the entire hive while we remained in a relative safe zone.  The method is a tried and true one that has been passed down from generation to generation.  Waiting until after dark assures that most of the wasps will be inside the hive and the danger is almost nil.  The idea is to shove a bottle filled with gasoline into the mouth of the hole in one clean, swift move.  The yellow jackets are trapped inside and the fumes can do their thing.  We felt confidant that the entire colony had perished.

  This morning, Mark checked the nest and nary a yellow jacket was to be found.  Curiosity got the best of us so he grabbed a shovel and started to dig.  Years ago, he did the same thing and dug up a rather large nest.  It was interesting to see and taught the kids a lesson about being careful when playing outdoors.  They were amazed at the number of wasps that were inside the hive.  This morning's dig proved to be even more impressive as this nest was far larger.  The nest had five tiers with many of the cells filled with eggs or larvae.  Over 500 adult yellow jackets had also perished.  

  While I am all for the mantra of "Live and let live" when it comes to something potentially dangerous, I have no qualms about eradicating the problem.  The wasps in this hive alone could cause great injury or even death to a person or animal.  Right after we had placed the bottle in the nest, we got word that a local lady died of a single wasp sting.  It was heartbreaking to hear the news and made us even more thankful that we found this nest before anyone got stung.  Yellow jackets are not something to mess with.  Their nests are underground and are often unseen until it is too late.  It is best to be wary of where you step!