Every now and again, something occurs that sets off a series of actions. This can be a good thing or a bad depending on the circumstances. Once again, I noticed a whole bunch of yellowjackets dining upon a Eastern Lubber Grasshopper that I had squished. Uh oh, that was not a good sign. If there are yellowjackets in the area that quick after a kill, that can mean only one thing. There is a huge nest somewhere nearby. These are the Southern Yellowjackets that usually build their tiered nests below ground. The entrance is an inconspicuous hole about one inch in diameter. This underground nest-building may be fine for the wasps but it is definitely NOT fine for anything else that might wander too near. Let one footstep get too close and the entire nest of hundreds of wasps will exit to defend their territory. Southern Yellowjackets are known to be foul-tempered little rascals that will attack any hapless creature that might be deemed a threat. The critters are so vicious that they refuse to call off an attack even when the intruder has fled. The wasps will follow and continue stinging. This can mean big trouble for anyone or any other critter.
Since finding so many yellowjackets in the area, I am determined to find that hidden nest and eradicate the wasps. I worry that the old dog, Mr. PJ, will accidentally step on the hole and receive multiple stings. The old dog would not fare so well through such a scenario. He is already weakened with age and other health problems and does not need anything such as this. So, the hunt is on. Today, I took my old push lawnmower out and mowed where the old dog usually goes. This is the first step. Tomorrow, I will broaden that clearing into the underbrush around the paths and clear the gardens in case the buggers are there. It will be a lot of hot, hard work but it is needed.
Southern Yellowjackets are easily recognized by their yellow and black stripes and nasty tempers. Their queen, however, is orange with an equally as bad temperament. She is often the only one of a hive to live during the winter months and will rebuild the colony herself. She is bred the previous fall and will overwinter in a rotted log or mulch pile. Come spring, she emerges and starts to find a suitable nesting site. Occasionally, she will reuse the same nest but often that is not possible. Predators may have raided the unguarded nest during the wasps' dormant season. There are some instances where the queen takes over a weaker queen's existing hive and commandeers the worker wasps. If this is not possible, she starts her own hive, lays enough eggs to start a colony and then the whole group expands until there are hundreds of wasps in the colony. These wasps feed on dead insects or animals. (They love fish!) They do not make honey so are not pollinators.
Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, has her share of problems. First, she has been dubbed the "princess" because she is definitely NOT a bayou cat. She was dumped here as a stray by some disgusting folks who think pets are disposable. Obviously, the cat was accustomed to a life of leisure or, at least, was kept indoors at all times. This perhaps was not a good idea since it made her lazy and unprepared to be on her own when her previous family decided to discard her. When she first made her way to the Bayou, she was nigh on starved, covered with fleas and had her fur so matted that it took months to trim her. She tugged at the heartstrings and wound up being part of our family but, even though she is welcome to come inside, she prefers to be outdoors. It is that fear of being locked up again that is her undoing. The poor cat, no matter how she tries, just cannot get the hang of being a true bayou cat. She has no idea how to catch anything so she is useless in the fight against rats, mice and voles. Her long fur becomes quite entangled in vines and such making traipsing about the place difficult. And, she has no idea of what might be harmful which is what presented the problems this week.
It is the time of year when the yellowjackets are out in full force. They know that the seasons are beginning to change so they are busy gathering foodstuffs for their larvae. Anything edible is considered fair game for these wasps and that includes cat food. Ms. Nycto is fed on the back porch and has a habit of leaving just a tad of food in her bowl. I suppose she is saving it for later but the yellowjackets have other ideas. They swarm the bowl and make short work of her leftovers. I try to pick up the bowl as soon as she is finished but. occasionally, I become distracted. A few days ago, while a dozen or so wasps were cleaning the bowl, Ms. Nycto thought to investigate their actions. Oh, you goofy cat! Don't mess with yellowjackets!
The wasps were not too happy with the big fluffy cat batting at them so they took action. While they could not penetrate that thick fluff, her ears and paws were open targets. She apparently managed to protect her ears with her front paws but those back paws received a couple of stings. My poor baby has had swollen paws for four days now. We have been keeping check on her and treating the stings so they are looking much better.
Then today. Today....that silly princess seemingly forgot that the yellowjackets were the source of all her troubles for the past few days. I saw her batting at another wasp this afternoon. She had better appreciate my intervention for I am sure that I saved her from a bit more agony when I shooed her away from the angry wasps. When will she ever learn???
