I was back and forth from the front yard toting boards to the saw for a couple more of my cooler box projects. You have to fool the browns because they will be out that gate and gone before you know it. They usually return after exhausting every bit of pee that they can muster to sprinkle all of the mailboxes from my house to the end of the street.
I gently set the boards down, leaning them against an old grill of mine that doesn't get much use anymore, but it was my first stainless model and this ole griller just can't seem to be able to part with it. I was about to head back to the front yard, when BAM! I'd been hit in the back of the head with a stinger! I reached back to swat, musta missed, and BAM! that sucker done got me again!
I immediately figured out that it was a wasp. He was a bugger bear, because both stings went through my cap and into my head, which is as hard as they come. I look up and see at least eight more heading my way. I put my butt into reverse and retreated outta there! Ole Henry dog got curious and came over to investigate. I tried to tell him about the wasps, but seeing that he is a Boston Terrier, he mostly only understands that Northeastern dialect of English. It didn't take those wasps very long to zero in on Henry, popping him at least twice!
All four of us made it back to the coolness of the house. I had to make sure that those two stings didn't affect me out in the heat. The dogs didn't mind coming in, as they all went to the water bowl at the same time.
Later, I went back to inspect the scene of the crime. There they were, all lined up on the back of the grill, like planes waiting to take off an aircraft carrier, at least six to ten of them. I wasn't too clear on the count, since I only had one eye on them and the other on the several that were still in the air, buzzing in circles, looking for the next threat!
Wasps are supposed to be a beneficial insect, killing and feasting on other insects. A friend of mine on Facebook mentioned that wasp stings help with arthritis. Not sure about all that, but the back of my head has a small knot on it today from the sting.
Yesterday I went to Wallyworld to pick up some wasp spray. I get the kind that kills on contact and you can squirt from at least 15 feet away. I got the one that came as a two pack (glad I did!). I walked back to the old grill, and there they were, just a buzzing around like the day before. I got to the backside of the grill and spotted those same bad boys lined up ready to go. The first squirt took them all down. Hot damn! I took a pause, to take a look, and from out of the vent comes another swarm!
I sprayed and sprayed, knocking them out of the air and picking them off as they came out of the vent. I just hoped the can didn't run out of spray! Finally everything calmed down. I raised the lid of the grill and started spraying again. There wasn't one or two nests, there were three! I gave them a good soaking until there was no more juice coming out of the can. They may have won the battle the other day, but I had won the war!
I went back out there this morning to inspect the damage. I grabbed a stick to knock the first one loose, and oh CRAP! More cousins were on the loose! One popped me on the back and Ole Henry had learned his lesson from the other day, as he was up by the back door laughing at me. I grabbed the second can of spray and went at it again, this time leaving no prisoners behind. I smushed up the nests to make sure no more of these "beneficial insects" would be coming back a third time.
Beneficial my ass!
No comments:
Post a Comment