I had seen wasps floating by the kitchen window; sometimes, I'd see two at a time.
Didn't know what kind they were....didn't need to.
A wasp is a wasp is a wasp.
I've seen red wasp nests as big as dinner plates hanging from cypress trees. I learned to look before making a cast around any trees or bushes while fishing.
Any old shed or barn is a haven for these things and I avoid those.
One local man kicked an old bucket out of a deer stand after being told not to. The wasps had made their home in the abandoned bucket while nobody was using the stand.
They moved right in by crawling between the boards. The plastic bucket held off the rain and held in the heat. That made it prime real estate as far as the wasps were concerned.
Wasps take high offense to having their home kicked. And damned near everything else.
Just like a Saturday morning cartoon, he took off running until he ran out of deer stand, about four feet, and fell about eight feet to the ground. His buddies (T-Bird included), the ones who told him NOT to kick the bucket, had already left.
I snatched off a shirt in my front yard in broad daylight to get wasps off of me after I accidentally found a nest behind my shutters. I would have gotten away entirely if I hadn't slipped in wet grass that I had just wet with a water hose. Got stung twice AND got caught in my brassiere.
The first time I got caught like that was on purpose, but that was a Bike Week thing. Yes, it IS different!
Yesterday T-Bird sprayed a nest by my back door. Affixed to a post, only The Love Of God kept us from getting stung because that's the post my rain guage is nailed to. I had been emptying the guage and shaking the post.
We could not find a second nest but we were STILL seeing wasps.
We went to town, and T. found it when he was unlocking the front door on our return.
Right over our heads.
Growing up we used to just throw a cup of gas on nest. It drops'em in an instant. I've been eat up by wasp a couple times. I havent seen but one wasp nest at this house in 13 years. I aint complaining.
ReplyDeleteI spose you was lucky you had a bra on.
He sprayed the first one, and threw gas on the second one. I'm usually good with most creatures, but wasps have to go!
DeleteI was darned fortunate to have on all of the proper underthings. Had I been bra-less, I could have tripped over a boob, or stepped on a nipple. That would have been way worse than a couple of stings!
My son was spreading pine straw in our yard the other day and got stung by wasps seven or eight times. sure put a end to yardwork that day.
ReplyDeleteDANG! I hope your son is feeling better Beach Bum! One is bad enough, but seven or eight sounds just dreadful!
DeleteYears ago when the kids were little, I told the kids to STAY AWAY FROM THE SHED. There was a huge wasp nest and I didn't want them hurt. I was very, very clear. So, naturally, one kid threw a basketball at the nest, and got stung on the tip of her nose.
There are times it is okay to say "I told you so". That was one of them.