It started out small and innocent as most things do in life. I walked outside a few weeks ago and saw...a wasp. Definitely not my favorite, but also not something I would panic about. "Hmm...oh well," is what I'm pretty sure ran through my head. I also noticed what looked like the stem of a nest starting. "Oh, I guess I need to get a broom and knock that down before it gets bigger." I actually gave this advice to myself - if only I had followed it immediately.
Now fast forward about a week. I was selling something on Craigslist and the person was coming to pick up the item. Gotta love selling stuff you don't use and getting money right?! But there's always that slightly nervous tension when you have a complete stranger coming to your house to exchange money and items. So the lady pulls up, walks to the door and knocks. After wrangling our 80 lb German Shepherd back from the door, I open up to find a lady - looking slightly panicked and standing about 10 feet back from the door. I was a little confused as the dog was safely hidden and I was only selling Nintendo Wii Wheels.
I start to hand to them to her and she says "Do you know that you have wasps out here?"
Without looking up, I just laugh it off, "Hahaha oh yeah. I saw that, I'm planning on getting rid of it soon."
She gives me a look that clearly says "You're CRAZY!', shoves the money in my hands and takes the wheels. At this point it starts to dawn on me that perhaps I should look up. When I do I see this:
What was once a harmless wasp flying around has now become a thriving, wiggling, crawling mess of a hive. (Please note all the white egg sacs that indicate further wasps waiting to be born) It's probably a good thing that people don't leave reviews for sellers on Craigslist.
So another week passes by where Scott and I look up at the roof each time we walk into the house and say "Man! We really need to do something about that!" Hmm...this advice sounds familiar. So naturally I ignore it! A week later, I see this on the other side of the overhang:
Yep, should have learned the first time! Because note the second nest forming, as well as an additional third nest just beginning in the bottom left-hand corner. Our small town may not be much of a hotspot for humans, but apparently it is the place to be if you are a wasp!
So this time, I actually heeded my own advice (never to late to learn) and got out my Beekeepers' outfit. Something I highly suggest that everyone should own.
Featuring: Thick TCU sweatshirt (Go Frogs!) with a hood, rubber dishwashing gloves, white mesh face cover, blue jeans (not pictured), cowboy boots (not pictured)
And let me clarify, contrary to what my husband believed, no that is not my wedding veil! Just plain old white tulle. And to complete the ensemble:
Wasp and Hornet Killer from Home Depot. Actual helpful hint here: buy
the foaming kind! One of our friends recommended this to us because the
foam weighs down the wasps and kills them instantly, thus hindering
their ability to attack you. Another helpful hint: if you have potted
flowers and fresh herbs under your nests move those BEFORE spraying.
Wish I'd thought of that one...so much for our basil and parsley.
So to summarize...SUCCESS! Although in hindsight, it probably would have been a lot easier to just knock down the start of a nest and kill one wasp.
And since I'm sure my fellow Hunger Games fans were probably concerned about this...at least they weren't Tracker Jackers!!!
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