Extermination Time!
Okay, I am announcing to the world at large that I have officially had it with these motherfornicating yellow jacket wasps that have taken up residence at various locations around the exterior of my home.
Last year, when we bought Beige Acres, we noticed some, um, insect activity around the vicinity of our side door. We would see a few wasps hovering near the roof now and then, and some could be seen entering and leaving a little hole in the metal frame of the storm door (realistically, how large of a nest could be in there, anyway? ) They were around, but they weren't a big deal. They didn't get in your face, and so I didn't think much about them.
Paul has assaulted them with deadly chemicals at close range on a few occasions, even taking out a couple of nests they'd built under the rickety wooden steps, but it seems their main outpost was inside the door frame, and/or elsewhere in the environs. His attempts seemed to torque them up for awhile, but never really diminish their numbers.
This summer-- and specifically the last couple of weeks-- has been an entirely different story. These cheeky little assholes have taken over the property. I think the turning point was when Paul discarded a huge box of rotting lemons by placing it in an open garbage can right next to the nesting site. There are few things that yellow jackets crave more than rotting fruit, so I'm sure these little guys could not believe their luck!
Having been supercharged by the abundance of fuel for a week and a half, I would estimate the nest quadrupled in size and its inhabitants quadrupled in boldness and tenacity. Normally, yellow jackets are relatively quiet around dawn and dusk, and when the temperatures are below 60 degrees. These guys are bopping around, ready to rock and roll-- no matter the weather-- from the moment the tiniest stray sunbeam peeks over the horizon in the morning until it is absolutely pitch dark.
I can tell you, also, that they did not like it when Paul took their lemony all-you-can-eat buffet away from them. They hovered around, searching every vehicle and object on our property incessantly as if they were hoping for some clue regarding where it had gone. I left my home that same morning at 6:45 AM (outside temp was 56 degrees), rolled down my car window to clear the condensation, and there were instantly two of them in my car! They perched themselves on the trim dividing the driver's side window from the edge of the door and looked at me, all "Whassup, dawg? Have you seen our lemons?"
I stopped the car, flicked them back out the window with the edge of a Kleenex box, and rolled it up as fast as I could. And, yes, I did scream like a little girl. I mean, what the hell? It wasn't even 7 AM yet. It wasn't even warm.
I was hoping they would settle back down, but it's been several days, and they're still buzzing all over the damned place, getting up in my face, coming into my house and car. At every fucking hour of the day. I feel like I'm running some kind of gauntlet just walking from house to vehicle and back.
I am SO not going through another 2 1/2 months of this. Those hymenopteric sons-a bitches is goin' down.
I called a professional exterminator today, and tomorrow we're going to set up an appointment to blast those things to Kingdom Come.
I can hardly wait ;)
Last year, when we bought Beige Acres, we noticed some, um, insect activity around the vicinity of our side door. We would see a few wasps hovering near the roof now and then, and some could be seen entering and leaving a little hole in the metal frame of the storm door (realistically, how large of a nest could be in there, anyway? ) They were around, but they weren't a big deal. They didn't get in your face, and so I didn't think much about them.
Paul has assaulted them with deadly chemicals at close range on a few occasions, even taking out a couple of nests they'd built under the rickety wooden steps, but it seems their main outpost was inside the door frame, and/or elsewhere in the environs. His attempts seemed to torque them up for awhile, but never really diminish their numbers.
This summer-- and specifically the last couple of weeks-- has been an entirely different story. These cheeky little assholes have taken over the property. I think the turning point was when Paul discarded a huge box of rotting lemons by placing it in an open garbage can right next to the nesting site. There are few things that yellow jackets crave more than rotting fruit, so I'm sure these little guys could not believe their luck!
Having been supercharged by the abundance of fuel for a week and a half, I would estimate the nest quadrupled in size and its inhabitants quadrupled in boldness and tenacity. Normally, yellow jackets are relatively quiet around dawn and dusk, and when the temperatures are below 60 degrees. These guys are bopping around, ready to rock and roll-- no matter the weather-- from the moment the tiniest stray sunbeam peeks over the horizon in the morning until it is absolutely pitch dark.
I can tell you, also, that they did not like it when Paul took their lemony all-you-can-eat buffet away from them. They hovered around, searching every vehicle and object on our property incessantly as if they were hoping for some clue regarding where it had gone. I left my home that same morning at 6:45 AM (outside temp was 56 degrees), rolled down my car window to clear the condensation, and there were instantly two of them in my car! They perched themselves on the trim dividing the driver's side window from the edge of the door and looked at me, all "Whassup, dawg? Have you seen our lemons?"
I stopped the car, flicked them back out the window with the edge of a Kleenex box, and rolled it up as fast as I could. And, yes, I did scream like a little girl. I mean, what the hell? It wasn't even 7 AM yet. It wasn't even warm.
I was hoping they would settle back down, but it's been several days, and they're still buzzing all over the damned place, getting up in my face, coming into my house and car. At every fucking hour of the day. I feel like I'm running some kind of gauntlet just walking from house to vehicle and back.
I am SO not going through another 2 1/2 months of this. Those hymenopteric sons-a bitches is goin' down.
I called a professional exterminator today, and tomorrow we're going to set up an appointment to blast those things to Kingdom Come.
I can hardly wait ;)