Swarmed!
Well, as you all know, Lindsay and I live in this really awesome little house out in the country for free because we are the caretakers of the large property where the house is located. This afternoon, Lindsay and I were outside doing some work in the flower gardens (I actually do work from time to time). I was weeding this one garden that is built up on a bunch of old railroad ties (it is pretty cool looking). I grabbed hold of one particularly huge weed in the corner of the bed and gave it a big tug. That is when it happened.
The root ststem of this huge weed went down into the dirt and rotten wood on the edge of the garden, and, unbeknownst to me... a huge yellow jacket nest. Pulling that weed was like popping the cork on a huge, shaken up bottle of poisonous champaign. Before I even knew what I had done, I felt the bees on my legs, up my shorts, on my arns, and in my shirt. I shouted obscenities at my attackers in a wounded rage, but that didn't accomplish much. I dropped the weeds and ran into the woods swatting and pealing off my clothes (I think that if I saw myself on video I wouldn't be able to contain my laughter. It must have been quite a sight).
Lindsay was really nice and made some sort of concoction to draw out the poison. That made the stings feel considerably better, but now they itch like nobody's business.
I have been thinking up a plan. Tonight, after all of the yellow jackets are bedded down on their little bee pillows, I will take my revenge. It will be swift... it will be cruel... and it will be thorough. By first light tomorrow, every last one of their poisonous little butts will be toast. None will be spared.
3 Comments:
I wanted to kil every last one of these devils so I researched it on the web to see what I could use that wouldn't poison the ground (the nest is in a flower garden). I have just poured a bunch of gasoline down the hole in the past, but I didn't think that would be the way to go considering its effect on plants.
I found this on line and thought it was noteworthy.
"Not quite sure how to kill them, but I had the same problem in MN and found out the hard way....i.e., while I was digging. After being stung many times and finding out I was allergic to the buggers I made sure to only dig in that area with a can of hair spray. If they come near, just spray them and it'll stiffen their wings and they drop. Not a sure fire way, but it works in the short term"
This is another thing that I found to be a little more helpful. It cracks me up to see how serious this guy is, but after all, this is was and war is serious stuff...
"If you determine that you have a yellow jacket nest in your yard, you will need to closely observe their comings and goings to see where they are entering the ground. Your best chance to destroy them is to wait until dusk, when they return to the nest for the night. Advance preparation will be necessary, so you may want to observe them one evening to see their pattern and return the following evening to kill the nest. Dress in long, thick pants, long sleeves, socks, boots and gloves. Protect your face and head as much as possible, as these are primary targets of yellow jackets.
The Georgia Extension Service recommends that you use a spray specially designed for "Wasps and Hornets", which spray at full-force and can reach up to 12 feet, killing the wasps instantly. Other insecticides may take longer and anger the yellow jackets, causing them to come after you . Rake any leaves or obstructions from the mouth of the hole and put the can directly over the hole. Press down the plunger and empty the can into the hole. This should destroy all the wasps immediately. Observe the hole for a couple of days to see if there are any survivors and retreat in the same way if necessary."
So there you have it, just in case you ever run into the same problem.
collin that must have hurt like crap!!! glad you are a survivor... tell me how you vanquish them!!! beth
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