They're right outside the kitchen window, in the corner where I want to start scraping/paining next. They've apparently built a nest up inside the wall and enter through little holes in the underside of the siding. I took the screen off the window so I can scrape the frame so all that stands between me and a gobzillion wasps is one thin pane of 100+ year old glass. They see me standing on the other side and wham their little waspy bodies up against the glass and I swear it SHUDDERS.
Yikes.
When I first realized there was a problem, I emptied out the can of wasp spray I had in the garage on the few wasps I saw buzzing around the area. In full daylight. Oops. I'm surprised I didn't get stung. What had been just a few wasps quickly multiplied and they swarmed crazily all around my head and arms. It was like they'd called in their brothers, cousins, uncles, neighbors and everyone's distant relatives. Then I went to my favorite hardware store and bought another can of spray and some caulk. Figured I'd spray like crazy and then caulk up the holes. This was my plan. I've been going out every morning and evening to spritz a little. Not surprisingly, I ran out of my spray so stopped at the hardware store on my way home yesterday and picked up two more cans of some kind of super foaming spray. I waited until dusk to try it out. All the stuff that says wasps get drowsy and slow at night and in the morning is WRONG. I'm seeing a direct correlation between spraying and increasing their numbers exponentially. Now I think the little buggers that remain have built up a resistance. The problem seems far from abating. Au contraire.
Crap.
Belatedly, I've started thinking about the toxicity of the stuff I'm spraying. I'm usually pretty conscious of such things. I'd rather pull weeds than use toxic weed killers, for example. But for some reason, I'm just piling cans of murderous sprays into my cart, and rushing home to push those little buttons with abandon. I think the only times I've been stung by a bee or wasp were when I stepped on them up at our cottage on Green Lake as a kid. So it's not like I have memories of horrible allergic reactions or anything. I think I'm more concerned about those who come to visit me. I want this to be a safe and shiny place. So my eco-sensibilities have just flown out the window apparently on this recent anti-wasp rampage. Though this morning I did remember that I had a natural, non-toxic trap that I'd gotten from Aunt Harriet's house a few years ago. It's the pretty nubbly green recycled glass I love and has a darling little petal stopper on top. I've been keeping it in the entryway with a big purple paper flower in it that I got in Cape Charles, Va., several years ago. I propped the flower up in the corner, put some dish soap and water in the trap and ventured out into the war zone with it this morning. (Directions I found vary - fill with sugary water or with dish soap. Both methods are supposed to attract and trap the little fiends.) I don't see any evidence of the guys taking a break for a beverage or a bath, though.
Jake says he has some sort of sure-fire solution in a mustard bottle. Guess that's next.
In other news, Jake and I made a near-final trip to my dad's house this morning to get the last of the family things and to take a load of stuff over to Goodwill. I cannot believe how empty dad's house is now. Now it just needs a massive cleaning. And some paint.
I am planning to host a giant photo-sorting party at my house sometime this fall/winter. But right now, my basement and guest room are filled to the brim. I swear the humidity today is hovering around 99 % so the conditions weren't the best for our project. I continue to be very thankful for my functioning A/C. After the "svetty" morning, I stripped beds and did laundry, finally put away a few months' worth of straggler items that had collected in the laundry room, and tried to make a dent in piles of paperwork. Then, after lunch, I took a shower and flopped in the library to finish the book I'd been reading and to take a nap.
Well, I've rambled on long enough. I think it's time to go figure out what's for dinner.
Jake with the mustard bottle sounds like he's on the right track. Wasp spray doesn't work on wasps.
ReplyDeleteWhat you need is a plastic squeeze bottle (like the aforementioned mustard bottle), fill it with some boric acid powder (that stuff you put out for the cockroaches to feast on in college housing), and a tube to stick on the end of the mustard bottle. Go out after dark and stick the tube up behind the siding and squeeze several times. It does wonders!
woah! Very long post about wasps, but it sure sounds interesting. This reminds me of the bat--you did have a bat friend in your house too, right? I'm sure you did and the title of the post went something like, going a little batty.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the wasp problem got solved! yes?
You know what's been a hot topic lately though? Bed bugs. I talked to Lizz about them yesterday. There was an article in the NY Times about them and apparently, there's a co-op here that's found some of the little thingers.