Bzzzzz

I got my Hymenoptera “fix” a little late this year. Last week, it was vespids in the outdoor can lights. I mentioned this potential problem to a friend who recently built a lovely covered porch. The can light fixtures provide an ideal location for wasps (family Vespidae) to set up housekeeping. We have three such cans that illuminate our back porch. This year, two of them became residences for wasps – I’d say somewhere between 30 and 50 in each can. I put them out of my misery with store-bought wasp spray that I had on hand from last year’s vespid battles. My more sophisticated friends use hot soapy water and a sprayer. The soapy water clogs their spiracles, and they suffocate to death. To each his own.

A couple of weeks ago, a young fellow who works for our lawn care company came up the driveway with wasp spray in hand. He explained that he had been severely attacked by wasps in a ground nest the last time he had done the back yard. I examined the area where he said the wasps had launched their attack. There was a hole in the ground. He showed me his arms and chest – he had multiple healing wounds. Poor devil. We both examined the entrance to the wasp nest, and there was nothing to be seen there. Good thing.

Yesterday, Susan told me to be careful walking in the same spot. She said that there were bees there. I had to examine, of course. They were wasps. A shitload of wasps – not bees. Today, Susan called our gladiator and champion Ray of Robert’s Pest Control – the same Ray who vanquished the Norwegian rat hordes of Olaf and Ragnar years past.

Ray arrived late in the evening; ours was his last visit of the day. I think that he scheduled us last to ensure that the wasps would be home and settled for dusk. They were. I showed him the holes in the ground where they had made their nest(s). He backed his truck into our car port, and proceeded to unroll a heavy duty hose connected to a compressor. He then sprayed the wasp nests with permethrin solution.

As he worked, he commented that soapy water does the trick too, but getting enough into the nest can be quite difficult, and any wasps you miss will be there tomorrow. In other words, the permethrin leaves a toxic residue that decays over days, but soapy water does not. Soapy water is more environmentally conscious, but I wanted these adversaries vanquished not merely decimated.

“Les dimos una bañada que no se les va quitar.,” Ray chortled. “We gave them a bath that is going to last,” he said. I hope so.