Seems the wildlife is getting wilder, 'specially in the greenhouse.
Yesterday morning, I happened to look up... waaayy up... and found these critters in a rafter of the greenhouse, creating one of the biggest wasp nests I had ever seen. It was the size of a cabbage and growing, and they were the quietest clutch of wasps. I didn't hear them; I simply thought I'd better look up, as it had been days since I had done so.
Wow!
There are red arrows in the photos to show the openings of the nest.
No doubt they could sense my hackles going up, as my skin tingled and I tippy toed out the door, because suddenly I could hear them. Or was that my Spidey Sense kicking in?
Anyhoo, I called Marcy, the gardener; she would know what to do - and, after she and her husband quit laughing, she told me, though I didn't like it. Aiming to keep the grounds chemical-free, this is the plan: you wait until dark, as the wasps are quiet then and somewhat docile in the cool. Then you zap the nest with water from a hose (in the dark! No flashlight, as that will alarm them) and keep on zapping the downed nest with the hose - in the dark.
Oh, did I mention you do this ALL in the dark? Well, since it's about the summer solstice, I waited til 10:30 pm to go out, dressed as I was in my wasp-fighting combat gear; you know, all black, long sleeves tucked into rubber gloves, pants tucked into thick sox, hat, neckerchief... er, right? Isn't that what all crime-fighters, er, I mean, bug-fighters wear?
Just one more thing, said Marcy; there's a guard. A what? A guard; it stays outside on the nest, and raises the alarm if they're endangered.
Oh. Great!
Sure enough, at 10:30 at the summer solstice, the sky is still light, and I could see the silhouette of the nest, PLUS as I ever so slowly opened the sliding glass door of the greenhouse, the guards' silhouette appeared on the edge. The position of the wings made it seem like an animal with ears flattened.
Then, within seconds, there were a dozen or more crawling all over the nest. I stopped.
Somehow this just did not sit well with me, and the hackles once again rose to attention - mine and theirs.
I foresaw myself flailing around in the dark, hose and water going wild as I tossed it at the oncoming horde , me trying to run out of the garden, flinging the gate as I ran, tripping on the uneven ground, finally crawling to the house and, upon closing the door, I would look back only to realize the deer would now enter the open gate (and greenhouse) and eat every single thing in there.
hmmm... I decided to go to bed (and have a worrisome, sleepless night because of this) and call my brother in the morning. He would be able to help, fearless man that he is!
Little did I know, he IS the expert! Funny what you learn of your family, even after all these years. Paul showed up, even dressed in his nice weekend clothes, and proceeded to do exactly what I was told to do, and in the middle of a hot day, when the wasps are at their height of activity!
It's unfortunate I had to go out for an hour, as that's when Paul took care of business so I was not witness to it. Therefore, I'm unsure if he was as unruffled as he says he was... Upon my return, he coolly told me the nest was in the compost, no chemicals had been used, and now the tomatoes were watered because of the fray. And, that he had done this many times before, and still hasn't been stung. Sure enough, there was the broken and wet nest, with hundreds (!) of wasps ready to hatch.
Whew!
Thanks big brother; I owe you big time.
Just one more thing; they're baaaack. Yes, they've tried re-building twice now, and I've sprayed the new bits of nest off both times. Where is the queen in all this?! She must be pretty powerful to keep these guys (girls?) going in the same spot over and over. Ah well, I'll go out and spray them with the hose again late tonight. Maybe they'll get the message. And I'll spray them at dawn tomorrow morning, just to enforce the message. And I'll get Paul back here, you guys, if you don't get the message!
Sandra
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