UNINVITED LODGERS

The other day Mrs H, whilst walking up from her studio, looked at the western eave of our cottage and noticed something strange.  

“Come outside and look at this odd looking nest ” she called.

I did and took my camera with me. 

It was large, it was fawn in colour and it buzzed.

Searching on the internet we soon identified it as a wasps’ nest, 

the first that either of us had ever seen.

Steve Butler prepares

to attack.

A quick study of the Golden Pages directory revealed a list of wasp nest removing specialists.

We rang three as I now I refuse to leave messages on answering machines, experience has taught me that very few firms ever reply, so the business went to the first real person who answered.

Mrs H spoke to Steve Butler, who lives in a nearby town, he was very friendly and quoted a reasonable price for ridding us of the threatening stinging menaces.

Steve in attack mode

He was as good as his word and arrived on time, complete with his kit to efficiently destroy the menace of these dreadful stinging insects. 

Although, I have to say this, that when I lived in Somerset, England and used to help a friend to make cider in his barn. There were times when the wasps after feeding on pressed apple juice were so drunk that they would crawl up our arms without stinging us. Never the less, the experience was not pleasant and we avoided flinching just in case their reflex to our movement evoked a sting.

The wasps where the arrows point have a 

coating of Steve's powder & will shortly be dead.

Steve told me not to destroy the nest for a couple of days and to allow the powder that he pumped time to work [kill] any wasp embryos that were in incubation process.
So tomorrow I shall, with help of a long pole and a step ladder, remove all traces of the offending empty nest which will be ceremonially burnt on a garden fire.

Have you any experiences of wasps that you would like to share ?