Wasp Warrior

We have been having a pretty big problem with these guys since the weather got warm.
At first I didn't mind a few wasps here and there.
I occasionally would purposely drown the ones I saw while watering my garden.

Their population seemed to grow quickly, and in no time there were easily fifty wasps flying around outside as we played outside
Nervous that a child would be bit, we decided to kill them.



We went to the hardware store and purchased two cans of some wasp spray, they were on sale for $0.99.
We came home and hunted down a few small nests on the fence, one on the front porch, and then sprayed the grate on the awning. It is closed, but seemed to have a lot of wasps flying in and out of it.

A few days later- even after knocking down five or so small nests, we still seemed to have a large wasp problem.
We tried a wasp trap.
It caught all of two wasps.
Me and my hose were about 100 x more effective.
Back to the store for 3 more cans of wasp spray.
It was mostly used again on the grate on the awning.
I even left the can outside so that when we were outside and I saw a wasp near that grate, I could spray him dead.

This continued for two weeks
Today I came outside and there were another twenty wasps buzzing about that grate again.

I was done.

Back to the store for three more bottles.
Majesty got the ladder out.
Even if it meant we had to pry apart the awning and gutter and possibly break it, we had to get in there and get these wasps.

Even more so, I was curious what we would see.
I imagined something like this.

Majesty opened up the awning and couldn't see anything.
But emptied a can of spray inside.
This resulted in about 30 angry wasps flying out.

After a few minutes had passed I decided to see what was going on.
Up the ladder I climbed, and stuck my head right up to the awning... closer than his Majesty had been willing to get. I wasn't afraid. I had been living with these wasps in my yard for a month now. I wanted to see where we were trying to spray. I was sick of this problem.

I found the nest. About the size of a cereal bowl, plastered to the inside wall of the awning. On it about ten wasps, and below it about 60 dead ones. Our spray had been working after all.

I got the spray. I was anxious to get the nest out. I sprayed inside. The wind picked up and blew some of the spray into my eyes. Momentarily blinded, something landed on my eyelid.
That something was a wasp. It was very evident in about the 1/2 second it took to bite me.

I cried. Turns out the eyelid may be the most painful place to be bit by a wasp.
I ran upstairs to find our StingEze.

This caused more stinging and burning. The StingEze is not meant to get in eyes, and trying to apply it to my eyelid caused it to run into my eyes.

I washed and started over. I applied vinegar for a few minutes. This smelled, seemed to help the burning and left me feeling like Chinese salad dressing. Some ice for the swelling, and I was returned to normal a few minutes later.

My first aid advice for the day is.
1. Wear some eye protection when you are taking care of pests.
2. If you happen to get bit by a wasp on the eye- don't try to use an external analgesic on it, it will just hurt more.
3. Vinegar is the best and most convenient way to ease a wasp bite.
4. Perhaps you should let those pest control summer sales men take care of your pests.