My husband, Gerry, and I were recently invaded by evil bugs, not ones that cause COVID-19, but the invasion reminded me of that virus because these bugs appeared quite suddenly, can be very harmful, and have almost no beneficial purpose … yellow jackets.
We were having lunch outside when our visitor, Mike Kimack from Elliott City, Maryland, noticed bees going in and out of the beautiful new birdhouse our friend Phil made for us. Oh my, do we have honey bees? Or do we have yellow jackets? At a distance, it was hard to tell the difference. Mike climbed partway up a ladder and took a photo and his daughter checked out Google to correctly identify the occupants. To our dismay, they were yellow jackets.
Research and education began. Mike’s daughter googled yellow jackets. We knew they had a bad sting, but we weren’t sure if they had some good purpose, maybe pollinating or something. But no. They serve no good purpose. They are aggressive, they sting even when not provoked and can sting several times. One sting can even kill a person who is allergic. They eat garbage, other insects, and especially like meat and sweets, so they are bothersome at a picnic. They even kill honey bees that are so beneficial to us and they raid their hives for larvae and honey. They had to be executed. How?
Both Mike and Gerry are military guys. Mike is an F-16 pilot and Gerry is a former Navy pilot. They would plan the attack. It would have to be after dark when all the “jackets” were bedded down and asleep in the birdhouse.
Gerry put a mosquito net over his hat and wore long sleeves and long pants. Mike held the light. The weapon was a full can of Raid. Gerry mounted the ladder, Mike guided him with the flashlight. I held my breath. (Our neighbor died last year from a wasp sting. Would this venture be a widow-maker?) Gerry put the sprayer right into the round hole on the front of the birdhouse and sprayed and sprayed. Wasps began pouring out of the small opening on the bottom of the birdhouse. Gerry sprayed there, then more into the opening at the front, then he listened … buzzing … more spraying into the openings at front, then the bottom, back and forth. Finally no more buzzing. He put duct tape over the front hole and climbed down the ladder. The ground below had a pile of wasps that buzzed for a few moments then died, a quick spray there to be sure. Mike figured at least 100 were in the pile. A brave attack and only one casualty — Mike got stung on his thumb from one of the falling victims.
The next day, Gerry took down the birdhouse and we all gathered around the picnic table to watch as he removed the front panel. We couldn’t believe our eyes. The birdhouse was packed full of wasp paper and multiple layers of cell casings with larvae in them, an amazing construction by little engineers really and completed so quickly.
The larvae were still alive and pulsating, and a few had baby yellow jackets working their way out of the casings. About 100 more dead yellow jackets were in the birdhouse, also a few that were black with white stripes. Were those black ones yellow jackets? Google. Yes, they were, they just had some genetic difference. We learned another new thing.
After the adventure was all over, I did read on one site that yellow jackets do have one benefit. Aphids are an insect in their diet, and killing them is good for gardens. Another thing I read, is, “Do not try to eliminate a nest yourself. It is very dangerous. Call insect control.” I wonder if that warning would have stopped the attack plan? I doubt it. Gerry made a purple heart and presented it to Mike for being wounded in action.
Anyway, the “jackets” are gone, and I’m glad they’re gone. The undertaking to get rid of them was kind of how I felt when we went to get our COVID vaccines. We were doing our part to protect ourselves and rid the world of something that is very harmful. I am thankful to hear that more people are now getting vaccinated. We all need to do our parts to prevent this virus from further mutations that could lead to even more disastrous results. The smallpox vaccine ridded us of that evil bug. Let’s all join together and finish off COVID.
Carole Gariepy of Phillipston has written seven books, all nonfiction. A recent one is a travel book, “Why Go There?” In her younger years, she was a teacher.