... and then I found the wasps' nest.

[joz]

How many "cleaning up the yard" stories end that way?

I'd borrowed a friend's giant limb-loppers to attack a large ornamental ginger in the corner of my garden. It's been on the "to be killed" list for 2 years, so I waded in on Sunday morning, nipping off giant grasses and piling up the debris... nip, nip, toss, toss, pull off the bushkiller vine nip, nip, tug, toss... got the first half of the bunch down to about 18" tall (It's sprouting again already, too). Nip, toss, ACK!

So I found the wasp nest that was home to the few wasps I'd seen buzzing around. Without getting stung (phew!). I tossed those trimmers and hotfooted it right into the house though.

I'm not so lucky with the fire ants. There's a colony somewhere in my garden, and EVERY DAY I get bit on my toes or in the arch of my foot. Little jerks. I can't kill off the little buggers, even if I could find them... they're the only bug that eats termites! But I can't wear flipflops in the garden anymore either.

 

[lesa]

Wow- you are lucky you didn't get stung! I have had more than one- weeding the back 40, come to a halt, due to a wasp sting!! We don't have fire ants here in upstate NY, but we do have some stinging ants. Those suckers crawl right inside my gloves and sting my wrists. Ah, nature!!!

 

[journey11]

Glad you didn't get stung! I do that too, jump and run and usually utter a few choice words. I'm sure my neighbors get a kick out of me making a fool of myself over a lil' bitty wasp.

I found out last year that I am allergic to the little terrors. Now I have to carry an epi-pen and wasps/hornets/bumblebees buzzing around make me a nervous wreck while I'm trying to enjoy my PEACEFUL gardening. Just the other day I was mulching around my varigated porcelain berry vine and found one building a nest underneath it. Close call! I'd had my hands in there poking mulch around and don't know how I managed to not get stung. I expect to see them in the barn, not under my plants. I know most of them are "good" to have around because they are predators for a lot of annoying garden bug pests, but now that I am allergic to them and they could send me to the ER, I keep the Raid handy!

 

[AmyRey]

ARHGHGHGH!!!! Fire ants!!!

Years and years ago, when the oldest was a preschooler, we had a horrendous storm come through that sent us into the bathtub under a mattress.

As the walls shook and the wind howled, we began to pray and my son chimed in.

"Dear Lord... please don't let anything die. But if something DOES have to die, please let it be all the fire ants."

 

[thistlebloom]

ARHGHGHGH!!!! Fire ants!!!

Years and years ago, when the oldest was a preschooler, we had a horrendous storm come through that sent us into the bathtub under a mattress.

As the walls shook and the wind howled, we began to pray and my son chimed in.

"Dear Lord... please don't let anything die. But if something DOES have to die, please let it be all the fire ants."

 

[journey11]

That's great!

 

[vfem]

You are just like me....

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

ARHGHGHGH!!!! Fire ants!!!

Years and years ago, when the oldest was a preschooler, we had a horrendous storm come through that sent us into the bathtub under a mattress.

As the walls shook and the wind howled, we began to pray and my son chimed in.

"Dear Lord... please don't let anything die. But if something DOES have to die, please let it be all the fire ants."

ooooh! i agree with your son! i remember fire ants when i was 5 years old in FL for a couple months! i don't feel there is any reason for me to live down that direction when i get older! too many poisonous or hurtfully bad insects/animals live down that way!

 

[momofdrew]

ARHGHGHGH!!!! Fire ants!!!

Years and years ago, when the oldest was a preschooler, we had a horrendous storm come through that sent us into the bathtub under a mattress.

As the walls shook and the wind howled, we began to pray and my son chimed in.

"Dear Lord... please don't let anything die. But if something DOES have to die, please let it be all the fire ants."

ooooh! i agree with your son! i remember fire ants when i was 5 years old in FL for a couple months! i don't feel there is any reason for me to live down that direction when i get older! too many poisonous or hurtfully bad insects/animals live down that way!

chickie moma I agree My Dh wants to move to Fla but I wont budge... up here you have to go deep into the mountains to find a really poisonus snake...in Fla they will be in your back yard...