I’ve always been fond of creepy crawlies from a very young age. However I have an ambivalent attitude towards wasps. During the summer they perform a useful function, preying on pests and generally going about their business, occasionally becoming a nuisance when their nests are in close proximity to humans with food.
Some people may suffer an extreme reaction, going into anaphylactic shock from a single sting and there have also been cases where multiple stings have brought on heart attacks. If you are stung once, wasps release a pheromone that marks you as a target, and unless you back away from the beasties you are likely to be stung again. If you have been stung it is recommended to change your clothes and shower or you will be susceptible to further attacks.
As autumn approaches the workers become redundant and are booted out of the nest which goes into hibernation. Around the same time there are quantities of fermenting fruit to be found lying on the ground. This is when wasps turn nasty; homeless, drunk and belligerent.
Having recently been stung under the armpit by one of the little buggers my thoughts turned to my murderous youth when I would set about exterminating wasps with a passion.
The easiest method involves a finished jar of jam. Simply make a few holes in the lid with a hammer and large nail, half fill the jar with water with a drop of washing up liquid, and place somewhere away from people. The wasps have a superb sense of smell and will crawl through the holes in the lid to reach the remnants of the jam. The soap breaks the surface tension of the water so as they fall in they drown quickly. This might sound a bit grisly but it is far better than the neurotoxins found in aerosol wasp killers, and they are probably drunk anyway!!
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