Well…the shoe dropped. And just as I suspected, it’s one hell of a clog.
The soup came out decent. The bread, a bit short, but tasty. The kitchen, a mess. And the basement…
has wasps.
Yep. Wasps.
I went down there today to start a load of wash and saw a wasp buzzing around the washing machine. Oh crap, I thought. Ho hum. Better get the spray. So I trooped up the steps for a can of Raid and when I returned, I noticed the wasp had moved to one of the window wells. And was crawling around…next to…another half dozen wasps or so.
And I retreated back up the steps in a hurry.
RegularDad is, of course, at work, and cannot instantly rid me of the wasps in the basement. But he promises he will take care of it first thing in the morning.
At dinner, I told the girls to stay out of the basement.
Why? they asked.
Because there’s wasps down there. Daddy’s gonna fix it tomorrow. Just don’t go down there.
At bedtime, my 7-year-old told me she’d just seen a wasp fly over her head in the living room. I spent 20 minutes searching the house (with my trusty can of Raid at the ready) but couldn’t find it anywhere.
Are you sure it was a wasp? I asked her. Maybe it was just a stinkbug. (We have dozens of these damn things all over the place these days. What a nuisance they are!)
I don’t know, Mom. It looked pretty thin.
For her pre-bedtime reading material, my 7-year-old selected a nature encyclopedia she got for her birthday. She turned immediately to the page on wasps and began to do research and draw diagrams of how exactly those pesky wasps could have possibly gotten into the basement in the first place.
At 8:25 pm, I went into their room to check on them and noticed this activity, particularly that the page on wasps had a simply ENORMOUS illustration of said insect and told her to put the book away. I told them I had to make a phone call in about 5 minutes and that I would be on the phone for a while. They were allowed to get out of bed to use the bathroom, and also to tell me if they found a wasp in their room.
Precisely at 8:30 pm, I sat down to make my call. The very instant I sat down and lifted the telephone receiver, they both appeared with big wide eyes in the kitchen.
Is it a wasp? I asked, setting the phone down with a sigh.
No. A spider. A really big one.
We all trooped into their room and sure enough, a large, dark, furry spider was creeping around on the floor. I could have just stepped on it, but I had that can of Raid right there at the ready, so I stuck it out and pushed the button, and of course, I didn’t have it aimed properly, and it shot right at my 4-year-old instead of at the spider on the floor. I stopped the spray immediately and checked her.
Did it get you? I asked, patting her pj’s with my hand.
No, she said. Not really.
Not really? I asked. Does that mean ‘just a little bit’ or ‘not at all’?
I quickly sprayed the damn spider and stomped it for good measure, and then went to get a damp cloth to wipe down my 4-year-old’s face. Just in case.
Gee, Mom! they said, all excited (and really, bedtime certainly had taken on an excited air this evening). That stuff smells GOOD.
Fabulous.
I got them back into bed and, still lugging my can of Raid, went to make my phone call. And here I sit, 2 hours later, still looking for this damn wasp. There’s no way I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight. No way.
Wait! I think I hear something near the window…. Nope. Nothing.
It’s probably waiting for me under my blankets. I’m sure it’ll crawl right up on my pillow tonight and just buzz me a lullaby. Dammit.
Eeeek!
My garage has wasps. Every time we kill them off a new swarm moves in. I hope no one gets stung, those suckers hurt!
Ewww! I hate wasps. I was stung once and it wasnt pretty. Worst pain Ive ever had (aside from child birth and being burned by hot wax), turns out I was allergic. But it hurts okay. Stay away from it. Run, Hide. DO NOT spray it with the raid, you will only piss it off and it will come after you.
Apparantly you have to wait until they are asleep before spraying and removing them.
My hubby’s Cajun grandmother called them waps. (as in ‘hesh boy, or I gonna whap you in the head’)
We used to really get a kick out of hearing her talk.
I have no problem with the death of waps.
Regarding killing spiders.. at our house, we have a kind hearted child who prickled our conscience about that. She began, at a very young age, catching them and putting them outside. She pointed out that they’re not there to eat you for dinner, they’re there to eat the mosquitos and other critters who want you for dinner! I mean, how would you like it, she said, if you were at the grocery store looking for dinner and a big monster came up and smashed you?
I’d say 95% of the time we catch and release. I have stepped out of the shower all wet to get a paper cup and a piece of paper to put over the top, caught the critter who was bathing with me, and saved it on the counter to take outside afterward. I always get dressed before going out, don’t want to give Cletus a thrill.
Alas…my girls have no tender tendencies towards spiders. They would prefer a world without them, and insist on having them smashed immediately (if not sooner).
Years ago, we lived in a house that had black widows in the garage and backyard. I taught my older daughter to fear spiders back then, out of necessity. Perhaps I taught her a bit too well.
I learned a lot about black widows when we had them. And I learned to not worry too much about them. They’re not aggressive, and I know of some people who actually let them live in the house. They figure they know where the spiders are, and they just leave ‘em be.
I did find some false widows living in my window wells last night. At first I thought they were brown widows, but then I looked them up and discovered they’re really false black widows. Those I’ll keep, since they do enjoy feasting on black widows when they can get them.
Oh, Popeye would so be breaking out the plastic for a HOTEL!! I have been attacked by wasps, (on vacation in TX).. Times like this I am glad we live in a shoe box on the 8Th floor. I hope you get rid of your wasps. UMMMM, would you be willing to share your bread recipe? I have made 2 from cooks.com and they were not even close to bread!!
Gosh! I guess you have an excuse not to wash clothes! lol! I would have freaked over the spider, I’m scared to death of spiders.
Ok…it’s been 2 days since we got an update from you and for all we know the wasps won. Please post soon!
= )
xo
RegSis
I agree with RegularSis! My imagination is running wild with visions of gigantic wasp nests taking over your home, room by room….
