When yellowjackets attack!

So, yeah ... yesterday morning I decided to start loading the truck with the scrap metal so I could take it to the recycler (scrap isn't bringing much right now but 1) I can't bear the thought of it going into our landfills; recycling is thrifty AND good for the planet, and 2) even if a truckload only brings me ten bucks, well, $10 is $10!)

It's typically hot and I'm out in my shorts, tee, and flip-flops and I'm tossing scrap into the truck. Some of the pieces have been there a while and are partially buried, so I'm tugging a bit out and, OUCH! I feel a sting on my foot! Then another!

Here in South Carolina that usually means Fire Ants,

so I hopped on one foot and brushed the aggrieved foot (the right) down with my left hand. I immediately got two (three?) sharp stings on my hand.

OK ... fire ants don't fly.

I looked down just long enough to see several yellow and black bodies swirling around and lit out like Seabiquit driving for the finish line.

If I was screaming, "OMFG WASPS WASPS WAAAAAASPS AIEEE!!" I don't recall it. That's certainly what I was saying in my head.

Turns out what I thought at first were hornets were Yellowjackets:

I managed six separate stings (maybe seven - not sure if my hand got 2 or 3 - left hand, right foot and leg, and one on my ribs where one of the wee bastards crawled up under my shirt). They swelled up and hurt like someone was pressing the tips of six soldering irons into my skin.

I'm not allergic to anything that I know of, but I had a mother of a reaction. For hours after the stings my heart raced like the overworked engine in some loser's rice rocket and my hands shook.

Apparently I'm still having some residual issues. Here's what my hand stings look like this morning - almost 24 hours later:

My left hand (stung) compared to my right (old and boney).

Left wrist. It's hard to tell in this pic but it's swole up like a sausage.

Purty!

Well, you ask, what am I doing about the Yellowjackets? They might sting the kids!

We tried to take care of the nest last night. I try not to kill anything that's not bothering me but, I agree that the kids are in jeopardy if I leave the damned things there.

Since going Paleo I try to use as few chemical on my and my kid's bodies as possible, plus I've cut down even more on the chemicals that I use in my house and out of doors. I have given up shampoo, sunscreen, lotion, household cleaners, and much more.

So how do I get rid of wasps without nasty chemicals? Don't EVEN suggest the old gasoline trick. Not only is that dangerous, but it's environmentally stupid. It is idiotic to pour petrol out onto the ground!

Well, I Googled about a bit and discovered a smothering method. We tried it last night: wet sand over the entrance hole then cover the lot with a board. Don't laugh yet ... let's see if it works.

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Have you had any harrowing experiences with hornets yellowjackets or other wasps?  How did you treat the stings?  How did you get rid of the nest?

And I thought *I* had predators

Ewww! Check it.

So, d'ya believe in El Chupacabra?

I vow never to complain about the stray opossum or raccoon again, LOL!

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Storm clouds, snakes, and eggs

I think we might finally get some rain today!

Tropical storm Barry is sprinkling on Florida as we speak so maybe we'll get some of that up here. I hope so, I need hay!

My garden would sure appreciate it as well:




And here's a little souvenir we found in the rafters of the shed:


Just for comparison purposes, Boy is 42 inches tall. I have actually seen the fine fellow whose discarded attire this is (a Chicken Snake, properly called a Black Rat Snake). A VERY interesting story. I'll tell it to you sometime soon.

Apologies to any of you herpephobes (is that the correct term?), or old-timey country folks, but I don't kill snakes. I freakin' hate rats and mice. Loathe 'em. Anything that eats them is my bestest buddy! Since this bloke is too big to get in my pens and eat my biddies, then he gets to be a permanent fixture.

Speaking of dibs, my eggs in the incubator hatched! I was convinced that they had been damaged by that temp spike, but a few made it through. I got over half hatched and in the brooder. I'll get you pics later.

Chicks are so cute. I seriously need to make some shirts for us poultry lovers. I have a whole section devoted to rural living but most of it is goat stuff (with some pro dumpster diving items as well, natch!) If you're a chicken fancier, what would YOU wear on a T-shirt?

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