Re: Conundrum

**L* L* <l*@gmail.com>**

On Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 9:33 PM, Duane Campbell <dcamp911@gmail.com> wrote:

> The compost has become the happy home of wasps, German yellowjackets
> perhaps, but though I speak German they donât answer), who are claiming
> birthright citizenship in my compost. These are not common stinging insects
> that create a quick burning sensation, you run in and grab the anti-sting
> stick (I did that), and after a couple of hours it goes away. No, these are
> super stingers. My first meeting provided several stings that left me in
> agony for two days. I have literally never felt such pain. Iâd rather have
> my gall bladder out again. Seriously. It took a week for the effects to
> completely fade.

I wandered innocently into a composted roundbale at the edge of one of my
fields to check out the Johnson grass growing there.
No idea what lurked within.....the subterranean, multi-chambered lair of
ground nesting yellowjackets, small but in possession of highly specialized
enemy deterrent. I got the idea quickly and took off running. At about 200
feet they nailed me three times, once right behind the ear. Duane's
description of the sensation is right on the money. I got in my truck,
rolled all the windows up tightly then headed for the pile. After fifty or
more back and forth passes I eliminated them. I have to tell you when my
left front tire hit that pile of straw they swarmed in _clouds_ at the
truck, close to thousands and headed right for the windows. It was quite a
sight. Clouds of them and mad as hell.

I class these insects with black widow spiders and copperhead snakes. It
would be wise to be alert around piles of straw, grass clippings or compost
that have been in place for any amount of time. I just can't imagine being
in a swarm of a few hundred of them unprotected.
Always have cellphone handy with 911 on speed dial. Then there is the tale
of the ground nesting bumblebees which live in interconnected chambers well
underground, in dirt, no compost pile needed. They will chase you like the
yellowjackets but the sting is not as bad, more like brown wasps.

The good old dirt dobbers (some kind of non-stinging wasp) are our friends.
They capture newly hatched black widow spiders, paralyze them then encase
them in those familiar lumps of clay they stick to tools and equipment.
Around here local old timers call September, Copperhead September; I
include October too just to be on the safe side.

-- 
Lawrence F. London
lfljvenaura@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/avantgeared/
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