I have felt like a prisoner in my own home for a couple of weeks now. My green grass is fading for lack of water. There are sprigs of Bermuda grass popping up in my flower beds. Some of the flowers are dying. You are thinking drought, right? The real reason? I am a big chicken. We have become infested with cicada killer wasps. And each time I go outside, here they come. I never go out now without a can of hornet spray. Last week I mowed the yard with the can tucked under my arm. Several times I took off running, screaming, my arms flailing, while attempting to spray the varmint. For any neighbors looking on, it has to be a hoot. I wonder if I’m on YouTube? 🙂
cicada killer wasp mounds
Last summer, our little Sugar dog stuck her nose in one the mounds that house the cicada killers. It got her. Poor baby. (That was a vet visit.)
I have done my research on how to rid them from our yard. (How to Get Rid of Ground Digger Wasps) The first article said to leave them alone. They will only stay around a month or so. The spray simply slows them down so you can squish them. But I don’t squish things. They say only the females can sting, but that the males are aggressive. When I am dashing across the yard, I can assure you I am not a bit curious about the gender of the predator. My neighbor a couple of houses down, joins me in the seriousness of the matter. His new weapon of choice? A racquet ball racquet. Yep. He is a brave man. And he had quite a good little collection of critters on his front sidewalk! 
Yesterday, the evil of all evils occurred. While I was attempting to let the pups inside, guess who came in instead? HORRORS! My heart was racing. I had to think fast. He-She was buzzing at my head. SOOOOOO…..I turned loose of the screen door while slamming the backdoor shut at the same time. The creature was now trapped between the two doors. My poor little dogs were gazing at me through the back window. I had to get them inside without opening those doors. I found their leashes and headed around the house through the gate, leashed the girls and brought them in the house. Then I started worrying about my trapped friend. Could he wiggle inside through a crevice? (hubby says they could not) I grabbed my blue masking tape and taped off all seams of the door. I also sent my hubby a “HELP” text.
Hubby arrived a little while later. He went through the backyard, opened the backdoor and sprayed the little critter. I watched, holding my backup can of Real Kill. I am braver when I have a sidekick. but not much! Then we came inside and hubby removed all the blue tape from the backdoor.
Hubby was my hero, again. He commended me for acting quickly and thinking on my feet. 😉 He says if we ever have atomic warfare, he will feel safe with me in charge. Cause I am the queen of taping off crevices and seams. 😉
This is my life. For another month? I am going to hire someone to mow. For one month. Oh bother ~
Hope YOU have a good day. Free of critters!
p.s. After midnight last night, we attempted the method used in the above article. We shall see what happens ~
stuff i tell my sister 
Yuck – they sound like monsters! You are so very brave 😉 Do hope the demoniacal treatment works.
brave….not….just cannot have our “babies” getting stung again! Will let you know! 😉
This reminds me of last year when we had some wasps under our roof. Mr. was up all night standing on the head board of our bed to allocate the buggers. Had to tear apart part of the roof to get to them…
Oh my….what a nitemare! We will only have to tear off the front porch! 🙂
It sounds a lot off fun during summer…! 🙂
no fun at all….:(
Omg…laughing out loud. You go girl…I absolutely love the blue tape on the door and the ‘kick ’em where it hurts spirit!” Hire that lawn mower, make some mixed up lemonade and stay inside!! 🙂
haha! It’s all I know to do. It would be much easer if I weren’t a perfectionist when it comes to yard work. But right now….I. Don’t. Care. Now if I could just litter box train the dogs! 🙂
Omg – must be channeling you. My husband came home from work and says to me,
“we have a bunch of wasps all over our grass, that’s so unusual”
When I laughed, out loud, he was quite confused!
So you are not alone, except I don’t wear the lawnmower in our family 🙂
sorry……I bring you bad luck and it’s not even the 13th yet!
It’s not bad luck…it’s funny! 🙂
YOU are funny! 🙂
I’m sorry for laughing, but I couldn’t help myself… That was hilarious!
I could just picture the whole scene 😀
I KNOW! My sister thinks it’s a hoot, too. Course…anyone that grew up with me knows I also used to run from butterflies. 😉
Butterflies ??????
yes….AND leaves! told ya I was a chicken!
leaves?????
I’m not telling you anymore until after I conclude my therapy ~ haha
🙂
Oh Paula…I can identify! I opened our front door and there was a scorpian to greet me. Hubby couldn’t figure out why I would leave the front door open with 110 deg. heat coming inside to defeat the A.C. and he is yelling : “close the door!” I’m yelling “there’s a scorpian is just inside the door!” He’s yelling “step on the stupid thing, and close the door!” I had just bragged to a neighbor that we have never had a scorpian in our house. At least they aren’t flying around like your deadly wasps. I’m not sure the blue tape would have helped in my situation, except maybe over hubby’s mouth!.
Oh Delores, we had scorpions when we lived in the TX panhandle.. The sprinkler system would come on in the evening and the scorpians would cover the sidewalks. We could never go without shoes. Hate that for you! Be careful! I’ll gladly share my blue tape with you….for….whatever!? 🙂
Wow – you are mighty and brave!! And I love the blue tape – you are now hermetically sealed and safe!!
haha….certainly not brave and the “seal” has been removed. Those little demons. 😉
Sorry Paula!! I have never seen one of these demons!!! We fight the Red Wasps year round…Have only been stung once and that was this year…..Didn’t want to laugh but your versions of the happenings of the day was hilarious!! Keep after them but be careful as I bet their sting is ferocious!! ♥
Don’t know why I can’t make a heart on here…oh well, maybe you will fix it, “again”….thanks 🙂
I know, Dottie ~ it’s funny when I talk about it. Just not when I’m out there! I am trying to work up the nerve to go water the front flowers right now! We got their mounds soaked good last night with hopefully the right stuff. Crazy everyday stuff. (fixed your heart!) ♥
I can see you do the bug dance in the yard Paula. In fact, I see us doing it together. I too am SUCH a bug chicken!!! Good luck taking back the house…
Glad I’m in good company! I actually watered my flowers out front tonight and only a couple of the demons appeared. Maybe our midnite excorcism helped. Time will tell ~ 😉
wishes big wishes for that very thing.
😉
Yikes! Those things sound terrible. I was weeding this week and must have disturbed a yellow jacket nest somehow. All of a sudden, there was fire in both hands and I looked down and was covered in the stupid things. I ran screaming and flailing to my house, and had about 7 stings on both hands and fingers. It hurt like the dickens. So I feel your pain. I went out wasp hunting the next morning, before they were up and swarming, and couldn’t find a nest anywhere where I’d been. So maybe I’ll have to check the ground to see if there’s a hole like yours built. I didn’t know they could dig in the ground. Ours here in Idaho usually make those muddy nest things on our houses or in rocks.
I’m glad you are not allergic! I am so sorry. Hope you are okay. I would have killed over from my heart racing beyond control. Let me know how you are!!!
So funny! We have little frogs or toads on our door at night. Very weird looking at the underside a of frog.
Awww….frogs are so cute! We have to “swish” our toads to the front yard when our dogs are out. Otherwise they (dogs) lick the toads and then foam at the mouth as if they were rabid. And no, they never learn! 😉
Yuck!!!! Fortunately our dog can’t reach them. I’ll try to take pictures of them. It’s so dark, but they are cute! They would fit in the size of this text box! – depth, not width!
Pics would be great!
Here’s a tip for you the next time this happens ….. I always keep cheap hair spray in the house at all times. When those nasty bugs fly at you spray them with hair spray. The hair spray will make them drop to the floor almost immediately then you can either kill them or take them back outside. I use this tip on flys, bees anything that gets in the house that I want gone 🙂
Great tip! Thanks Rita 😉
Pingback: Invasion of the Cicada Killer Wasps ~ Take Two | stuff i tell my sister