Nest
by Gary Hardaway
He spends his Sunday morning spraying WD-40 through the straw-like stream attachment at the expansive paper nest of beige and ivory striped wasps. After each raid, he runs back into the house and watches through the sunroom glass three or four wasps fall from the nest in petrochemical distress into the shrubbery below. They don't appear to rise again. With each attack, he tries to soak the white-capped cells-- and their cargo of developing larvae-- with petroleum distillate sufficient to abort development of new winged terrors. Tens of capable wasps persist. Even in the safety of the house he begins to hear the buzz of wasp wings where there are none. He understands-- karma is a bitch.
Yes it is, and waiting for it is worse. Nice one, Gary.
*wasps are brutal and resilient.
If only my brother-in-law were on Fictionaut! (it's him). very good.
Thank you, Roberto.
Wasps- the sting without honey. And, as you say, Oliver, resilient.
Thank you, Neil.
Been part of this war. Got the mind scars to show for it.
*
Thanks, Sheldon.
Thanks, Amanda.
Good piece, Gary - "Even in the safety of the house," he begins to hear the buzz of wasp wings where there are none."
*
Sharp imagery.
Where wasps are concerned, karma exists not. Now if a bastard wasp stung a fucking rat, I could see a use for a wasp, but that occurrence is rare. I am happy to see wasp Armagedeon documented here.
Thanks, Sam.
Thanks, Steve.
Gave me "petro-chemical" joy reading this. Excellent karma!
Nice, Gary. A well-told story of what I know went on this summer!
Been there, done that. Never again! *
I've learned that wasps don't return to old nests. Suppose this is especially true if they reek of WD-40. *
*, Gary. WD-40? A great, safer weapon to defeat the wasps. Houses are burned down to defeat them. winning Pyrrhic victories. I really like the way this is told.
Thanks David.
It most surely is. *
Thanks, Christian.