The kids have been preparing themselves for this moment since the summer but now the worst has finally happened...
The first proper frost of the autumn has apparently finished off 'our' poor wasps nest.
Our relationship with the stripey buzzing beasties has been a surprising one. In the beginning, we were all terrified of the hundreds of 'horrid things' that had made a nest in a space over our front door. I even considered having them exterminated, but after consulting Google I had second thoughts. (Being a longtime veggiesaur, killing anything doesn't sit easily with me.) So, much to hubby's amusement, I went outside and had the following chat with our flying squatters.
"If you leave us alone, we'll leave you be. But should you sting any one of us then I'll be making The Phone Call. Deal?"
Apparently, these terms were entirely acceptable to The Nestlings. I can honestly say we haven't had a moment's trouble from our uninvited guests in all the time they've been with us.
The more we learned about our wasplings, the more difficult it became for us to hate them.
Gradually we stopped being terrified of their comings and goings and in time, our fear melted into fondness.
I'll never forget the morning when Boy Child ran into the kitchen sobbing because "There's a waspy caught in a spider's web outside the front window. Help him, mummeeeee! Please help him!!"
Did I help? Of course, I did! Armed with an umbrella and still dressed in my tatty nightie and slippers, (sorry, neighbours!) I managed to liberate the unfortunate beastie before old Shelob got to him.
We learned that the waspies hated when hubby parked his van outside the front door because the 'big white wall' somehow buggered up their collective internal GPS causing them to bobble around the door in a confused low flying cloud. Cue the kids nagging hubby to park his van elsewhere. (Lovely chap that he is, hubster complied, albeit muttering dark things to himself.)
Y'know what? I actually got used to saying good morning to them or greeting them when we returned home, but now their nest is horribly silent.
RIP, dear waspies. I'm actually going to miss you
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