Unwelcome Guests

I've noticed a lot of talk about Spring lately. People blogging about the beauty of it, people mentioning the welcome warmth of it on their Facebook status, and of course the weather people on television taking credit for it (what is that all about anyway? I actually heard our local meteorologist saying we could 'thank him' for the upcoming beautiful weather. Weird.).

Anyway, I love Spring as much as the next person. It breathes life into us and gives us new hope that we can tackle those unfinished projects or start new ones. It revitalizes us and gets us out of the house offering a new, fresh outlook on things. But.....it brings with it some VERY unwelcome guests. Wasps. As strange as it sounds they are the cause of my dread each Spring. I have a fear of wasps that is unrivaled. I don't know where it came from but there is something about a small stinging insect that has the ability to fly quickly and out of reach that unnerves me. Now, I've mentioned before that I'm a big animal lover. I believe all living things big and small should be respected and treated valuable. As part of this belief I try to avoid harming any living being so, for example, when I see a spider I try to catch it and throw it outside. I do this with most all insects. But a wasp I will spray or squash as quickly as possible without a second thought.

My friends and family make fun of me when they see my reaction to one of these winged warriors. I jump and run inside as fast as possible and just peer out the window until it's either gone or dead. The amazing thing is my ability to see one from a distance. It doesn't matter where I am or what the situation, if a wasp is anywhere in the general vicinity I will see it long before it gets near and follow it closely while quietly and tactically planning my escape. My husband thinks I'm crazy. Half of the time I warn him of an incoming stinger he never even sees it. And if he does he knows to just wait for me to flip out and run before he can actually do anything about it.

A few days ago I noticed that they seem to be coming in droves so I let him know that we may have a wasp problem this Spring. He wasn't concerned. He just attributed it to my paranoia that all wasps will eventually take over the world and shrugged it off. Then, I heard my next door neighbor talking about it and that they recently had to have someone come out and spray. I was so happy to hear this because now I have proof and reason to call the insect people without my husband questioning my sanity. I better call tomorrow or this could be a long summer of ducking and running!