Heartbreak Hotel

If your baby leaves ya, 'n ya got a tale to tell, just take a walk down lonely street...

I'm talkin' 'bout wasps here.

It's a long tale this time. I put up the traps (again, with Jamie's help) in early May because it was bright and shiny out there, and very warm. It was too early, I believe.

I didn't wait until I could see the buggers flying around. I didn't wait until there was any activity. And then it rained for a couple of days after the shiny yellow traps were already swaying in the wind. Too friggin' early.

Luckily, however, the first one took. Not terribly effectively, but there are about 10 wasp bodies in there. I think once a wasp flies in, enters the trap and can't get out, it's decaying body attracts the next one. The trap on the back deck, however, has no wasp bodies in it whatsoever. Drat.

The Glenview lock and key woman came out two days ago and looked at my lock. While we were chatting, a wasp boldly came up and started flying around. I closed the door, I thought, in time. It wasn't.

Two days later -- an hour ago -- I found him inside, sitting on the inside window. I got my wasp repellent, and sent a violent spurt 4 feet, right into him. He fell, mortally wounded. (I had to spend another 20 minutes washing the windows after that, but it was worth it.)

I may have to put up other traps. I have already noticed two small wasp nests under the eave, only about three feet from the trap. (Believe me, the photo shows one much larger than it is in actuality.) I hate to do that, because I really like looking at the wasp bodies in the front trap. Heartbreak Hotel. I like the sound of that.