Last week I was called out to to take care of a wasp nest on a BBQ grill (no hamburger for this guy). Little did I know I was actually in for one heck of a ride. On my way out to the customer’s home I started thinking about how I was going to handle this situation. I remembered something my boss told me a while back that one of his family members had once told him. The best way to catch something is to sneak up behind it with a bucket and quickly put the bucket over it. Then sit on the bucket till you figure out your next move. This trick probably wasn’t the best move on a BBQ grill. I arrived at the customer’s home to find a sweet elderly lady. She had stated that she might have a wasp nest on her BBQ grill out back. I started through the side gate and around back to find a large deck filled with patio furniture. I spotted the grill and figured that if there’s a nest it’s either going to be under it, or inside the grill itself. I got down on one knee and proceeded to look under one side and nothing was there. I went around to the other side, knelt down on one knee and again nothing there. As I walked around to the front of the grill I noticed the sweet old lady watching me from her sliding glass door as if she knew something terrible was about to take place. I slowly lifted the grill open looking ever so cautiously for this wasp nest…there was nothing.
I believed maybe she had just seen them flying around as this time of year they are very active and very aggressive while looking for places to nest. Then I noticed there was a lid on the side burner. By now I was pretty confident that there wasn’t anything on this grill. I lifted the lid…..I was very wrong! About 50 wasps darted out at my face at unheard of speeds. I quickly realized I was about to experience natures wrath and all of its fury. I was stung twice on the side of my neck leaving me in throbbing pain for the next several hours. I quickly sprayed the nest and removed it from the grill, becoming the sweet elderly lady’s hero of the day.
These wasps fly around gardens, and other systemic plants capturing insects and other bugs. They bring them back to their nest to feed to their larvae until they become an adult. They’re very aggressive this time of year. If you notice them building a nest on your home or property, give Barrier Pest Control a call at 208-960-6232 . We’ll take the sting out of your BBQ!
Blog Courtesy of Barrier Pest Control Technician, Austin.
Photo Courtesy of Pascal
