Friday, July 31, 2009

The Joys of Owning a Home, OR War with the Bumblebees

Sting number three for Chris. I have still managed to dodge the stingers on all the butts of all the bees in our yard, but I feel my lucky streak can only hold out so long.

Instead of yellow jackets, today Chris and I battle the surprisingly aggressive bumblebees that have made the bottom of our home air condition unit a stop on their flight path. Chris was taking the unit apart so we could clean it out - the metal filter thing was covered in dirt and dust and grass - and suddenly he grabbed his sandal and threw it into the driveway. Another point for the insects at the house on Church Street. (I've decided I want to give our house a name, like a lot of famous writers do, but I haven't come up with a fitting one yet. But I digress ...)

Unfortunately, the bee attacks didn't end there. Once the other spotted the poor little dead body of the bumblebee sans its stinger, the bees got angry. Three flew over immediately, so I ran in to get the insect spray I bought from Lowes the other day. So, with hornet spray for Chris and Home Defense Max for me, we headed back outside with our ammunition.

The battle, I am sorry to say, lasted for hours. Many bumble lives were lost.

We had a tough time getting the air conditioner cleaned out and a tougher time putting it back together. But that didn't compare to the bombardment of bees. Every three or four minutes, another bee or two would dive bomb us. And they weren't just trying to investigate. They aimed at our heads and charged no matter what direction we ran away screaming in.

In the end, I think we may have wiped out an entire hive of bees. The deaths burden my heart. lol I do worry that we just contributed to the ever-looming threat of extinction to the bees, which I believe scientists predict will lead to the destruction of mankind. So we may have just doomed you all. Sorry about that.

But the air conditioner is clean and purring like a kitten ...

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