Attacked!

I barely made it inside the house. . .seriously.

Like many of you I've not had the need to mow my yard much this summer. In fact, I didn't mow at all from mid June until three weeks ago. The three times that I've mowed since then have led to my being stuck by ground-dwelling bees. I got stung on the ankle twice last summer, but this year they seem more aggressive. In addition to my ankle, I've been nailed on the shoulder, my ear, and the top of my head!

Usually, I can see them coming after me, but yesterday I discovered that they are in collusion with the mosquitoes this year! I started out by mowing the front and side yards with my trusty push mower, and everywhere I rolled the thing a cloud of mosquitoes would appear from the cut grass. I didn't seem to be taking any bites, despite their numbers, so I continued on. Before breaking out the lawn tractor for the "back forty", I decided to run the hand mower around the trees and the edges of the property. That's when they got me. . .

I felt the sting on top of my head, turned, and saw. . .mosquitoes everywhere! I could barely make out the bees among them - I zigged and zagged clear down to the lake before looking back again. By then the skeeters had faded back into the lawn, and I could see dozens of bees swarming around the lawn mower which I had abandoned in my flight! I waited several minutes before creeping back and hastily retrieving it, and called it a day.

Today I went back out on the tractor and mowed the rest of the back yard, exclusive of the area claimed by the bees yesterday, which I gave wide berth. In our previous encounters, they had attacked me AFTER I passed over the nest holes and I was easily able to view the entry and exit, and seal the holes. THIS time, I had apparently not completed the pass or they had made a pre-emptive "Bush Doctrine" style attack on me. And their mosquito allies covered the bee's movements with their own in the long grass.

Not wanting to make "insect accupuncture" part of my daily grind, I kept my distance today, but mixed up a potion of lemon amonnia, citrus dish soap and oil soap and set the hose end sprayer to soak the area in question until the quart container was emptied. That'll teach 'em. And I've got all night. . .

Now, where DID I put that electric bug zapper. . .