Me vs. The Wasps

My husband told me I couldn’t do it. I showed him or did I?

We have a sink in our garage which has been very useful over the years. But, the sink has, for some unknown reason, gotten more stains in it than I care to look at. I decided the only way to get those stains out effectively, and without scrubbing for hours, is using my handy power-washer. My husband insisted I was going to get water everywhere. But, I had a plan. I would soak up any water with old towels. Guess what? I got those stains out and I soaked up the excess water. The sink and even the counter around it looked extremely clean. I was impressed with my work.

I go outside the garage door to take the hose off the powerwasher and then that’s when it happened. I got swarmed by four angry red wasps. One came right towards my face and stung me on my cheek. I brushed it off and then it landed on my thumb and stung me. Another one went directly towards my head but I somehow got away from him. I screamed and immediately ran into the house, crying and gasping for air.

To my dismay, I came around the corner of our utility room, and my husband was lying on the floor in immense pain. I kept telling him to check his hip, check his hip, check his hip. He then told me he heard me scream, got up from his recliner too quickly, bummed his shoulder hard against the wall which caused him to fall on the floor.

He informed me that he could move his legs and there was no pain in his hip. It was his back. Those of you who know my husband, know that he has had serious back issues for years. I froze. He got up and started walking around but he was still in a lot of pain. I got ice for my cheek and the stinging was getting worse. At that point, I made the decision we have to go to the emergency room, two reasons, 1) I was very concerned about his back, 2) the stinging in my cheek wouldn’t go away and the redness was getting worse.

I drove to the hospital and both of us were admitted to separate rooms. I got a shot and a prescription. My husband received x-rays that showed no broken bones, a shot and also a prescription.

Since the whole ordeal, we have had the outside of the house exterminated again. I’ve learned that red wasps are aggressive little bugs. They get their name from their reddish-brown color of their body and head. They are extremely territorial and if threatened they will attack. Their nests are paper-like and look like an upside-down umbrella. If the nest is unchecked the nest can become the largest of the wasp species. I make sure I carry wasp spray with me everywhere I go in my yard because I am not going to take any chances of getting swarmed or stung again.

Update on my wasp sting, I now have itchy spots on my body that have been diagnosed as more of an allergic reaction to the stings. But, my husband’s back is getting better each and every day.

It is extremely important that during these summer months. People need to be careful and do not try to remove a wasp nest by yourself. Call an expert to do the job for you. Stay safe!