The Wasps in the Willows
We have carried on our routine of schooly stuff early on again (only 25 more day and I can call it a habit!) which she followed with a Sound of Music marathon, first the film then the sing-a-long bit so I’m calling that music and literacy on the off chance she noticed some of the words on the screen 
There were also a few discussions arround ww2 history thrown in.
The neighbours had given her a couple of tubes of Smarties which she wanted to make into muffins so we did that, well, actually, she did it, I stood on the sidelines and offered vague assistance. One day she will get all the batter into the baking cases without dripping it all over everywhere but not for a while I suspect 
She did a very commendable attempt at reading the entire recipe too which was pretty impresseive but does vaguely worry me - I can see me having to deal with the aftermath of unsupervised spontaneous baking at some point in the next year (where’s that smilie with the hair stood up when you need him?)
Duke came home with chemicals to kill the wasp nest and set about trying to find it. We are still non the wiser but our willow is much smaller now! They are swarming in the willow at the back of the garden, litterally hundreds of them all over it and one strayed into next door the other day so we got asked very firmly to deal with them (u-huh, like we were enjoying their company you understand) Duke cleared the undergrowth by the expedient method of throwing parafin from a safe distance followed by a match 
No nest under there then (but half the wasps buzzed off to less smokey gardens!) So then he started hacking back the tree a bit at a time to see if it was in the branches. It’s not, but our willow is half the size, ho hum it needed a good pruning I guess. Aparently it’s the bugs they are after, and our willow is infested with huge great black bugs so it must be like an "all you can eat big plate special" for them. They aren’t living there though so we are still no closer to being rid. Duke enjoyed the oportunity to go all pyromaniac on the undergorwn though (sigh)
sometimes councils offere a wasp service?
look in your loft and the garage ceiling.
Comment by HelenHaricot — September 5, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
oh and i imagine the chance to be pyromaniac was greaabed with both hands - rofl.
the HE sounds like it is working really well.
Comment by HelenHaricot — September 5, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
Still can’t find the **** nest, it it’s in the garage we are done for - you can’t get in more than about a foot at either end
We’ve checked the eaves, def not there (nor the shed eaves) I am pretty sure they are flying off away from our garden once they have finished dining on the bugs but no idea where to.
Comment by Administrator — September 6, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
Not that this helps you now but they don’t come back to the same nest next year.
Comment by Michelle — September 6, 2007 @ 7:51 pm
well, yes, that’s comforting, I think. They won’t be coming back to the willow either…. it got savaged yesterday evening whilst I wasn’t keeping an eye on teh 40 something year old child who didn’t like it anyway…
Comment by Administrator — September 7, 2007 @ 12:19 pm
Hmm. Yes those 40 something year old children are more trouble than the 6 year old variety in my experience.
Comment by Michelle — September 7, 2007 @ 4:37 pm