Life in the South - Insect Combat

So, here we go again. More interesting experiences with insects in the south. However, of the insects to be covered, only one of them are actually new to me. Before I get into what happened, let me paint the picture for what I was actually doing today.

After waking up and running a few errands, I decided that between the rain we've been getting lately and the amount of time since the last time it had been done, it was time to cut my grass. Typically, this is an uneventful task. Grab the lawnmower, push it around for while, and in time, you'll be done. Then, if you are like me, you'll pull out the weed whacker and do some touch-up work. So, this was the plan and the intention for my work today. Well, for the most part, these tasks were completed. However, not without some hurdles along the way.

The first notable thing of the day took place a few times. Ants. There were 4 noticeable ant hills in my yard. 1 in the front yard, 2 in the backyard, and one to the left of our patio. Thankfully, all of the hills I encountered were blank ants. Otherwise, I would have much more to complain about after being swarmed by fire ants. Anyway, of the 4 mounds that I had to deal with, only two of them were active. By the time I was done addressing their mounds, I'm quite certain that they were not happy with me.

When I came into proximity of their colonies, I made sure to seriously reduce the size of their mounds. I doubt that I will discourage them from continuing residence in my yard with what I did, but I'm sure I caused the colony some serious discomfort. I started out with running the mower blade over the top of the mound. Nothing special, just putting a tornado over their home. From there, I would push & pull the mower across a few times and do another static run. This does a good job at taking the first few layers of dirt off the mound. It also lets them know you are there and tearing down their home. To finish off the destruction, I pull the mower back and scrub the ground with the front wheels of the mower to bring the mound down to level followed by another static run to disperse the loosened dirt. By this point, the mounds is full of action and they're pissed.

Now, DO NOT try this on a fire ant mound. If you have never been exposed to these vicious insects, please take my word on it. I personally have not allowed myself to be bitten by these hostile bugs, but I have seen other people react to them and have heard stories. The stories have been enough for me to know to give them their berth.

My next nature encounter involved a very unexpected insect. To protect the squeamish amongst us (yes, you mom), I will not post a picture. If you want to see the thing that I'm about to describe, check out the link that I will provide. Anyway, I was doing my thing, cutting the grass and had to get close to the house. In getting close to the house, I had to address the two small areas that are inset from the fireplace and chimney. Well, after getting the outer weeds that were accumulating here, I was working on getting closer to the house. Well, no sooner was a calling the first inset done, I caught some movement in my peripheral vision.

Once I was able to identify what moved, I damn near jumped out of my skin. There was a spider in a web attached to my house. Ok, this doesn't sound like a big deal. However, what I didn't tell you was how LARGE it was. This thing was about 3" in diameter from leg tip to leg tip. I am NOT exaggerating. I am serious about the size. No only was this thing huge, it was black with extremely vibrant yellow spots, and had some serious fangs on its face. Now, this encounter did not send me running for cover, but it did give me some pause. I let it be and took a walk next door. I asked my neighbor, whom is a southern native, to have a peek. I knew it wasn't a black widow and it wasn't a recluse, but due to its size, I really wanted a second opinion as to what it was and if I should want to kill it or let it be.

I know spiders are generally good things to have in your yard but, you know how it is, stereotypes don't always apply to all members of the group being reviewed. Therefore, I wanted some other input. After getting my neighbor's entire family out of their house, they were quite calm and cool about it. They said, without a doubt, don't worry about it, it is harmless. Then they said it could be either a banana spider or a wolf spider. Interestingly, when I searched for them, these options looked worse than what I had encountered. Both suggestions are not usually found to the size of the guy (actually girl, the male variety is smaller and less colorful) I found. However, I was able to find this creature online that represents what I found today. The Black & Yellow Argiope is what I found.

The black & yellow argiope is an absolutely harmless spider to humans. However, I don't recommend surprise encounters with them. They will get your attention in a hurry. Anyway, after being reassured that I didn't have to be worried about this creature, I moved on to finish cutting my grass. Well, thankfully, the grass cutting was completed successfully. However, the weed whacking took insect encounters to a whole new level.

I was just about to finish up for the night when something very alarming occurred. While I was progressing in the front yard with the weed whacker, I managed to piss off some of my unwanted residents. I had a neighbor tell me that they were there, but when I searched last, I was unable to find them. Well, I guess I had forgotten about the warning. I was whacking along and then, almost simultaneously, felt pain in my wrist, elbow, and chin. It didn't take me long to realize that I was getting stung. Anyway, I encountered a yellow jacket nest. Absolutely NO fun.

As soon as the realization hit home, I turned tail and ran around my yard. I didn't stop running until I got to the back yard. In that short period of time, there were a few things that occurred of note. My weed whacker is gas. Right before I started to run, I released the throttle, however, once I got across the yard, it occurred to me that I need to stop the engine before I toss the machine. It is amazing how quickly all of this occurred and conversely how long it felt like it took. Once the motor was stopped, I dropped it and kept running. In between turning tail and dropping the weed whacker, I realized that there was something on my face. I distinctly recall taking two swipes at my chin. Well, once I realized that they were not chasing after me any longer, I started to take stock of my damages.

I found that the stinger and part of the tail end of a bee was left in my wrist, I couldn't see where the sting occurred by my elbow and obviously, I couldn't see my own face in the yard. In addition to the stinger being present, I was shaking. I guess it was adrenaline kicking there. Anyway, it was my right wrist and elbow that got the hits. I'm right handed and Angel was at work. So, I made another trip to my neighbor's house. They hooked me up by removing the singular stinger we could find and some sting soothe. Once we finished addressing my stings, we sought to terminate the existence of these violent pests. Thankfully, I had already purchased a can of yellow jacket nest killing foam spray. We zapped the nest and headed in the house.

Well, this put an end to any further yard work. Instead of continuing on my yard work duties, I invited the guys in for an introduction to some high-end whiskey. I pulled out the bottle of Old Weller 107 and gave the guys about a shot on ice in a tumbler. They were most impressed. As was I when I first got to experience what it is. What a fine way to forget about the previous few events and wind down.