Thursday, September 8, 2016

Stings suck, or why I will no longer be bullied by the wasp lobby.

I've been spending a lot of time outside. Not because I like outside, but because my dachshund cannot be left unattended.

He loves tomatoes.

And now that my tomato plants are finally bearing fruit, he views my tiny garden plot as his personal salad bar. I say, "Frank! Get outta the tomatoes!" approximately 437 times a day.
So, I was standing next to the tomatoes, keeping watch while Lil' Frankfurter pretended to be looking for a place to potty. I was just standing there, you know? So, I decided to pull a weed.

Note to self: Pulling weeds is for suckers. Because I evidently interrupted a wasp. And to show his displeasure, that wasp stung my arm. Twice.

I like to think that I didn't start screaming "FUCK!" repeatedly until I was actually inside my house. For any neighbors who might report that that was not the case? I apologize.

But there I was, screaming "FUCK" in my kitchen, holding an icepack to my tricep while trying to open a Benadryl one-handed. I had forgotten how much wasp stings hurt. And how stupid individually wrapped medications are.

Then I took the Benadryl and forgot everything. My arm kind of hurt, but I was floating along. Nothing could faze me. Lil' Frank wanted to eat some tomatoes? Fiiiiiine.

But the next day? The next day, my arm featured a bright red welt about the size of a Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pie. It was hot. It hurt. It itched. And, according to the interwebs, it was "a large localized reaction."

Woe, woe is me! I kvetched about my sad, sad plight to pretty much anyone within earshot or within sight of the welt I'd covered with a paste made of baking soda. I'm turning into my grandma, but with way more whining.

One of my pals asked, "What do wasps do, anyway?"

It was a valid question. If I got in the way of a wasp who was researching leukemia or working on a road crew, that was one thing. But a wasp who was just chillin' in my yard, where he does not pay rent? That seems like something else entirely.

So, I did some research. The interwebs informed me that wasps are super-important. They do basically the same work as bees, except they aren't as beloved. And, if wasps go away? ARMAGEDDON. Mass environmental destruction. Fire raining from the sky! Dogs and cats living together!

I think we can all agree that this is propaganda from the wasp lobby. Big Wasp is behind all of these lies. Here's the truth:

Wasps are the payday loan sharks of the insect world.

Sure, some of them are bookies or own vaping emporiums. But for the most part? These greasy, too-much-cologne-wearing, pinky-ring-having slimeballs do nothing but rip off hardworking folks like you and me.

That wasp robbed me of an entire workday as I mellowed in a Benadryl stupor. And now I will never be a tricep model, as the welt is still evident. That's not even getting into the emotional scars.

So, friends, I beg of you: Do not get your information from Big Wasp. Do your own research. The next time a Facebook friend posts a pro-wasp link, don't just mindlessly click "Like." Seek out independent sources that aren't part of the pro-wasp media or under the wing of the wasp lobby. We have to think for ourselves.

Years ago, Mom, Poochie, and I stood at the sliding glass door, cheering as Dad sprayed Raid into one end of our metal jungle gym and then ran like hell as a swarm of wasps flew out the other end.

This "Leave It To Beaver"-like tableau is on my mind and close to my heart, especially in light of recent events. Dad? Thank you for teaching me what is right.

5 comments:

  1. Bahahahaha! Payday loan sharks of the insect world!

    Must be the time of year for bastard wasps to show their dominance in the animal kingdom. I got stung on Monday, also while pulling weeds. I raided the dog's stash of benadryl (yes, you read that correctly), with no help from my husband who is allergic to bees and "didn't want to die from secondhand wasp venom" (I may have informed him that wasps are different then bees and that I have a shovel and place to bury him in mind should he croak), but all is well now.

    Hope you're feeling better now!

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  2. We had wasps move into the gate of our community garden plot last summer - I got stung TWICE before we realized where they were coming from. We nuked the bastards.

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  3. I also have been stung by a wasp as I was pulling weeds. Therefore, weeds are really ground cover and should not be pulled. I'm not sure exactly what I was screaming after it happened. Let's just say my hubby came running around the house and the next door neighbor abandoned his running lawn mower to sprint across the yard to see what was wrong.

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  4. We spray wasp nests pretty regularly around here. It's exciting and terrifying, we get TONS of them and they swarm in epic numbers sometimes. Getting stung really bites, but if you can flick the stinger out it makes a big difference. Speed on that can make a wasp sting's effects no worse than a bad mosquito bite.
    Your dog eats tomatoes? Is that normal? Should I ask that?

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  5. Frank is a character. Do you think he paid the wasp off just so he could get his paws and jaws on your tomatoes?
    Honestly, dogs and cats living together could be worse. It could be better, but it did calm down after 2 years. My cat is finally willing to walk past the sleeping dog to get to her litter box.

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