Red wasps

I don't know where they're coming in, but our house is being invaded by red wasps looking for a winter nesting spot. I've killed a half dozen of them in the past couple of days, but more keep showing up.

They aren't particularly aggressive since they don't have nests to guard, but they will sting, nonetheless. I know. I was stung by one this morning as I was getting ready for work. The shirt I planned to wear was hanging on the back of the bathroom door, along with a black skirt. When I put the clothes on, everything was just fine. But when I started putting on my ascot, I felt the prick of something that felt like one of those stiff threads some clothes are sewn together with. In just a few seconds, it went from the prick sensation to a small burning sensation, and I knew I'd been stung.

I got stung again on my back, before I could get my shirt back off again. I think I had less trouble buttoning it than unbuttoning it because I was in a hurry to get that wasp out of my clothes! I shook my shirt out and the wasp popped out and into the floor, where he met his fate.

I'm not allergic to stings, and this sting didn't actually bother me much at all after all the drama was over. It left a welt on my neck for just a couple of hours, then went away. The one on my back was even less troublesome because the wasp had to sting through my undershirt, too. (Who says they can only sting you once?!)

Probably the worst sting I've ever had was from a yellow jacket a few years ago. It stung my wrist. My hand and part of my arm swelled. It was very painful and lasted all night and into the next day. My sweet Mom stayed up all night with me to make sure there weren't any worse reactions.

The cooler temperatures the past few days have caused the wasps to be very lethargic, so they are easy targets when they come inside. I'm sure they have their place in this world, but it's not the inside of my house!