July 27, 2006

Last night I spread window putty onto a carefully split wooden wedge and we went on the offesive against a nest of hornets living in our attic.

The hornets had broken through the insect net protecting the air vent and had a nice little hive going right over the bathroom window. I eyeballed the exact angle between the overhang of the roof and the wall of the house (just a tad acute from 60), and split a wedge from a straight piece of pine. A field trial on the unoccupied side of the house showed that the wedge fit nicely. I drove a long nail in though the back side so I could tack the wedge onto a pole, and spread a thick layer of window putty on the business faces. We worked under the cover of darkness when the enemy was asleep. My better half who shows no fear stood on a chair and hit the hive with a long burst of insect spray. The hive stirred. I quickly positioned the wedge over the entrance and pushed with all my might using the pole and a hockey stick. The roofing tiles buzzed angrily. I pushed some more. The putty oozed thickly from the sides of the wedge.

This morning the hive was silent-- so far they have not been able to chew their way out, nor have they found an alternative route into the house proper. This winter when the mercury drops I will go into the crawlspace and take away the nest.

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