bridgecity's Diaryland Diary

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Tongs

An unusual amount of hornets were flying around my patio. They had abandoned their nest in the ivy for lack of water and decided upon the moist environment inside the large philodendron next to the back door. I don't mind wasps since they keep the parasite population down* but hornets, if they want to live on my property, need to keep away from the house. After briefly contemplating the most effective method, I decided to wait until sunset and crush the nest with a pair of extra large grill-tongs. Both hornets and wasps become rather docile at night and I've dealt with this issue many times throughout home-ownership, with varying degrees of success.
I positioned the tongs over the tiny nest, still under construction, upon which six or seven hornets were resting. I quickly clamped the tongs against the nest and held it tight momentarily. A single hornet drifted up and away. I let loose the tongs and saw I had fully crushed the nest and every hornet but the one. I had a strange feeling of pride and shame. I don't like to kill anything, even most insects. A sense of bewilderment set in that I would feel sorry for hornets.

*I once saw a wasp stinging the living shit out of a worm eating my tomatoes.

11:03 p.m. - 2018-08-22

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