Rutabaga Posted September 6, 2018 Report Share Posted September 6, 2018 I have long considered myself to be a pretty serious geek, but I think Colin has me beat. It is obvious in the joy he takes in learning about and describing things like the technology used to remove yellow jacket infestations, from the techniques to the hoses to the remedial application of fine mesh with frames to cover vent holes. Other stories include other examples of the same thing -- detailed descriptions of computer hardware, software, systems, etc. There is just a certain personality that is fascinated by how things work and how things connect together. I feel like a kindred spirit. Now of course this story takes some twists that are absolutely unexpected and make the whole thing much more interesting. But I have to say that just the yellow jacket part had a fair amount of tension. I don't know about other people, but to me, the idea of going after a yellow jacket infestation is pretty terrifying. No doubt this is related to the fact that my next younger brother and I got first-hand experience with yellow jackets when we were 7 and 9 back in Maryland -- we stepped in a massive underground yellow jacket's nest and got stung literally from head to foot. (The yellow jackets back east like to nest in the ground.) My only real question from the story is, what happened to Ryan? R Link to comment
ChrisR Posted September 6, 2018 Report Share Posted September 6, 2018 Absolutely fascinating tale, and one that doesn't even approach anything I've ever read around here before. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Just fascinating, gripping, damned good writing. Link to comment
colinian Posted September 6, 2018 Report Share Posted September 6, 2018 Thank you, Rutabaga and ChrisR. I appreciate your comments. My knowledge comes from when I was in high school and watched a modest size paper wasp nest being removed from the crawl space under the floor of the home of one of our neighbors. Yellow Jacket wasps in the San Francisco Bay Area are found both in paper nests ( a.k.a. paper wasps, like those removed in my story) and in nests in the ground (a.k.a. mud dauber wasps). Note that these two a.k.a. references are to popular names that have no scientific significance. Rutabaga, you asked, "…what happened to Ryan?" Unfortunately, harkening back to high school days, the response has to be the dreaded: "That is left as an exercise for the students." ? A hint, however: No high school students were impacted negatively in the writing of this story. Colin Link to comment
Rutabaga Posted December 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 The yellowjackets are back in this Pick from the Past. I decided to see what kinds of attic infestations of yellowjacket nests had been posted online. They're pretty intimidating: Dealing with them is not an occupation I would be eager to choose, thank you very much. R Link to comment
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