WASP WARS!!!

Our deck is in need of replacement, which we are doing.  But we were able to save a little money by putting it off until the Fall.  So, we haven't used our deck much this year. 
Mary Lynn was out on the deck yesterday reading.  Plus, she likes to sit out there and warm up from the air conditioned house.  When she came in she told me she thinks there's a wasp nest inside the umbrella, which hasn't been up this year.  So, I went out to check.  As I tried to raise the umbrella to see, a swarm of wasps came flying out and I took cover inside the back screen door. Even though they ran Mary Lynn inside and attacked me, I still tried to negotiate a peace.  I offered a place for them to move and would give them time to do it.  But, they answered by running me inside again.  So, after a few minutes, I went out and sprayed 'Ortho Hornet and Wasp Killer' up into the underside and down from the top.  A lot of wasps flew out and a few of them dropped.  But, this stuff comes out in a stream and I didn't think it was getting up inside the umbrella, so I tried 'Raid'.  I think the mist of the 'Raid' did a pretty good job, in that 7 or 8 wasps dropped to the table.  As I looked around, I noticed another nest under the eave of the house above out bedroom window.  This nest was about as big as a tennis ball.  So, a two front war.  I decided to wait until morning.  A dawn raid.  I knew they would be less active in the morning, and all of them would be at the nest. 
Morning came.  The temperature only dropped to 71 degrees.  Not nearly cold enough to make them immobile.  But, everything was in place, so I decided to attack!

First, I attacked the one on the house above the bedroom windows. I didn't want to have to fight on both fronts at the same time.  I sprayed the nest with the Hornet Spray, then ran inside.  After a few minutes, I went out at sprayed again, then, back inside.  When I went out, the nest was empty, and I knocked it down.  One nest down, the hardest one to go.
After another spray of Raid up into the bottom, and a spray down from the top, it was back inside to wait a while.
After a few minutes, I went out to raise the umbrella to see what I had.  I grabbed one of the umbrella ribs and raised......WHOA!  I thought there was a little nest about the size of a quarter, which has been pretty common in our umbrella.  But, there were TWO nests, and one of them was HUGE!  And, still had a lot of live wasps on it!  So, now that I knew what I was fighting, it was more spray, top, bottom, and on the side of the umbrella the nest was attached.  Back inside to wait a bit.  After  a few, I went back out to raise the umbrella.  I raised it and locked it up.  There were still several wasps on the nest, but looked intent on staying put.  I guess they were the guardians of the eggs.  Sorry......but I hit the nest with a direct hit of the  Ortho Hornet and Wasp Spray.  That took care of them.  Then, I knocked the 2 nests down, and the Wasp Wars came to an end.  I suffered no casualties, but can't say the same for the wasps.  I gave them a chance, but they didn't take it.