Summer insect invasion!

I thought it was time for another lightish thread Slight smile This year has been pleasantly free of gnats (hate the things!) but the ants decided to cause me grief by chewing a hole in my patio door frame! Luckily the ants themselves appear to have disappeared now but it’s annoying as I now need to fill in the hole and clear up their mess! Why couldn’t they just use the door like everyone else? 

Has anyone else suffered at the hands of insects, this or any other summer? Comic/Serious/Other stories are all welcome Slight smile

Parents
  • Our wasp invasion was a nightmare in more ways than one.

    My relationship with my father was just about the worst possible and the reaction to the wasps is just one example. 

    Although his mental state was a hundred times worse than mine.  He openly hated me calling me an embarrassment and a stupid nutter.

    Our house had a  water system where a cold water tank in the loft was feeding the hot water tank.  one summer I noticed wasps coming in and out of the overflow pipe above the cold water tank.  I mentioned it to my parents. My father as usual completely ignored me, pretending that I didn't exist. My mother insisted we do nothing,  just leave the wasps alone.

    After about a week I noticed that the hot water was slightly yellow and had a horrible smell, when I saw bits of dead wasps coming through the hot water taps, I phoned for pest controllers. 

    I told my parents that the pest controllers were due in a couple of hours.  instantly my father ran for the ladder braved the swarm of wasps and tried to block the overflow pipe. So that there wouldn't be any wasps when the pest controllers arrived.  He failed.

    The pest controllers found three separate wasps nests in the attic,  one directly above the cold water tank.

  • Your Father doesn’t seem as though he was very understanding! I’d like to think that this incident taught him that you did know what you were talking about!

    Bits of wasps in the water sounds very hazardous! That would have done some harm if someone had accidentally drank a sting or trod on a sting in the bath! How long did it take for the water to be free if bits of wasps?

  • Only the hot water taps were affected. After a good flushing the water looked almost ok the next day.

    My big regret is that I didn't get a plumber to do a proper cleaning of the system ASAP. 

    My father didn't change, he just got older, more stubborn and continued hating/resenting me.

Reply
  • Only the hot water taps were affected. After a good flushing the water looked almost ok the next day.

    My big regret is that I didn't get a plumber to do a proper cleaning of the system ASAP. 

    My father didn't change, he just got older, more stubborn and continued hating/resenting me.

Children
  • Yes probably best to sterilise the water before using it after that incident. I’d do the same. No actually I’d have only used shop bought bottled water from then on. Something like that would have got into my head! 

    My relationship with my mum could also fill a whole psychology book! 

  • The long term problem was my state of mind.

    I never cleaned my teeth with water from the hot water tap. I heated cold water in a kettle and used that.

    My twisted relationship with my parents could fill a whole psychology book.

  • That’s really good that it all got flushed through so quickly! Did not employing a plumber cause any long term problems? I’m sorry to hear about your father, it must have been difficult for you?