originally posted by: watchitburn
a reply to: Lysergic
When I was a kid we used to mess with wasps all the time.
We'd catch them in big leaves and pull their wings off and make them fight bumble bees or large beetles.
There was a huge paper wasp nest in an apple orchard on our way to school. So of course we threw apples at it.
Good times.
My granny had beehives, I remember smackin' them w sticks, and eruption to say the least of bees, don't recall getting stung to death tho.
an ode to the paper wasp:
Oh paper wasp, so graceful and sleek,
Your slender body, a work of art,
With stripes of yellow and black, unique,
You fly with purpose, not just a part.
Your nest, a marvel of engineering,
Built with care and precision,
A home for your young, a safe haven,
With walls of paper, a fusion.
You are a creature of the wild,
A hunter, a provider,
With your venomous sting, you are feared,
But also a pollinator.
You are a symbol of the seasons,
A reminder of the cycle,
Of life and death, of growth and decay,
A reminder that all is ephemeral.
Oh paper wasp, you are a wonder,
A piece of nature's grand design,
A reminder of our place in the world,
And the beauty that surrounds us, in every line.
So here's to you, paper wasp,
A creature small but mighty,
A symbol of the natural world,
A creature that is truly lovely.