killing flying insects and spiders

    One warm sunshiny day, y-e-a-r-s ago now, we suddenly had a yellow jacket in our kitchen. I mean a ginormous buzzing yellow jacket! No kidding, that thing was larger than a silver dollar in size! I tried propping the outside kitchen door open and using something to steer it that direction, but it wasn't interested. Nope, it was convinced that it could exit via my large kitchen window. I wish it could have too. The problem with both of our wishes on that, was that the window was a large single piece of unopenable glass. There had been many a time I wish that it was openable for breezes. But it wasn't. But this yellow jacket on steroids stayed close to my unopenable window. Well, pretty much so. If one of us ventured into the kitchen, it decided we needed investigated. That didn't sit well with me. And our sons were all young boys at that point in time. The size of that thing and it's extraordinarily loud buzzing freaked them out!
    I was in quite the predicament! We could not just stay out of the kitchen until Brian got home from work! For one thing, he wasn't coming home till after ten p.m., and this was only early afternoon. It was one of the days where after working all day at his regular job, he was heading out on a catering job. A long day for him. That long with a potential attacker in my house, was going to make it an eternity for me!
    There were also other more important reasons we could not stay out of the kitchen that long. Number one being obvious - the kitchen is where the food is! Number two was very important - the boys bedroom was right next to the kitchen, and it was almost nap time. There was no way they were settling down for their rest time / naps!!! They were convinced that the yellow jacket would get bored in the kitchen and come try their open bedroom window. And no, just closing their bedroom door would not be good enough. The door didn't seal very good at all, and "mom, the bee will just come through the crack by the floor where we like to shove stuff and then be in our room!!!". YOU try convincing them otherwise!
    Reason number three was highly important - the only way to access our bathroom was through the kitchen. I knew from experience, that young sons had no problems using one rather secluded spot in the back yard to pee in. I was convinced that changing my song and telling them that they now had to pee there for the day, would not be a wise move on my part! And there was no way what-so-ever that I was going to do so! We lived in the city! A highly populated, quite close together houses, section of the city! Not me!
    While I had an often effectively used fly swatter, I was very hesitant to attempt using it on that yellow jacket! For one, that critter was so huge and mincing that I was afraid I wouldn't get the fly swatter squared on it right and just sort of damage it. I was terrified of what it's response would be!
    In desperation I called the N.A.P.A. store Brian worked at, to see if by chance he was in the store. Nope, he was out on the road. However the guy whom had answered the phone sensed the desperateness in my tone of voice. He inquired if I needed a ride to the E.R. or something (we only had one car). I reassured him no, and thanked him. He persisted, wanting to know if they needed to track Brian down, or if there was some way they could help. I told him that he was probably going to get a good laugh with the guys out of this later, but what my problem was. Thankfully he got concerned, and asked me to hold while he asked the other guys for suggestions. Instead of actually pushing the hold button, he just laid the phone on the counter. I then heard him very loudly call out that Brian's wife was on the phone and what my problem was, and did anybody know what I should do?
    The answer came back that I should spray it with some WD-40. "Does it have to be WD-40?" I didn't know where Brian's can of it was. "No, that's just a heavy spray we always have in the garage." I chuckled, I was after all talking to a group of auto guys. "You can use any type of heavy aerosol kind of spray. Use your hair spray, or deodorant, or air freshener, or what ever you've got handy. Spray a good solid blast at it. It won't kill the bee, but the aerosol stuff coats it's wings so it can't fly for a couple of minutes, thus giving you ample time to kill it good, or if your light hearted, to scoop it up and toss it out the back door."
    I didn't know how it had got into my kitchen in the first place. I was not tossing it outside so that it could later find it's way back in again!!! Nope, nope, nope!
    Over the years, I have found that this methodology not only works on flying insects, it also stops a spider in it's tracks, so you can scoop it up with a tissue and flush it!
    This tip came to mind the other day due to a fly. Yes, a simple little 'house fly'. Why? Well, there was a fly in the living room, and before I could stop them, my eyes were following it's flight path. And then I was all kinds of dizzy! Vertigo and flying flies do not mix well!!! Eek! But you have to follow a fly with your eyes in order to use a fly swatter on it. Not a wise plan at present! So I tried ignoring it. Yeah. It insisted on flying around close to the TV screen I was watching. I totally understand why they are refereed to as "pesty flies"!!! Thankfully a son was home whom could take care of it for me, but this methodology came to mind for 'next time'. It's now spring. You know there will be a next time.
    After remembering this tip, I wasn't sure if I had ever shared it with all of you, or if so, how long ago that had been. I checked, and I had not listed it on the posting about multiple uses for pan coating spray, so I decided to share the info with you this way :-D I know you'll thank me later!!! o:-)

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I 'plan' on linking this particular posting to:
~ "Make-Do Mondays", are hosted by Shari, at 'My Practically Perfect Life' (www.practically-perfect-life.blogspot.com).
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace' (http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com/).
~ "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes' (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).

{True, this is not a recipe or a cooking tip per say, but it is useable in a kitchen!!!}