BUZZKILL

I had a trash bag in each hand and was headed to our outdoor garbage pail when two very large carpenter bees came flying right towards my head.

“Oh, for the love of…” I ducked and dropped the two bags on the ground.

But the bees weren’t done yet. They swooped around my head, one actually pinging off my forehead. “Hey!” I rubbed the spot as I stepped back. “Steven!” I called to my husband.

He was working in his garden on the other side of the yard. “A carpenter bee just pinged off my head!” I cried.

Steven put down the hose he’d been using to water the tomato plants and walked over to where I was standing. I was still rubbing my forehead.

“They must have drilled some holes in the fence.” He went over to inspect the wooden fence that surrounded where we kept the garbage pails.

“Well, that’s nice for them.” I pointed to the garbage bags laying on the ground by his feet. “Can you toss them in the pail for me please?”

Steven grabbed the two bags with one hand, opened the lid to the can and tossed them in all while the carpenter bees swooped around him.

“Can they sting?” I asked as I stayed a safe distance away.

“The females can but they don’t usually.” He began examining the fence. “Here you go! I found a couple of places where they’ve drilled their holes. They’ve probably already laid their eggs.”

“Okay, so how do we get rid of them?” I stepped back further and watched them circle the garbage pail.

“Well, I guess I could cover up the holes.” Steven looked over at fence.

“Perfect! The sooner the better!” I was headed back to the kitchen door when Steven called over to me.

“You know they’re great pollinators.”

I stopped and turned around, I’m sure he could see the look of surprise on my face. “Are you serious?”

I looked at him standing there with the two carpenter bees circling his head while he was looking at his garden.

He nodded his head. “I am.”

I looked over at his garden too. He’d been spending hours planting and tending it for months now.

I took a deep breath. “So you’re not worried about the damage they’re doing to the fence?”

“It’s a couple of little holes right now.”

I started to laugh. “You weren’t saying that last year when they were going after our deck!”

Steven shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t have a garden then.”

I shook my head as I laughed. “Okay, I’ll make you a deal.”

Steven looked skeptical. “What kind of deal?”

“You can keep your bees but you have to be the one to take out the garbage. I’m not going near those pails with those two idiots buzzing around.”

“Deal!” Steven said.

I turned around and headed back to the kitchen door. “Best deal ever.” I whispered under my breath.

“Did you say something?” Steven called.

“I said love you!” I called over my shoulder.

“Love you, too!”