April 5th – You could have perhaps predicted our 82-year old
house was going to have a few uninvited guests when we
arrived after its 8+ years of “alone time.” I knew we could
expect wasps and mice based on my childhood experience and
can regrettably report we discovered these buzzing outside
and darting in cupboards our second day home. A few
residents surprised me though.
First was our very loud, active friend in the attic, walls
and roof. We noticed him or her — most likely a female
according to our Google research — the first or second
evening after arrival as she made her way in from the long
porch ceiling to our open attic. Her active behavior:
clicking, darting and frequent dropping of walnuts gave her
away quickly as a squirrel. Thank goodness because other
options were less appealing. There are many squirrels
running around in the yard and we can understand, given the
chilly temperature, why our arrival, complete with increased
house temperature, would make our ceiling and attic an
inviting place to settle and, likely, raise the family.
Second, just outside our master bedroom window, we were
delighted 😃 to find a healthy, growing hive of honey bees.
Those who know me understand clearly how delighted I was
with this development. Their hive, it turns out, is inside
the wall behind the stone in the air pocket before our
plaster walls. Oh boy! Despite my phobia, though, I’m
well aware of the peril facing pollinators in our country; I
understand their demise is a combination of many factors,
including pesticides and reduced food due to loss of
wildflowers. So, for me, their safety was ironically an
imperative.
That said, eviction notices were still necessary.
Fortunately, there are plenty of experts in the area and we
have been blessed to find folks locally who love our home
and, in the case of the bees, the animals themselves.
Animal Control Services helped seal up our house after we
decided it would take us years to find and close all the
entrances and exits to our attic. And a local beekeeper has
agreed to come and remove the bees — details in another post
— and restore our front lawn to a safe zone.
Two animals down, many more to discover. 🙂