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. 🙂