Attack of the Killer Bees

Woke up this morning and noticed that the end pair of panels on the patio were being partially shaded by new growth from a tall bush by the fence.

No problem, I thought.  I'll just get the loppers out and trim a bit off the top so that the morning light can reach the panel.  Snip... snip...snip.  Hmm quite a lot of bees on these flowers... You can see all the blue flowers all over the branches.  No worries, they'll just fly off.  Snip...snip...snip... what the..?  Hey! Ouch!  Wahhh!!!

Retired to a safe distance to see the top of the bush a mass of bees.  I thought one had "bumped" into my hand rather hard.  Then it started to come up in a red bump.  Oh oh...  

Luckily, we have some anti-histamine tablets in the house as I get hayfever and we had some sting neutralising liquid (ammonia solution).  If you put it on quickly after a sting the bump goes away completely and you're as good as new.

Back in the garden, I took a closer look at what I was cutting...  Hidden inside the thickest part of the bush was a bees (or is it a wasp?  Never quite sure...) nest.  Quite beautifully crafted from paper and always has a couple of "sentries" guarding the entrance at the bottom and others making the next layer of the shell from chewed up wood.

 It's an ideal spot for them as the bush has a lot of flowers and we grow roses and all sorts of flowers plus there's a pile of rotting wood next to the bush so no shortage of building materials for them.

Oh yeah... I managed to half clear the offending branches that were shading the last pair of panels on the array so I guess I bought a few more Watt hours in the morning but I doubt I'll be doing any more hacking and slashing this summer.