TO BEE FRENZY, OR NOT TO BEE FRENZY -- THAT IS THE QUESTION

I have been trying to do some spring planting in a little area I have where my walkway comes up to my house.  Every spring I try to get creative, and every spring the bees drive me away.  They whip in and out of the holly bush at the space between the start of the brick path and the end of the driveway.

Today, though, I decide to put some beach rocks in the space.  Tomorrow I'll add the mini solar lights, too, but I forget to bring them outside, so today is just going to be rock day.  I need to see how many more rocks I need to complete the area.

I'm annoyed with the bees, and I cannot determine if they're inside the holly bush or creating hives inside the stone wall.  No matter.  I grab the two almost-empty canisters of wasp and hornet spray, and I spray the shit out of the bush and the rocks.

A couple of bees dive-bomb me.  One lands on my sweatshirt, so I spray that sucker right in its gumpy until it falls to the ground.  I've either killed it or made it completely Raid-drunk.

It doesn't seem to deter the bees too much, so I go over to the area, dump my rocks in anyway, and start spreading them out.  I'm only driven back twice by the bees, but I soldier on.  Yes, indeed, I will need more beach rocks.  Many, many more beach rocks.

As I stand back and admire my semi-handiwork, pleased that I have not been stung nor swarmed, I notice movement over the fence.  It looks like flying dots.  It looks like ... it looks like ... it looks like ...

Sonofabitch.

The damn bees are not in the holly bush.  Well, I mean, they ARE in the holly bush, but it's only by default.  Hanging over the top of the fence from the neighbors' side to mine are several tall lilac bushes, just starting to work up to their spring blooms.  There are tons of bees swirling around and fighting for control over the damn lilac bushes.

Two now-fully-empty bottles of hornet spray later, I surrender.  I'm not going to bother getting the solar lights out today.  I'll wait until the bees aren't in their afternoon frenzy of sending me into a frenzy.