Homeowner stunned after catching brazen act from neighbor's yard: 'Make 'em pay'

A homeowner expressed shock after catching an overzealous neighbor's contractor in the act.

They shared the frustrating story to the r/neighborsfromhell subreddit and admitted they were simply "trying to understand what just happened."

The Redditor introduced the story by saying, "This isn't really a hellish thing, but really just weird." 

"I just caught on camera a possible mosquito abatement sprayer lean over our fence from the neighbor's yard and spray our trees. Many trees. Near the hummingbird feeder," they explained. "What. The. Heck?"

The original poster's alarm is justified. It is an invasion of their space for their neighbor or their neighbor's hired help to possibly spread insecticides in their yard.

One Redditor suggested a quick response: "Pull down the feeders and scrub the hell out of them! Now!"

That fear of the destructive impact of insecticides is also valid. Many include pyrethrins and pyrethroids that are toxic to far more than just mosquitoes, as the National Wildlife Federation detailed.

These chemicals can spell doom for an array of pollinators that are beneficial to our fruits and vegetables, including bumblebees and monarch butterflies. The OP's hummingbirds also could face some negative consequences, as a University of Toronto study revealed. Pet owners should also be wary.

"Keep an eye on the feeders and the birds," a Redditor suggested. "Insecticide or herbicide can kill hummingbirds and other pollinators."

"If animals or beneficial pollinators start dying, report it," a self-identified pest control tech said.

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Fortunately, there are many alternatives to insecticides when it comes to combating mosquitoes. Japanese firm Kao Corporation has developed its own spray, while industrious home gardeners and DIY campers have formulated concoctions that eschew insecticides. 

Redditors hoped the OP would get justice for the pest company's overstep.

"Post it all over social media," one instructed. "Make em pay!"

"Call the company, tell them you have their employee spraying your tree and hummingbird feeder and plan to post it in every page you can find for your neighborhood, and share with your news about how this company wants to kill birds," another user proposed.

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