New England Met Spring 2023 Banter

[DavisStraight]

4 minutes ago, radarman said:

Soapy water in the shop vac works also

I've only come across one buried nests since I've been at my house but every year, I get nests under the eaves. I usually do a weekly check now so I can knock them down before they get too big.

[Brewbeer]

9 hours ago, dendrite said:

So when is the swelling, rash, and pain supposed to subside? 

for me, it's 3-4 days, day 2 seems to be the worst

[Flying MXZ]

18 hours ago, tamarack said:

Jeff's area has the bigger mountains, 4,000-footers with up to 3,000 feet altitude gain.  If you would rather not walk up a Sugarloaf ski trail, the Caribou Pond Road west of the 'Loaf is crossed by the AT, offering a more natural route up to Maine's 2nd tallest mountain.  Tumbledown has very heavy use though midweek would likely be okay, gain is 1500-1800 feet, depending on which summit one takes.  One route is very steep, almost cliff-like (so I've been told).  Shorter hikes include 2 different Bald Mountains.  Perkins Bald is on Rt 156 only 7-8 miles from Wilton.  Signage is iffy and parking quite limited.  Altitude gain is a bit over 1,000 feet.  The other Bald, in Oquossoc (part of Rangeley) is an hour's drive, though a quite pretty one with a better chance of seeing moose.  That Bald is reached by Bald Mountain Road, off Rt 4 about 500 feet from that highway dumping into Mooselook Lake.  I've not been up the Perkins Bald but love the one in Oquossuc.  That mountain lies between Mooselook and Rangeley Lakes, has good parking and a big sign (and a vault toilet), and offers 3/4 mile of uphill thru forest followed by 1/2 mile+ of rock scramble.  Some pitches look daunting but 3 years ago my then-5-year-old grandson had no trouble.  Perkins Bald has open rock at the summit, Oquossuc has a 30-foot observation tower made for the lower section of an old firetower.

You can learn more about Bigelow, Tumbledown and Oquossuc Bald at Maine.gov/agencies/Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.  Searching for Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands might get you there more quickly.

We've had wonderful lobster rolls at the seafood place on Rt 2 just east from the center of Farmington, but you might get an even better one at the coast.

Great info, thanks!

[Brewbeer]

On 7/30/2023 at 12:57 PM, Brewbeer said:

Ran over one in my front yard 2 weeks ago and got stung.  Just found the entrance while mowing today, fortunately they didn’t find me.  Large unmowed patch in the middle of the front yard.  Will deal with them tonight when it cools off.

So I've tried just about every method mentioned except for flaming gasoline with mixed results.  Toxic spray (doesn't work if you can't soak the nest), drowning them by running a hose (my soil is too sandy), piles of ice cubes on the entrance (they melt), piled up soil (they can dig around)   So I ended up trying something new:  jamming a dozen mothballs in the entrance hole and letting them roll down into the nest.  before trying this, the nest was very active, I was counting one takeoff/landing every second or two.  After a few days of moth balls, it's down to one takeoff/landing every 10-15 seconds.  Gonna keep an eye on things and see how this goes.

[WaryWarren]

You have your team of landscapers poisoning the ground because of...wasps? wtf

[DavisStraight]

54 minutes ago, Brewbeer said:

So I've tried just about every method mentioned except for flaming gasoline with mixed results.  Toxic spray (doesn't work if you can't soak the nest), drowning them by running a hose (my soil is too sandy), piles of ice cubes on the entrance (they melt), piled up soil (they can dig around)   So I ended up trying something new:  jamming a dozen mothballs in the entrance hole and letting them roll down into the nest.  before trying this, the nest was very active, I was counting one takeoff/landing every second or two.  After a few days of moth balls, it's down to one takeoff/landing every 10-15 seconds.  Gonna keep an eye on things and see how this goes.

The gas/fire method is fool proof

[Brewbeer]

52 minutes ago, DavisStraight said:

The gas/fire method is fool proof

I do need to do something.  Every time I get stung by yellow jackets, the reaction gets worse.  Last time I was only stung twice, arm and ankle, but the next day it was very swollen and painful to walk.  When it happens it's bad because I have a walk behind mower and can't just zoom over the hole like a ride-on tractor can. 

[SJonesWX]

2 hours ago, WaryWarren said:

You have your team of landscapers poisoning the ground because of...wasps? wtf

if you’ve never run over a nest and been chased/stung by dozens of winged assholes, you wouldn’t understand.

[dendrite]

We had a skunk that lived here for a couple of years and it dug up every underground nest it could find. We found it dead on the side of the road last fall. I’m tempted tp make a request for a trapped one on the local FB page.

[CoastalWx]

54 minutes ago, dendrite said:

We had a skunk that lived here for a couple of years and it dug up every underground nest it could find. We found it dead on the side of the road last fall. I’m tempted tp make a request for a trapped one on the local FB page.

My nest that I thought I got came back. I also saw a big hole going into it, so I think a skunk tried. Going to light the nest up now. 

[DavisStraight]

1 hour ago, dendrite said:

We had a skunk that lived here for a couple of years and it dug up every underground nest it could find. We found it dead on the side of the road last fall. I’m tempted tp make a request for a trapped one on the local FB page.

There was one between my yard and my neighbors, last week I saw a pest control guy taking a trap near his shed which butts up against my yard. He had a big party last weekend, so I guess he wanted it gone before his party. No idea if they caught it.

[Ginx snewx]

4 hours ago, Brewbeer said:

So I've tried just about every method mentioned except for flaming gasoline with mixed results.  Toxic spray (doesn't work if you can't soak the nest), drowning them by running a hose (my soil is too sandy), piles of ice cubes on the entrance (they melt), piled up soil (they can dig around)   So I ended up trying something new:  jamming a dozen mothballs in the entrance hole and letting them roll down into the nest.  before trying this, the nest was very active, I was counting one takeoff/landing every second or two.  After a few days of moth balls, it's down to one takeoff/landing every 10-15 seconds.  Gonna keep an eye on things and see how this goes.

Gas the fuckers

[Ginx snewx]

53 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

My nest that I thought I got came back. I also saw a big hole going into it, so I think a skunk tried. Going to light the nest up now. 

Fire it up

[Hoth]

5 hours ago, Brewbeer said:

So I've tried just about every method mentioned except for flaming gasoline with mixed results.  Toxic spray (doesn't work if you can't soak the nest), drowning them by running a hose (my soil is too sandy), piles of ice cubes on the entrance (they melt), piled up soil (they can dig around)   So I ended up trying something new:  jamming a dozen mothballs in the entrance hole and letting them roll down into the nest.  before trying this, the nest was very active, I was counting one takeoff/landing every second or two.  After a few days of moth balls, it's down to one takeoff/landing every 10-15 seconds.  Gonna keep an eye on things and see how this goes.

I had two separate yellow jacket nests in my yard this summer, both painfully discovered while mowing. I had success putting a large overturned glass mixing bowl over the nest. The theory is that the bees go out for forage under the glass, don't realize they're trapped, then starve because they don't think to dig themselves another exit. I don't know what's up with the wasps this summer, but they are prolific.

[Brewbeer]

16 minutes ago, Hoth said:

I had two separate yellow jacket nests in my yard this summer, both painfully discovered while mowing. I had success putting a large overturned glass mixing bowl over the nest. The theory is that the bees go out for forage under the glass, don't realize they're trapped, then starve because they don't think to dig themselves another exit. I don't know what's up with the wasps this summer, but they are prolific.

I'm curious how long did it take using the glass bowl?  I've tried this too and while it's entertaining to watch them fly and bump into the bowl, some of them figured out how to get out and I eventually gave up.

[Hoth]

26 minutes ago, Brewbeer said:

I'm curious how long did it take using the glass bowl?  I've tried this too and while it's entertaining to watch them fly and bump into the bowl, some of them figured out how to get out and I eventually gave up.

It was a solid two weeks, I'd say.

[tamarack]

14 hours ago, DavisStraight said:

The gas/fire method is fool proof

Worked for us when we were cutting 3/4 acre at my grandparents' place, though I earned several stings there.  Dad would wait until dark, then pour in a half cup and toss in a match.  Torching one particularly large colony, the biggest yellowjacket swarm cloud I've seen, resulted in a bushel basket size hole in the ground after the fire had consumed all the critters' infrastructure.

[amarshall]

Anyone know what the prevelant pollen is in the air right now? i'm dying. 

[Spanks45]

Knock on wood, I have not found a nest on my property this year. Last year I had a large one in the wall of my bathroom and one in the stone wall around my pool. I had both taken care of professionally. Ladders and yellow jackets, not a combination I was going to take on....In years past, I have always waited until dusk, covered the hole with a window screen, then poured a combo of boiling water and Dawn dish soap. Shortly after, I would spray the hole with a eco friendly wasp spray. Never had issues after that. My neighbor has 2 large active nests that he is having someone take care of today. Bad year for the yellow jackets it seems....

[Ginx snewx]

1 hour ago, amarshall said:

Anyone know what the prevelant pollen is in the air right now? i'm dying. 

Weed

[tamarack]

6 hours ago, amarshall said:

Anyone know what the prevelant pollen is in the air right now? i'm dying. 

Goldenrod?

[STILL N OF PIKE]

Hope she is innocent but you know the idea of those allegations makes me wanna miss a few meals 

https://apnews.com/article/lizzo-dancers-lawsuit-ea96f4c865bdd48fa8056a92cf14e7a7

[dendrite]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:43 AM, Brewbeer said:

for me, it's 3-4 days, day 2 seems to be the worst

Seemed like it was getting better this morning (day 3) but this afternoon my entire lower leg and ankle is swollen below a sting on my left calf. It almost looks like compartment syndrome. I’m tempted to go in, but waiting it out a little longer.

[Ginx snewx]

55 minutes ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

Hope she is innocent but you know the idea of those allegations makes me wanna miss a few meals 

https://apnews.com/article/lizzo-dancers-lawsuit-ea96f4c865bdd48fa8056a92cf14e7a7

Banana rama?

[STILL N OF PIKE]

6 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

Banana rama?

Lol 

[SJonesWX]

3 hours ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

Hope she is innocent but you know the idea of those allegations makes me wanna miss a few meals 

https://apnews.com/article/lizzo-dancers-lawsuit-ea96f4c865bdd48fa8056a92cf14e7a7

who the hell is Lizzo?

[QCD17]

17 hours ago, tamarack said:

Goldenrod?

Goldenrod pollen does not normally cause allergic reactions.  Ragweed and mugwort are usually the culprits.

[STILL N OF PIKE]

Stock market may finally be seeing some type of pullback coming up , apple earnings this eve may add fuel to the slide or stop it . Market is almost back to its all time highs which is wild . But the 10 year interest rate is very close to breaking out to multi year highs which isn’t good for mortgage rates and other borrowing costs. The treasury has nearly 1 trillion in new debt issuance this quarter which I’m pretty sure is a record and will add upward pressure to rates unless the stock market unwinds its huge yearly gains and global investors increase demand for the “safety” of US treasury debt . It’s always interesting .

[Brewbeer]

farmer's almanac sez cold snowy winter in the northeast incoming:

[dendrite]

I prefer to get my incorrect seasonal forecasts from the OFA. We don’t use that orange thing around here.