Rant for the Day (keep it clean)

[ABR]

Lol thanks y'all for the suggestions for getting dismissed! Unfortunately I have to do business in this town. I thought about wearing a 2A T-shirt but figured I'd play nice

 

[backlash]

USPS has something new. After signing up for the program, they email you a pic of the mail and packages to be delivered later that day.

I signed up for the service a couple of weeks ago and find it very helpful since my mailbox is literally a mile away.

I signed up for that several years ago.
Very helpful to know if any packages are arriving so we can watch for them.
It's called informed delivery. It's free by the way.
https://www.usps.com/manage/informed-delivery.htm

I'm going to get a couple of those yellowjacket traps.
I bought a couple of traps that caught zero yellowjackets.
One was even hung 2 feet away from a nest.

 

[Magus]

Just show up dirty with no deodorant and carry a damp hanky, they'll kick you out fast! Thanks for coming, you were not selected!!

Tell the judge you have a schizophrenic condition that on occasion hampers your understanding of the information or processing it correctly, you will NEVER be called up again, ask me how I know.

Wearing a MAGA hat will do it too.

 

[Weedygarden]

They are no longer bothering the light fixture after I sprayed, but I'll keep an eye out. They still seem to be coming up to the door.

Went to drive into town to pick up RXs and discovered 2 trees are down across the road. View attachment 112405
They are bigger than they look. Top tree is about shoulder height on me and has a piece sticking down into the hill on the other side. Only managed to budge it a couple of inches. The other one is heavy as hell and wouldn't budge at all. Forgot to take pics, but the entire area to the left is filled with fallen trees and branches.

I called the parish sheriff's department and told them I'm stranded and what road I live on and they said they would alert the police jury road people to come move them. My brother still has to go to work-- but he already told his boss about the situation in case they don't get it moved in time.

Is that the road that delivery people need to use to deliver to your home? It resembles the road to my grandparents ranch, minus the trees. They had a gate at their private drive, about half a mile from the public road to their house. Their mail box was still about half a mile from the gate, because the somewhat graveled road was a dead end. If this is the road that delivery people need to drive, they may not really know that they need to drive this road to deliver. What about a good sign where they need to turn? A sign with an arrow pointing to your house saying, "Zang's house this way." Or a larger rural mailbox at the turn? Is this still your property, or does it belong to someone else and you have permission to drive through?

 

[Weedygarden]

Waitaminute! Is that the "road" they have to drive down to deliver your packages?
...I'm beginning to discover why they might have a 'problem' .

See my recent post. I am thinking the SAME thing you are! Now we know why the packages don't get to her! It reminds me of the roads on private farming property that people drive tractors on to do field work.

 

[Weedygarden]

Also, I think one of my cats is sick. He keeps peeing on my bed and on me. He peed on me this morning so I had to do another load of laundry.

baking soda and white vinegar, at least 1/2 cup of each to remove cat pee smell

 

[Supervisor42]

My rant. Yellowjackets built a nest in my dining room wall (access through gap in siding).
We were told the least invasive way to remove them is put traps 20-30' from the nest. Eventually the colony will relocate or be decimated.
So we go to the local hardware store and are recommended these traps:
I read the instructions and follow them explicitly.
2-5 hours my ass!
More like 2-5 minutes!

I hang the bag, come back inside, go to the bathroom to wash my hands, and by the time I come out, those damn nasty bastards are already swarming the bag!
Glad I wasn't putzing around when I went to hang it.

Next time, I hang the bag dry and fill it with a watering can.

We sure could have used those in the hay barn when I was young.
The bottom of the roof was covered with these:

When the hay was stacked up high, we were working right up there with them.
They tore us up!

 

[Magus]

We sure could have used those in the hay barn when I was young.
The bottom of the roof was covered with these:

When the hay was stacked up high, we were working right up there with them.
They tore us up!

What the hell kind of wasp is that?! They look like yellow-jackets, but they nest underground!

 

[Pearl]

Lol thanks y'all for the suggestions for getting dismissed! Unfortunately I have to do business in this town. I thought about wearing a 2A T-shirt but figured I'd play nice

I'm VERY well known business wise in the main town in my county! EVERYONE heard about my brief brush with jury duty!

 

[Supervisor42]

What the hell kind of wasp is that?! They look like yellow-jackets, but they nest underground!

Those are what we called 'yellow-jackets', they are actually 'paper-wasps'.
But I bet money those are what sparky is up against.
The ones in the ground are we called 'hornets' because if you dug up their nest, it looked just like the ones hanging in the trees.

 

[Amish Heart]

Just spray them. And run. Better to spray them at night, and do it a couple of nights in a row.

 

[Peanut]

What the hell kind of wasp is that?! They look like yellow-jackets, but they nest underground!

In Sup's photo are Guinea Wasps... they nest just like red wasps but are slightly smaller. They are brown and a dull yellow in color.

Yellowjackets do nest underground, Guinea wasps do not. However, guineas have the same nasty attitude as yellow jackets.

https://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bug’s-eye-view/2022/guinea-wasps-vol-8-no-17
Guinea wasps... brown and yellow

Yellow jackets are yellow and black in color, brighter colors.

Kill them!!! Kill them all!!!

 

[zannej]

The wasps are back on my porch building on the porch light-- which still might have power going to it because the switch broke. They also are forming on a mud nest on a section next to the eaves.

Cat hasn't peed on anything again, but I keep booting him off the bed anytime he gets near the areas he pees. The dog tore a hole in the mattress cover-- it was a waterproof one-- because she likes to dig in th spot where I sleep every time I get up. Got a cat blocking my view of the screen right now and another one trying to climb on my arm.

I was about to post a gripe about the conflicting info from Amazon and delivery services. Amazon showed my motherboard out for delivery from UPS. UPS said it was being prepared. While I was about to post here, the UPS driver showed up. Honked to let me know he was here, came to the door, and when I commented on the box looking smashed he asked me if I wanted to check it while he was still here so I could make sure it was OK. Fine inside so I thanked him and he headed on his way. Wish the Fedex driver was more like him.

Had a doctor's appointment and A1C is and sugars are still too high. Need to quad up on my Metformin and take 2 pills 2x a day. Already having trouble remembering to take the morning one. Once I'm out of these ones he's going to put me on a slow release type that I can take 1x per day. Upside is I'm down to 199lbs.

I wonder if that wasp/hornet catcher would work on my porch...

 

[Supervisor42]

In Sup's photo are Guinea Wasps... they nest just like red wasps but are slightly smaller. They are brown and a dull yellow in color.

Yellowjackets do nest underground, Guinea wasps do not. However, guineas have the same nasty attitude as yellow jackets.

https://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bug’s-eye-view/2022/guinea-wasps-vol-8-no-17
Guinea wasps... brown and yellow
View attachment 112505

Yellow jackets are yellow and black in color, brighter colors.

View attachment 112506

Kill them!!! Kill them all!!!

Ok, correct exact name installed.

Your link: Guinea wasps are one of the more common species of paper wasps in the Southeast. They build their nests in places protected from rain: under eaves, in storage sheds, in infrequently used equipment, in barbeque grills, in thick shrubbery, in galvanized panel farm gates, etc.

...I will still call them bastids though.

 

[Peanut]

...I will still call them bastids though.

They are all nasty!! Just last summer I got into yellow jackets cutting those trees down around the chicken pen. They got me 50yds from the nest, followed me to the shop. I was on the tractor wondering where the heck they came from?? Got me again when I was searching for the nest. Despise them...

Guinea wasps act like red wasps though, a little calmer than yjackets. Sometimes you can be inches from a nest and they won't react unless you actually bump them... then its war!!! Yellow jackets don't wait for the bump! Bastids!!!!!

They are all about equal pain wise.... but I fear yjackets and guinea wasps more than reds. Reds come at you in ones and twos... the yellow ones mob you without mercy.

 

[Supervisor42]

They are all nasty!! Just last summer I got into yellow jackets cutting those trees down around the chicken pen. They got me 50yds from the nest, followed me to the shop. I was on the tractor wondering where the heck they came from?? Got me again when I was searching for the nest. Despise them...

Guinea wasps act like red wasps though, a little calmer than yjackets. Sometimes you can be inches from a nest and they won't react unless you actually bump them... then its war!!! Yellow jackets don't wait for the bump! Bastids!!!!!

They are all about equal pain wise.... but I fear yjackets and guinea wasps more than reds. Reds come at you in ones and twos... the yellow ones mob you without mercy.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I have danced with the "real yellow jackets" before too.
Most insidious about them is it is only a hole in the ground that you don't notice, with only 2 sentry's standing guard.
It's what you don't see that nails you .
The sentry's don't attack you, they just go back down the hole.... and summon the army.
I kept getting torn up while mowing the grass when attackers appeared from nowhere.
I got mad and found 'the hole', poured a bunch of gasoline in it and dug it up.
The nest was over a foot wide with thousands of dead soldiers under it.
If you see 'this', do not underestimate what is down below:

 

[Neb]

They are all nasty!! Just last summer I got into yellow jackets cutting those trees down around the chicken pen. They got me 50yds from the nest, followed me to the shop. I was on the tractor wondering where the heck they came from?? Got me again when I was searching for the nest. Despise them...

Guinea wasps act like red wasps though, a little calmer than yjackets. Sometimes you can be inches from a nest and they won't react unless you actually bump them... then its war!!! Yellow jackets don't wait for the bump! Bastids!!!!!

They are all about equal pain wise.... but I fear yjackets and guinea wasps more than reds. Reds come at you in ones and twos... the yellow ones mob you without mercy.

I feel I should jump in as the devil's advocate.

As long as they aren't invading my space and threatening me and mine I welcome them. They are predators in the insect world along side preying mantis and ladybugs. I have eradicated a handful that tried to move in with me. Not many.

A beekeepers veil and garb is the armor we need to confront yellow jackets (the mean ones) and hornets. It was comical watching the yellow cloud of venom bounce of me after I sprayed them with a good dose of modern chemistry.

So...

They aren't all bad but they aren't welcome in my space.

Ben

 

[Neb]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I have danced with the "real yellow jackets" before too.
Most insidious about them is it is only a hole in the ground that you don't notice, with only 2 sentry's standing guard.
It's what you don't see that nails you .
The sentry's don't attack you, they just go back down the hole.... and summon the army.
I kept getting torn up while mowing the grass when attackers appeared from nowhere.
I got mad and found 'the hole', poured a bunch of gasoline in it and dug it up.
The nest was over a foot wide with thousands of dead soldiers under it.
If you see 'this', do not underestimate what is down below:

I had one of those under one of my hugelkultures. Found it while weed whacking.

I escaped without scars and my brother dispatched them.

Ben

 

[Peanut]

It's what you don't see that nails you .
The sentry's don't attack you, they just go back down the hole.... and summon the army.

That's why its important to recognize the wasp that stings you. If a yelllow/brown guinea wasp you look upwards, eves of buildings etc for the nest. If it's yellow and black then your looking for a little hole hidden down in grass or weeds.

Not knowing where to look can lead to even more stings!!!

Multiple stings give me nasty headaches. One sting hurts, but oh well... With multiple stings I've even gotten nauseous on a couple of occasions.

 

[Wingnut]

Do those wasp traps also draw honeybees? I'd like to try one, but I don't wanna kill any honeybees, just wasps... most of the honeybees here are mellow, they don't get all aggro like the wasps. I don't like unnecessarily killing critters which are just following their natural instincts... it's a Zen Buddhist thing, and I don't mind having bees around.

 

[Peanut]

@Wingnut I haven't used them but... Bees and wasps drink from the same water sources, land many of the same places. They interact so much I didn't risk killing bees by accident. I didn't spray outside when I had a few hives. I even limited my use of diatomaceous earth, never near blooming plants. I did use fire ant poison but I cover it with dirt. Fire ants will attack anything, even bees!

Paper wasps are easy in the south. Everyone has cane fishing poles, easy to knock the nest down from a distance. The larva in the nests make great fish bait too. Used them countless times as a kid.

For below ground nests... the tried and true, pour gas down the hole. If the wasp is black and white, has a nest in a tree... then just run like hell!!! Unless you have a bee suit and a flame thrower, even then you should have a retreat plan.

 

[winds-of-change]

Or diabetes.

Yes, this. We had a cat that developed diabetes. He drank a LOT of water and his litter box was always like a swamp! He was a stray we were feeding and caring for and ended up spending a lot of money on him trying to sustain him. One morning we found him laying in the garage (his home base) under a work bench. I went to wake him up and he appeared dead. I tried to pull him out from under the work bench and he was still alive. I had given him an insulin shot the night before so I thought maybe his blood glucose was low. I rubbed some simple syrup in his mouth and we rushed him to the vet. He did not revive with the sugar intake, his body temp was low and his blood glucose was 190. We had him euthanized. I think his diabetes went undiagnosed for so long he had liver and kidney problems. He named him Big Boy because he weighed 16 pounds. He was a big cat.

 

[Cascadian]

Our Heifer got out and was in the road. When I saw her a neighbor was driving past her. I thought cool he is going to block her from getting to the highway. Nope he kept on going. When people show you who the are, believe them. I have had an idea of people I wouldn't help. Lately it is becoming more of a list.

 

[backlash]

I saw 3 calves on the road so I opened a gate and they went into my pasture.
I told he neighbor to let his friend know because I don't speak Spanish.
The guy came by later and got his calves and didn't even wave much less say thanks.
At least the calves didn't get run over.

 

[Cascadian]

Yeah to my knowledge there was no beef between me and the neighbor, until now. Pun not really intended.

 

[Magus]

Rant for the day, just whining really.
So I woke up this morning feeling like my jaw was as big as a baseball, two teeth at once decided I needed more pain in my life, an upper and a lower, I was in so much pain my eyes were watering so I took an Advil and was sleeping until around 7:00 PM Good thing I bought scotch!
And THC gummies.

 

[angie_nrs]

If the wasp is black and white, has a nest in a tree... then just run like hell!!! Unless you have a bee suit and a flame thrower, even then you should have a retreat plan.

We had some of these a few years ago starting to make a nest in the roof corner. They may not have been the same ones that you're referring to though.

They would come down on the porch and feed on the hummingbird feeder. We had a bug-a-salt gun and used that to gun em' down one at a time. It would only stun them and then we'd have to run out real quick and stomp em' dead and then race back into the house just a few feet away. They got smart to our tactics and when we'd slowly open the slider door, they'd try and dive bomb us. We had to be really stealthy and have a perfect shot or we wouldn't get another chance anytime soon. I swear they were mini robots! I had to refill the hummingbird feeder at night. We were finally able to eradicate them when the weather got cold enough. Those black and white ones look really MEAN and unfortunately they are really smart! Thankfully none of us got stung b/c I think it would have hurt like hell.

 

[Neb]

We had some of these a few years ago starting to make a nest in the roof corner. They may not have been the same ones that you're referring to though.

They would come down on the porch and feed on the hummingbird feeder. We had a bug-a-salt gun and used that to gun em' down one at a time. It would only stun them and then we'd have to run out real quick and stomp em' dead and then race back into the house just a few feet away. They got smart to our tactics and when we'd slowly open the slider door, they'd try and dive bomb us. We had to be really stealthy and have a perfect shot or we wouldn't get another chance anytime soon. I swear they were mini robots! I had to refill the hummingbird feeder at night. We were finally able to eradicate them when the weather got cold enough. Those black and white ones look really MEAN and unfortunately they are really smart! Thankfully none of us got stung b/c I think it would have hurt like hell.

Ben

 

[Peanut]

We had some of these a few years ago starting to make a nest in the roof corner. They may not have been the same ones that you're referring to though.

I'm speaking of the Bald-faced Hornet aka Dolichovespula maculata. A native species in n.america. I always have an eye peeled for them when out in the woods. They are dangerous and pack a wallop, the most painful sting I've ever gotten. It's like smashing your hand with a big hammer, it hurts! Throbs for a long time!

Just now i did a little research, learned something new. They aren't really hornets at all, not in that genus. They are actually in the same genus as yellowjackets.

Makes sense, they attack the same way, in mass. Only they are much bigger, lengh and width, and a lot smarter. And they hit much harder!!! I'd gladly take 3 or 4 yellowjacket stings before i would a single hornet sting. I'd make that trade any day.

a short article...
https://extension.psu.edu/baldfaced-hornet
Baldfaced hornet, also called white faced hornet. Down below is their classic nest. I see them in thick, younger hardwood timber sometimes. Most often I find them in eastern red cedar trees which offer a lot of protection from the weather.

 

[Supervisor42]

@Peanut is right about hornets.
They take 'evil' to a whole new level because they will chase you.
I was lucky that I never got tore up by them.
We had one of these (below) grow on the side of our house in Bama, except bigger.
They have a constant stream of soldiers going back and forth to the nest, from daylight to dark.
This tightwad bought 2 cans of long-range wasp spray, but I wanted to kill every dam one of them so they wouldn't come back.
So I thought about it for weeks... how to get ALL of them.
Then along came an insomnia night and I was angry because I gotta have my sleep.
At 3am I strapped on my super-bright headlight, went out, and fired both barrels at the hole in the bottom of the nest.
A solid stream of soldiers poured out of the hole straight into the fire of 2 blazing machineguns

.
Went out the next morning and the pile of dead bodies would have filled a quart jar.
The home of pure evil looks like this: