Gulf Coast League piece

[natsfan1a]

The Times has an interesting piece on the Nats Gulf Coast League team:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/SPORTS02/107310090/1026

[Dave B]

Those kids need to stop whining.

95% of kids their age (who have jobs, since the practice is trending downwards) have worse jobs.  Why do you go weed wack some poison ivy while wearing sweatpants and sweatshirt in 95 degree heat?

[2k6nats]

Very interesting article.  That's so funny that there were only five people in the stands

By the way, I wonder how much they get paid?

[Kenz aFan]

95% of kids their age (who have jobs, since the practice is trending downwards) have worse jobs.  Why do you go weed wack some poison ivy while wearing sweatpants and sweatshirt in 95 degree heat?

For one, only a fool would weed-wack his or her way through poison ivy wearing shorts or cut-offs. If you've ever experienced the after effects of poison ivy, because you foolish enough to be wearing shorts or cut-offs, then you know what sweatpants and sweatshirt makes sense.

[tomterp]

For one, only a fool would weed-wack his or her way through poison ivy wearing shorts or cut-offs. If you've ever experienced the after effects of poison ivy, because you foolish enough to be wearing shorts or cut-offs, then you know what sweatpants and sweatshirt makes sense.

I can think of nothing stupider than weed-wacking poison ivy.  Nothing like little particles of ivy floating around as dust in the air, all the better for getting into your nasal passages, throat, lungs.  You either spray it with any of the many herbicides, some of which specifically target the plant, or you pull it up by the roots, and of course you protect all exposed skin in such an operation.

I pull it up by the roots on an annual basis in the wooded area to the rear of my lot.  It's the most permanent removal tactic.

[Kenz aFan]

I pull it up by the roots on an annual basis in the wooded area to the rear of my lot.  It's the most permanent removal tactic.

How can it be permanent if you have to do it ever year?

[tomterp]

How can it be permanent if you have to do it ever year?

I'm not sure how poison ivy propagates itself in "new" places, but it does.  In other words, I pull up vines in place x, and next year there's a new plant growing 40' away in place y.  I get 1-3 new plants per year on my not quite 1 acre of property.  But pulling a plant up carefully by the roots (as long as you don't break it off) normally removes that plant from the battle.

EDIT: But my most pressing pest concern is yellow jackets.  They love the holes around our house and yard vacated by our overflowing chipmunk population.  Penny (our resident copperhead) just can't keep up with the chipmunks, who in turn make ideal ground nesting areas for the yellow jackets.  In particular, they love the aromatic thyme we grow, and there are some holes under the thyme which grows like ground cover.  Last year I was getting some to cook with and the bastards got me good before I realized there was a nest under there. 

They're back now, but I've got them on the run at the moment.

[natsfan1a]

Thanks for the reminder, tomterp. My husband got stung by one of the buggers the other day and emptied the hornet/wasp spray on their nest. I need to add that to my shopping list.

I like chipmunks, though

[Dave B]

For one, only a fool would weed-wack his or her way through poison ivy wearing shorts or cut-offs. If you've ever experienced the after effects of poison ivy, because you foolish enough to be wearing shorts or cut-offs, then you know what sweatpants and sweatshirt makes sense.

Typo:

Meant to go say "why dont you go weed wack"

Tom, I wasnt referring to wacking a poison ivy patch necessarilty as opposed to a bunch of weeds with some ivy mixed in.  Maybe there wasnt even poison ivy, but the fact there might have been and sweat pants were necessary still sucks

We can all agree that weedwacking in hot weather in sweatclothes sucks, and I will add these kids should stop nagging about early morning BP

[tomterp]

Typo:
Meant to go say "why dont you go weed wack"

 

NOW you tell us, after we've devoted half a thread to discussing the folly of weedwacking poison ivy, and the proper attire for one engaged in the activity.

Never mind...

[NatMan]

I'm not sure how poison ivy propagates itself in "new" places, but it does.  In other words, I pull up vines in place x, and next year there's a new plant growing 40' away in place y.  I get 1-3 new plants per year on my not quite 1 acre of property.  But pulling a plant up carefully by the roots (as long as you don't break it off) normally removes that plant from the battle.



EDIT: But my most pressing pest concern is yellow jackets.  They love the holes around our house and yard vacated by our overflowing chipmunk population.  Penny (our resident copperhead) just can't keep up with the chipmunks, who in turn make ideal ground nesting areas for the yellow jackets.  In particular, they love the aromatic thyme we grow, and there are some holes under the thyme which grows like ground cover.  Last year I was getting some to cook with and the bastards got me good before I realized there was a nest under there. 

They're back now, but I've got them on the run at the moment.

Tom where do u live.  I hate snakes and the fact tht u say Penny is your resident copperhead is a little unnerving to me.......and funny that she has a name. 

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I remember years back I used to work at Wakefield Recreational Center in Burke, VA and there was poison ivy all over the bike/hiking trails and we would have hikers/bikers coming in all the time complaining.

One guy came in and he had it bad on his arm.  He asked if we had any cream or anything and we said no but at that point one of the lifeguards from the indoor pool was nearby and he said to follow him.  He took the guy downstairs and went into the room that contains all the pool equipment, filters, machines, etc.  He opened up the chlorine tank and told the guy to dip his arm in for like 10 seconds.  The guy dipped his arm in pure chlorine for 10 seconds and said it slightly burned but it dried that poison ivy up fast.

[Dave B]

I remember years back I used to work at Wakefield Recreational Center in Burke, VA and there was poison ivy all over the bike/hiking trails and we would have hikers/bikers coming in all the time complaining.

One guy came in and he had it bad on his arm.  He asked if we had any cream or anything and we said no but at that point one of the lifeguards from the indoor pool was nearby and he said to follow him.  He took the guy downstairs and went into the room that contains all the pool equipment, filters, machines, etc.  He opened up the chlorine tank and told the guy to dip his arm in for like 10 seconds.  The guy dipped his arm in pure chlorine for 10 seconds and said it slightly burned but it dried that poison ivy up fast.

I've done that too, except with bleach. Same stuff, Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO I believe). Except I dabbed it after scratching it open a little bit. But maybe you dont have to scratch it,

[saltydad]

EDIT: But my most pressing pest concern is yellow jackets.  They love the holes around our house and yard vacated by our overflowing chipmunk population.  Penny (our resident copperhead) just can't keep up with the chipmunks, who in turn make ideal ground nesting areas for the yellow jackets.  In particular, they love the aromatic thyme we grow, and there are some holes under the thyme which grows like ground cover.  Last year I was getting some to cook with and the bastards got me good before I realized there was a nest under there. 

They're back now, but I've got them on the run at the moment.

That happened to me this summer. I was digging a hole to plant a hardy jasmine I got at a garden club plant swap, and was swarmed with those tiny bees we used to call "sweat bees". I never knew they stung, but boy did I find out otherwise. My hand was swollen for a week! However, I can't bring myself to kill bees, especially now when they're under such dire stress, so I just planted my jasmine elsewhere.

[tomterp]

Tom where do u live.  I hate snakes and the fact tht u say Penny is your resident copperhead is a little unnerving to me.......and funny that she has a name. 

Sorry to be so late in responding - I was on vacation last week, and you guys post too damn much! 

Anyway, I live in Oakton, Va, but copperheads are indigineous to the region, it is possible to find them anywhere there are a decent amount of woods nearby. 

Here's a link to the picture I posted of Penny.

http://www.wnff.net/index.php/topic,3742.0.html

[tomterp]

That happened to me this summer. I was digging a hole to plant a hardy jasmine I got at a garden club plant swap, and was swarmed with those tiny bees we used to call "sweat bees". I never knew they stung, but boy did I find out otherwise. My hand was swollen for a week! However, I can't bring myself to kill bees, especially now when they're under such dire stress, so I just planted my jasmine elsewhere.

Salty, Sweat bees are not the same as yellow jackets.  I don't have any compulsion about eliminating yellow jacket nests, they are a geniune threat to the health of many individuals, and I have a constant fear that some kid who happens to be allergic to them, will stumble into a nest with tragic results.  And it is honey bees that are most in retreat, yellow jackets seem to be doing fine (unfortunately).

Sweat bees, per wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweat_bee

We have a friend who taught at Clemson on the subject of bees, and is something of an authority on their keeping.  He said that one current popular theory on their demise is that cell phone radio signals mess up their directional instincts, disrupting their ability to find their way home or otherwise navigate properly.  But this is far from a proven theory.  I know that in Oakton we are far from any cell phone towers, and we have plenty of honey bees around.  Doesn't prove anything, just another data point.

[NatMan]

I HATE SNAKES!!  I live in gaithersburg, i hope they arent any out there or in my yard..

The only time I have ever liked a snake is when the D-backs beat the NYY for the world series!

[natsfan1a]

We have many different kinds around our neighborhood, which backs to parkland with a wooded stream valley.

[tomterp]

We have many different kinds around our neighborhood, which backs to parkland with a wooded stream valley.

We keep a log of wildlife we find in our yard (or house, LOL), are up to 6 species of snakes - garter, green, northern ringneck, black rat, worm, and copperhead.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Come on down to NC.  We have all those, including a rattlesnake or two.

[tomterp]

Come on down to NC.  We have all those, including a rattlesnake or two.

Oh yeah, plenty of rattlers down in NC.  We have them in WVa, Md. and Va. in the mountains not too far from DC, but there are none in the DC metro area.  No cottonmouths either, just copperheads among the poisonous types.  My brother has found two timber rattlers (at different times) near my parents cabin in West Virginia, about 2 hours west of DC. 

[natsfan1a]

We do, too, and have pretty much the same snakes as Tom does (we don't name them, though ).

We also have toads, box turtles, and skinks.

We keep a log of wildlife we find in our yard (or house, LOL), are up to 6 species of snakes - garter, green, northern ringneck, black rat, worm, and copperhead.

[saltydad]

Salty, Sweat bees are not the same as yellow jackets.  I don't have any compulsion about eliminating yellow jacket nests, they are a geniune threat to the health of many individuals, and I have a constant fear that some kid who happens to be allergic to them, will stumble into a nest with tragic results.  And it is honey bees that are most in retreat, yellow jackets seem to be doing fine (unfortunately).

Sweat bees, per wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweat_bee

We have a friend who taught at Clemson on the subject of bees, and is something of an authority on their keeping.  He said that one current popular theory on their demise is that cell phone radio signals mess up their directional instincts, disrupting their ability to find their way home or otherwise navigate properly.  But this is far from a proven theory.  I know that in Oakton we are far from any cell phone towers, and we have plenty of honey bees around.  Doesn't prove anything, just another data point.

Tom, you're quite right about the diffences between sweat bees and yellowjackets. These definitely were not yellowjackets. I described them as sweat bees because that is what they look like, small with similar body shape and colors. The difference, of course, as I found out to my sorrow, is that one stings and the other doesn't. Also, I'm not that conversant on the different varieties of bees (as opposed to wasps and yellowjackets) to be able to say that this specific type is not endangered and the other is. Obviously they're not honeybees so we're not talking about colony collapse disorder or varroa mite infestation. But other animals, not just honeybees are showing alarming drops in populations, such as frogs. So unless people are directly threatened (as in your example), I prefer to err on the side of caution.

[tomterp]

I understand where you're coming from, Salty.  I have an attic full of wasps, and they are in my garage rafters as well, but they're not bothering anyone, I just leave them alone.

But I have a friend who was up on a ladder, just as a thunderstorm was approaching cutting a hole in his gutter to add another drain spout.  A yellow jacket emerged from between the soffit facing board (what the gutter is attached to) and the roof, and stung him right on the nose while he was 2 stories off the ground on the ladder.  Fortunately, he did not fall, but his nose swelled up like a balloon, a very uncomfortable situation indeed.  Be wary!