Michigan

[RaZ]

Leeches --- had a couple on me while I was collecting plants in Mussing Pond. Freaked out a couple of the girls, but I was macho and didn't

.

I'm a plant guy so I had to go to the books where in summary, it says that there are only a few that suck blood and they are usually targeting frogs, turtles and fish. Sometimes they attach to waterfowl or swimming mammals. They can hang on to the host for quite a while, so it's likely that a turtle or something was travelling when the leech fell off.

Oddly enough, I'm doing pond sampling tomorrow at Matthaei and would really like to net some leeches.

 

[Opa]

Back in 1988 Hope and I along with my two youngest sons who were 17 & 21 at the time, took a 6 week camping trip. That was the year of the big fires in Yellowstone and the temperatures were triple digits for many days of the trip. Our ultimate destination was Glacier National Park but we had no set agenda and after the first day we never drove further than 200 miles in one day.

That first day however, we pushed had to get to a campground along Hwy 2 at Amincon Falls in Wisconsin. Because it was so hot as soon as the tents were set up we decided to go swimming. Lots of people were swimming under the lower falls and a few more at the upper falls. We decided to wade and swim from one falls to the other. David and Scott were slightly ahead of me when suddenly they shot up the steep back and hollered for us to get out of the water. As soon as we did I realized what the problem was. Leeches. We were covered with them. Picked off all we could see and hurried back to the tents to check for leech that might have taken residence under our swim suits. Not an auspicious way to start a trip.

 

[babigyrl22]

Quote:
Yikes!!!

 

[A2SciTeach]

re leeches, I concur with Raz and Keyt - the likely way the leeches got up out of the pond would be a turtle. some of the largest leeches I've seen have been on turtles. Less likely, but still possible, a duck or goose. If the yard is really wet (such as after a heavy rain) or if you have wetland or bog or wet wood close by, the leeches may be living there - they aren't always in water. - Keyt, I trap leeches the same way! They do make good bait for panfish, do you use them that way also?

 

[Chickmate]

Quote:
OK, the experts have spoken and I have to believe a turtle has been wandering around in the very early morning before I'm up. I don't have any ducks, geese or other water fowl around since the swans have been gone. BUT, today when I was out watching the chickens free range I did see a rather large (football sized) snapper crawl out of the pond on the far side. This is the first snapper I've seen in several years actually in or near the pond. By the time I got my net out of the shed it had disappeared. The first couple of years after I moved here I removed and relocated several very large (between 20-35 lb.) snappers each summer. The largest one killed my male swan. A2SciTeach, where do leeches live when not in water? My woods are under water until the end of June. Do they live under logs or something?

 

[DaughterOfEve]

congratulations to the hatchers and the found kitty is great news. Years ago my cat dissappeared. Not just him but his food bucket too. A mystery that was never solved. The ducks are remaining separated. I think one may need a new home and then get the other a girlfriend. If we had more room (a bigger pond) things might be better. I will stick it out a little longer before making any decision.

sleepy, good night byc.

 

[keyt1969]

Quote:
I'm not a big panfish fan, unless I'm using the them for bait. If I do that I use either small pieces of stink bait, corn, hot dogs or bologna to catch the panfish, but I haven't seen one this year! I haven't seen any leeches around here either or they would make great bait for catfish too. Loads and loads of catfish around this year! This was last night's catch of the night....a 23.5 pound flathead...

 

[chickflick]

Good Morning! Such a busy week. Going in to Lansing today to spend the day with the grand kids and tomorow got to get the camper ready for another trip. This time to Mackinaw. Water heater was leaking yesterday, so had to replace that. Man, it was tough getting it up the stairs. We are getting too old for this hard labor!

Hope every one has a great day.

 

[eeyore75]

Quote:
I'm not a big panfish fan, unless I'm using the them for bait. If I do that I use either small pieces of stink bait, corn, hot dogs or bologna to catch the panfish, but I haven't seen one this year! I haven't seen any leeches around here either or they would make great bait for catfish too. Loads and loads of catfish around this year! This was last night's catch of the night....a 23.5 pound flathead...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/Keyt427/Aricandcatfish2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/Keyt427/Picture031-5.jpg

yummmmmmmmmmmm........................ I want fried catfish- cajun style!!!

 

[Avalon1984]

Why, oh why are my bees so angry? I have been checking on their process of filling their first super over the last month and thought I’d pay them a visit last night while doing chores. Excitingly enough their brood has started to hatch- not so excitingly, the kids are not as mellow as the parents. I just about opened the hive and already had a sting in my arm and face. Now it would have been smart of me to wear my protective gear but I figured since I had checked on them 3 times earlier without any issues, I could do so again…not this time. They were very unhappy campers. Now I am trying to keep my eye from swelling shut since they got me right between the eye and nose. Oh, it hurts….and my husband won’t give me no sympathy….oh, it hurts….and, to add insult to injury, all Benadryl has been recalled. Had to stick to a Meijers brand.