What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

I...Am....Exhausted.
I'm too old for a 22 hour work day.
Train of 6 wicked storms passed through, they were only 45 minutes apart.
Next village/small town over lost almost 100 power poles and had 2.25 hail and a LOT of it. It shredded everything a broke a LOT of glass windows. Look at all the leaves off the trees on the ground. I was using this carwash yesterday!!!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1536918867578130433

Then it moved just 1.5 miles south of me with a swath of hail and for fun a tornado. I finally made it to bed at 4am.
We had some hail, but nothing the tomatoes can't shake off, I hope. I haven't brought myself to go look yet.

 

[WthrLady]

I would call that a bite. Also, a peck in which the doesn't let go. I had a cockerel that would clamp down, pull, and twist. He didn't last long.

I have a buff orp hen that does that. She wants attention and a pet. If you ignore her, she'll keep at it. If you pet her, she walks away. She's certifiably NUTS, but otherwise a good girl.

 

[Elyrian1]

We had a big storm about 15 miles away that dumped hail and rain and had some meso-type rotation on radar (no tornadoes reported though). It was supposedly heading this way, but every time I checked radar/reflectivity it had just sat in place and stewed. So we had battened down the hatches and run around securing things last night for, ultimately, not a drop of rain and only moderate wind.

Oh well. Better to be prepared than not, but now I have to go water everything really good because I didn't get it done last night. I guess I should have watered last night with the lightning falling in the distance as a guaranteed rain dance.

 

[Sueby]

We had a big storm about 15 miles away that dumped hail and rain and had some meso-type rotation on radar (no tornadoes reported though). It was supposedly heading this way, but every time I checked radar/reflectivity it had just sat in place and stewed. So we had battened down the hatches and run around securing things last night for, ultimately, not a drop of rain and only moderate wind.

Oh well. Better to be prepared than not, but now I have to go water everything really good because I didn't get it done last night. I guess I should have watered last night with the lightning falling in the distance as a guaranteed rain dance.

That's what I do - water & it's guaranteed to rain!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Aren’t those the ones that make rafts with their bodies so they make it through floods? We had those rotten little in So Cal. I am surprised they aren’t here in our yard, but we have nasty ones anyway.
Thanks for the info, I’m going to see if I can find some of that!

I actually had to get these ants identified. Prior to this, I didn't know there were various types of fire ants with unique lifestyles. It was quite a learning process...I was googling, emailing & calling people in various states with fire ant issues. The ants we hear about most of the time, are the ones that build mounds.

There are over 200 types of fire ants!!! Ugh!!! Well, getting them identified is the 1st step, gotta know what you're up against. My local state extension service helped me, actually sent a few experts to collect some live ants.

Mine are the European Fire Ants. No mounds, so who knows where the heck their home base is! They like running up my shovel, crawl inside my glove & Sting the crap out of me. I tuck pant legs into socks, which saves my thighs from stings, but then they crawl up my clothes, I brush them off the front, but they crawl up my back then Sting the back of my neck. They know to keep crawling looking for bare skin to Sting & they sting over & over while hanging on. Try to kill by crushing...nope, they curl up in a ball, you stomp, then they unfurl & walk away unscathed! I cut 1 in half with shovel & both parts were still crawling & trying to sting, before finally dying...like it was possessed! They're evil I tell ya!

Deal with fire ants according to the type, treatment varies. Spinosad bait is best for the European as you Cannot find their home, no mounds, they truck on for hundreds of feet long, 20 feet deep, tunnels with multiple queens.

https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/ants/myrmica_ruba.htm

Myrmica rubra https://g.co/kgs/y5Ca3M

I get severe reactions to their stings, painful swelling lasts a whole week.

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1191&title=Managing Imported Fire Ants in Urban Areas#Biology

I really want to get some phorid flies, but I guess science is still working on that idea before it can become mainstream.

https://animals.mom.com/flies-lay-eggs-ant-heads-6226.html

 

[Elyrian1]

City of Odessa Has No Water

So I drove by this water main break yesterday. Couple of side roads were flooded, crews were everywhere, it's a huge, major road and they had one side totally shut down. I had planned on getting a sweet tea from the golden arches place, but they were closed. That's when I realized it was the dang water main. Then I drove ten minutes up the road to hunt for a stock pot for teenage roosters and ALL those shops had porta-potties out front.

The grocery store had closed every department that used ice. No bakery, no seafood except what was in the freezers, no sushi (I was bummed I wanted sushi). Then I came on home when all was said and done and washed my hands and did all the normal stuff...

Well water. It may be brackish and we may have to filter it with commercial grade RO systems and swap filters now and then... but it doesn't die like city water if something happens like a water main break. I didn't even look at the bottled water aisle to see if it was bad or not. I should have just for kicks and giggles.

Watered the garden before it got too hot this morning. Got the scared out of me by a big (not that big but to me it's big) scorpion hiding in a hole in a log. I guess they like the same sort of places to hide as black widows, because I had flushed out and killed a widow in that same hole last week. I need to fill it with dirt and pack it...

I hope the neighbors didn't laugh too hard at me screaming...

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Wel, it's been quite the year for biting & blood sucking insects so far.

My sweetheart rented a uhaul truck & trailer in April. Apparently, the truck was loaded with very tiny ticks, because I picked 19 off of him! They were attached to him on his midsection body area, basically between his shoulder blades, rib cage on down to his butt cheeks, so exactly where a sitting body comes in contact with the automobile seat. Well, we are like an old married couple now, I mean you're pretty close if you can pick ticks off & dab alcohol & anti itch cream on someone's butt cheeks. (Love you, honey)

Then, doing yardwork, my poor sweetie got bitten on the ankle by a Hobo Spider! I'm just glad it was not a Brown Recluse. We've got Hobos & Black Widows all over, probably the Recluse as well. I see lots of brown color Spiders, but they're usually moving too fast for me to spot the tell-tale violin mark & I'm not gonna fool around with one to try & see their violin.

The no see-ums & biting flies have gotten me bad while gardening. Now here's the thing...I am Always well covered, I Do Not garden in the nude...yet somehow, some damn bug has managed to bite me on BOTH butt cheeks, and of course a spot right smack in the middle of my back. Yeah, I can reach it to put anti itch cream on it & Apparently to scratch it bloody while I'm asleep. What a PITA!
Got 2 tick bites, too.

So...yeah, we're really looking forward to mosquitoes & horse flies next.
Can't wait to see what attacks when we go fishing & cook at the firepit.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good morning all. Hubs cut the grass last night so he didn’t murder the teenager. It was tall and is very thick in some places. Today we can see that it has almost filled in the bare spots. The lemongrass is still alive, but I think one of the fur babies was eating it which may be why she had bubble guts. I’m going to put a cage around it so she can’t eat it. The sugarcane is going nuts, lots of green shoots coming up, and the Vitex are still blooming.

 

[igorsMistress]

Wel, it's been quite the year for biting & blood sucking insects so far.

My sweetheart rented a uhaul truck & trailer in April. Apparently, the truck was loaded with very tiny ticks, because I picked 19 off of him! They were attached to him on his midsection body area, basically between his shoulder blades, rib cage on down to his butt cheeks, so exactly where a sitting body comes in contact with the automobile seat. Well, we are like an old married couple now, I mean you're pretty close if you can pick ticks off & dab alcohol & anti itch cream on someone's butt cheeks. (Love you, honey)

Then, doing yardwork, my poor sweetie got bitten on the ankle by a Hobo Spider! I'm just glad it was not a Brown Recluse. We've got Hobos & Black Widows all over, probably the Recluse as well. I see lots of brown color Spiders, but they're usually moving too fast for me to spot the tell-tale violin mark & I'm not gonna fool around with one to try & see their violin.

The no see-ums & biting flies have gotten me bad while gardening. Now here's the thing...I am Always well covered, I Do Not garden in the nude...yet somehow, some damn bug has managed to bite me on BOTH butt cheeks, and of course a spot right smack in the middle of my back. Yeah, I can reach it to put anti itch cream on it & Apparently to scratch it bloody while I'm asleep. What a PITA!
Got 2 tick bites, too.

So...yeah, we're really looking forward to mosquitoes & horse flies next.
Can't wait to see what attacks when we go fishing & cook at the firepit.

I had to laugh about the old married couple bit. Sorry you’re magnet for blood suckers. I read here somewhere that taking those odorless garlic pills worked for someone.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I would call that a bite. Also, a peck in which the doesn't let go. I had a cockerel that would clamp down, pull, and twist. He didn't last long.

My ornery Barred Rock, Rocky, would try to spur, so I'd scoop him up & carry, do chores 1 handed. That little stinker reached around & bit me. I already learned from having parrots, not to give a verbal reaction, no shouting ouch. Well, I did say something, I said "That's wasn't very nice" & he Laughed! I kid you not, he laughs when he does something ornery. He knows!

Being my 1st Roo, even with his Rooster games, I'd tell him, "Anyone else would be making chicken & dumplings out of you dude!" He'd laugh & strut off, knowing I could never harm a single feather.

So, in his youth, I learned to put a hoodie on before dealing with him. The very few times he tried biting again, he just got a beak full of hoodie sleeve.

As an old man now, he still needs to impress his ladies & I can respect that, I help him look cool. I just carry a bucket & let him spur that...he looks awesome, the ladies like it, I don't get spurred, he still has his dignity, it's a win win.

Believe it or not, if I tell him, " I need to check you over, come here Rocky" he remains gentle, let's me pick him up, sit him on my lap & look him over. He actually enjoys being fussed over & makes sweet sounds. The minute his feet touch the floor though, it's back to Tough Guy Rooster Mode, so I carry him to his area where I can shut the door before he decides to turn around & be ornery.

He's not a super meanie, I swear it's just an act for his hen harem. Lol