pond in progress started 4/21/10

[CountryEscape]

Yellow jackets are in nests all year. Best thing to keep them at bay is a lot of rain during the summer. When no rain, they multiply and by fall their ground nest is full of eggs or whatever their babies are! They are VERY aggressive in the fall. Best thing to locate them is stand still and watch flying action. As long as you are not moving, they usually will not attack, unless you are standing on their nest! When we ride horses in the woods in southern IL, we have learned instead of running through the area when one of the group hollers "bees", we stop and watch for their action, and then go into the woods off the path around them. It's gotten so bad that the camp owners ask to be directed to where the nest is and they go out with spray or gasoline and kill the nest. The come at you with the whole hive, that's correct, and they can sting multiply times. Once my daughter was riding behind me on a trail ride, someone hollered bees, and everyone went into a gallop to ride through them. She started screaming she was getting stung, I asked where, she said on her had! So, I'm swatting blindly behind me hitting her on the head, and turns out it was on the back of her neck. Sucker was hanging on for dear life, and stinging my little girl. I pinched him dead. Horses usually get stung on their bellies, and will go to bucking sometimes. So, it's very dangerous for them to get after a group of horses, especially when small children are riding. We now send the small and more beginner riders to the front of the group, as the front 4-5 horses stir them up, but the next ones are the ones that get stung. Live and learn!

 

[addy1]

Our summer has been wet, this is the first time I have seen yellow jackets around, this summer. The other summers, dry, we had them everywhere. Usually see them swarming the fallen apples.
Lil missy now walks around the apples, she is afraid to touch them, she wants to pick them up, but won't. I was just outside talking to a neighbor, two of the suckers came and where buzzing my head, totally ignoring the neighbor, but circling me, good grief, maybe I give off a smell they like.

Take a look at this nest found in florida, unreal 6x8 feet
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...er-giant-yellow-jacket-nest-article-1.1381136

I usually watch areas I am working in to see if there are any wasps buzzing around before I do anything. Got a little less attentive this summer, since we had not been seeing them. If I even hear a buzz I freeze until I see if it is a wasp vs a bee. Bees cause me no issues, but those wasps, they hurt.

 

[j.w]

Now addy that huge nest is downright scary!

 

[addy1]

Well almost a week of healing, this is what that plant did to me, arm still swollen. At least I don't feel as sick fighting the infection/reaction.

 

[j.w]

That looks really bad addy and if this is what it looks like now after a week of healing it must have been horrible then. It looks really painful and I feel very bad for you having to go through this kind of stuff too often................once would be too often,yikes! Get totally better quick now!

 

[addy1]

The worse thing is, the weather is BEAUTIFUL, the sun, or the heat of the sun makes it feel miserable, so I can't even be outside.
oh well this too will pass

 

[j.w]

That would not be fun at all addy to see the nice warmth of the sun and not be able to go out and play. Wonder how long it will take to heal? Hope not too long.

 

[addy1]

two-three weeks.................. just like poison ivy

 

[j.w]

Bummer, but hope you might still catch some nice days before the cold kicks into gear! I'm sitting here looking at your fish camera underwater. All the fish look shiny white cuz it's getting dark there. Tomorrow I will see colors. Rest well addy and hope you get better sooner than you think.
Watching the fish in those bubbles in the dark is really quite relaxing and it's also a bit psychedelic like being inside of a kaleidescope

 

[addy1]

The night light on the camera makes the fish look like bubble eyed monsters floating like gray ghosts as they pass. I used to have pond lights come on at dark, but figured out that helped the owls find fish to eat.

 

[addy1]

Some of the kids hanging out in the deep end, the pond water is so clear, love my bog. I was sitting on the edge of the pond watching them swim around, working on the new underwater camera.

I really like my color mix.

 

[CountryEscape]

Gorgeous fish pics, Addy! And, OMG, can't you take maybe prednisone for that rash/infection? I sure would NOT wait 2 or 3 more weeks for that to pass. When I had poison sumac many years ago I realized how wonderful prednisone was, but it's not something you want to take very often, as it is a steroid, but for what you have, I would call it a necessity! Good luck, and hope it goes away and heals up sooner rather than later.

 

[j.w]

You have so many beautiful fish it is unbelievable! They have multiplied like crazy. I'm sitting here watching them through your camera feed right now while I type.

 

[addy1]

Gorgeous fish pics, Addy! And, OMG, can't you take maybe prednisone for that rash/infection? I sure would NOT wait 2 or 3 more weeks for that to pass. When I had poison sumac many years ago I realized how wonderful prednisone was, but it's not something you want to take very often, as it is a steroid, but for what you have, I would call it a necessity! Good luck, and hope it goes away and heals up sooner rather than later.

I am one of those, if it is bad enough I will ow no thanks to any steroids. I have fought poison ivy since I moved here, this was the same type of reaction, 3-4 days of swelling, feeling miserable then just dealing with the ugly rash and itching. I am now at that point, still itches, ugly, but not feeling bad any more. I prefer no steroids, they are so bad for the body. I am really anti pills, convince me I will die and I might take them.

You have so many beautiful fish it is unbelievable! They have multiplied like crazy. I'm sitting here watching them through your camera feed right now while I type.

From my start of just a few feeders (the famous four that survived), with a few walmart add ons (all the poor rescue fish died) I have ended up with a pretty nice mix. Love the colors, the mix of long and short finned. Shubbies are showing up with some neat colors, some have really long fins. I had one shubunkin in the beginning. Put shubbies in the stock tank now have a mix of shubbies and gf in that tank (gf eggs made it through the pump and into the tank) Once they slow down for winter I am going to attempt to catch the gf and toss them into the big pond. Notice the attempt!

Anything that makes it past the hungry egg eating adults is welcome. Still have a lot of water room to support the fish so not worried at all about over population.

I like the new camera, it is a dome instead of a bullet, just have to tweak and adjust to get the good angle for sun shine, reflection etc. Right now it is sitting right next to the shubbie tank waterfall, lots of water movement all of the time. Some particle reflection issues but no biggy.

 

[addy1]

Thought I was done building............nope The largest preform is now going to be gone. After this heavy 3 day rain, one end sank a tiny drizzle of water went out, what is unreal the pond dropped by 8 inches, over night. I was out messing around until 3p or so, with the gardens flowers, beautiful day. Pond was in great shape. Wake in the morning it is down in level.

So I shut off the shubbie tank (has waterfalls), the stream pump, waterfalls, stream ponds and shut off the flow to the preforms. Re- fill the big pond, whew! it holds water, no drop in 24 hours. Turn on the shubbie tank, no drop in water, turn on the deck ponds and stream no drop in water. That tiny hardly noticeable flow out of the preform managed to drain the big pond by 8 inches. This is its third major failure, first was a small crack at one end, second it settled after 4 inches of rain, dug it out, rock dust, tamped, sand under the pond. Stable through winter, many rains, then it rains for 3 days, 3 inches, the one end settles , again, tiny leak, drains the big pond.

I am yanking the sucker, putting in a piece of liner. Will dig out the shape some, make it somewhat bigger, put in liner, no more settling, no more pond draining, I hope!

Will post before and after, after I get started and get some liner.