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Snakes!


bayoubill

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3 hours ago, msmcleod said:

Earlier this month we had a warning about adders around the Argyll & West Dumbartonshire area of Scotland.

Obviously the cold doesn't bother them, although, to be honest, it's never really that cold here. 

They're protected though - so they can bite you, but you can't fight back :(

 

I wonder what would happen if the adders came into contact with the subtractors in Norfolk? 😀

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We thankfully have no poisonous snakes here, no cockroaches neither. You might have a run in with a black bear or moose, but no snakes I have to worry about thank you. humidity is about 20% on a bad day.

 

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5 minutes ago, bitman said:

We thankfully have no poisonous snakes here, no cockroaches neither. You might have a run in with a black bear or moose, but no snakes I have to worry about thank you. humidity is about 20% on a bad day.

 

Are you on 

eh-thumb.gif

Bitman? 😀

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20 minutes ago, bitman said:

We thankfully have no poisonous snakes here, no cockroaches neither. You might have a run in with a black bear or moose, but no snakes I have to worry about thank you. humidity is about 20% on a bad day.

 

Bites from the adders here are unlikely to kill you, unless you have a bad allergic reaction.

We get deer & foxes mainly - and they'd run a mile away from you if they saw you.

Humidity is about 99% on a normal day :)

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5 hours ago, craigb said:

Ahh...  Colorado!  Been there once for US Darts Nationals.  I'm guessing I'd like it (WAAAAAY more than Mark's 90% humidity and midges the size of small birds I hear!).

 

Send mushrooms!  LOL.  😆

Actually the midges are incredibly small (less than 1.5mm long), but they'll eat you alive in swarms. We get quite a few US Navy ships visiting, and you'll always get someone from Florida who's never been here before dismissing them... until they bite! 

If you're ever in the West coast of Scotland between May & September, or even as far South as Cumbria in England, here's a local secret (well maybe not so secret nowadays)... put on Avon skin-so-soft. They'll stay well clear of it. We used it for years until Avon cottoned on to it. I used to be able to by a box of 8 x 500ml for around £20. Nowadays they're selling it as bug spray in 150ml bottles for £5 each.

It really does work though, and it won't melt your sunglasses like some other products.

 

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9 hours ago, craigb said:

Ahh...  Colorado!  Been there once for US Darts Nationals.  I'm guessing I'd like it (WAAAAAY more than Mark's 90% humidity and midges the size of small birds I hear!).

 

Send mushrooms!  LOL.  😆

Did you have to aim your darts lower, to compensate for the thinner atmosphere? Just wondering.

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5 hours ago, emeraldsoul said:

Did you have to aim your darts lower, to compensate for the thinner atmosphere? Just wondering.

I was warned to get there early to adjust to the altitude but, after throwing for a while, your brain just subconsciously makes adjustments and you don't really notice.  I did see quite a few people that seemed out of breath though.  Of course, I was closer to being a mile up, not nearly as high as where you're at!  Wow...  9,800 feet?  I bet you have to adjust a lot of recipes and cooking for that!

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How much of that crazy white stuff do you get? 

We probably average only around 4" a year with a decent amount about every fourth year... (and only one year in the 16 I've been up here got close to two feet - 22").

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I have no problem with the snakes, and just keep them out of the house. In the yard, I'm careful where I put my hands. Even though in the 30 years I've lived here, I've only seen a few, I don't want to startle one.

I've had a couple of pretty big scorpions in the house in that time. I invert a CD-Rom lid over them, slide cardboard under them, and evict them. If they get in the house, it means they are lost. I find if I take them back to the wildlife preserve about 300 feet to the west of me, they can't find their way back.

Many years ago after a hurricane we had a hole in the screen of our screen porch. Construction and supplies were backlogged and we couldn't find either screen or a repair company for months. Wasps would get in through the hole and so we inverted a cup over them, slid the cardboard under them, and take them back out. Eventually the wasps new the routine and when we cane with the cup, they would fly into it and let us take them outside. We didn't even need the cardboard anymore.

Most animals that live in Florida will leave you alone if you don't make them nervous. I've strolled past alligators, crocodiles, snakes, wasps nests, and bee hives with no problem. I will kill mosquitoes, and black widow spiders if they nest too close to somewhere I need to be, and I'll avoid all that I think could be dangerous if they think I'm threatening them.

When I visited Australia, I avoided the >2,000 pound crocs and observed them from a safe distance. Humans are bite size to those beasts. In 5 weeks of being in the bush and the outback, I saw one snake, and I kept my distance.

When I was in Costa Rica, a fer de lance got into the laundry room of the Arenal Lodge and I saw grown men with fear in their eyes trying to get it out by using long sticks.

I often visit the Everglades National Park, and they are having a Burmese python problem. One ranger told me that if I see one sunning on the side of the road, I should run over it. I've seen them, but not where I could run over them, and to tell the truth, I probably would get out and take it's picture instead of killing it.

For the record, the most dangerous animal on the planet, the animal that kills more humans every year than any other, including humans, is probably lurking in your back yard all summer, the mosquito. Now that's an animal to fear.

Bob

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17 hours ago, craigb said:

How much of that crazy white stuff do you get? 

We probably average only around 4" a year with a decent amount about every fourth year... (and only one year in the 16 I've been up here got close to two feet - 22").

Tons of it from October till two days ago. I can see Keystone ski resort from my bedroom window. The snowblower walls on either side of the driveway get so high you can't see who might be coming down the road on their way to work when we pull out to go to work ourselves. I would move to the southwest but my wife wisely want to wait till we can't work anymore, as out only investment is our home that increases in value 50k a year. We are both self employed so only market forces and our health issues can stop us. The snow is all melted in town now so fire up the barbie!

Edited by bitman
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Exactly Notes, It's usually live and let live for those critters. I once lived in south Georgia. I can't say I really miss it for the critters. We still have copperheads up here in the North East.

I once was invaded by "noseeums" also commonly called red bugs. Not sure what the scientific name is for them. hey love to hang out on the moss that hangs from the oak trees. Just annoying when you get like 1000 of them on you. Been bitten by  wasps. They don't usually bother a person unless you rub up against one of their nests.Kind of annoying flying around in the living room though.

There was a gator in one pond we went to. If you seen him crawl into the water it was time to get out.

Edited by Starise
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3 hours ago, Starise said:

Exactly Notes, It's usually live and let live for those critters. I once lived in south Georgia. I can't say I really miss it for the critters. We still have copperheads up here in the North East.

I once was invaded by "noseeums" also commonly called red bugs. Not sure what the scientific name is for them. hey love to hang out on the moss that hangs from the oak trees. Just annoying when you get like 1000 of them on you. Been bitten by  wasps. They don't usually bother a person unless you rub up against one of their nests.Kind of annoying flying around in the living room though.

There was a gator in one pond we went to. If you seen him crawl into the water it was time to get out.

Something we sang when I was kid (to the tune of The Star Spangled Banner, sorta):

Oh say can you see
Any red bugs on me?
If you do, pick a few,
And we'll all have red bug stew.

 

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15 hours ago, Starise said:

<...snip...>I once was invaded by "noseeums" also commonly called red bugs. Not sure what the scientific name is for them. hey love to hang out on the moss that hangs from the oak trees. <...>

There are two kinds of bugs calld no-see-ums.

1) Redbugs (mites) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombicula

2) Sand Flies (midges) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopogonidae

I have a dozen Spanish moss filled Live Oak trees, and never have been bitten by a Redbug

On the other hand, I've donated a lot of blood to the Sand Flies.

Here in the my part of Florida, near the beaches and salt water marshes in the twilight hours of dawn and dusk or very damp, cloudy days the Sand Flies come out in force. You can see them, but they are tiny little dots, about the size of a period in a size 4 typeface. There are only 2 parts to this insect, wings and mouth ;)

They pack quite a bite for such tiny little things. Fortunately they leave no venom or toxin behind. When there are hundreds of them they can be an irritant.

They aren't strong fliers so a big fan will keep them away. If that doesn't work, a citronella candle or putting a repellent on yourself does the trick.

The last time I saw one land on my arm, I squashed it, and  at least 100 more came to the funeral :D

Notes

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