Homesteading today

[Bigbob]

Backwoods home is gonna be right up your alley TB ( sorry forgot to mention you with PP and Somo). Fairly conservative, not anywhere near Mother Earth news. They used to be right near where I deer hunt in northern CA. But moved to Gold Beach Oregan. Well written,very down to earth, I had to quit subscripeing because of budget.

[SoMo]

Picked up a barely used styrofoam incubator today for 20$ under half price if new, just another tool in the do it yourself arsenal.

[Prairiepiss]

Pp really has it going on doing his own power and everything, our only outside utility is electricity. Start small plant a garden and a few fruit trees, then a few chickens would be my advice, then a few bunnies, it really snow balls from there into whatever you want. Don't go too big too fast that's what will and can overload you.
Just candled my chicken eggs in the incubator one bad one out of forty, this is day eight of incubation.
BigBob, I will look into that magazine probably right up our alley.

Sory I'm not able to keep up on the forums.

I don't know if I got it going on. LOL I got something going on.

Yes don't start to big. Trust me it makes for a hard go at it. We still haven't got our animals down here yet. The to do list is long. And keeps getting more and mote added to it.

Now if I can just find someone that would pay me for a huge hornets nest. And come get it out of my way. Then I would have it going on. LOL

[shadylane]

Prairiepiss
Just whack the hornets nest with a stick.
The nest will be empty in a couple of seconds.

[SoMo]

Prairiepiss
Just whack the hornets nest with a stick.
The nest will be empty in a couple of seconds.

They do have a value 25$-50$ depending on the size of it, that's what you call a hillbilly piñata, welcome to the Ozarks PP.

[Truckinbutch]

Prairiepiss
Just whack the hornets nest with a stick.
The nest will be empty in a couple of seconds.

Smart move is to sneak in at night and envelope the nest in an industrial garbage bag . Then spray a shitload of starting fluid (ether) in the bag and walk away . Next day you got a very valuable hornet's nest full of very dead hornets for sale and you never got stung once .

[Red Rim]

Truckinbutch,
I have done this twice. With bald face hornets nest. Those things are badasses!
The first time I crept up like a ninja on a ladder and got that thing down and tied up before they knew what hit them. Bigger than a basketball. I left it in the garage for two weeks until they suffocated and then we autopsied the hive and the various states of development. Great science project.

The next time however, I wasn't so lucky!!!

I had a friend over and he wanted to help. So he decided to back his truck up and cast some light on the subject. DUMB!!! Worse yet I was drunk enough to not back down when I saw the sentries gaurding the entrance.
So there I was standing on a ladder, not using a heavy duty garbage sack, eyeballing some pissed off hornets, and I went for it anyhow.
I got the bag snagged on a branch, and then as I wrapped it around, I got stung twice. Now I got a little excited and jumped off the ladder, landing on my arse, bag o bees in hand!. I sprinted to the garage while tying the bag and getting stung.
The next day I wandered out to see how my dumbass project went, only to find a flurry of bees flying back and forth between the garage and former hive location. They chewed through the BAG! Aaaaugh!

My wife, annoyed by my latest project, simply said," you made this mess clean it up"!

Went straight to walmart , bought two cans of bee killer and walked up like Doc Holidayat tombstone chanting "I'll be your huckleberry"!

Now I just spray first and leave the stupid experiments to the brew room.

[goose eye]

If the bees soap water will smother them. Bees is the
only one makes wax. Other make paper.

Ole boys left more than one tractor in the field bushhoggin.

Japanese hornets is the bad one round here.

So I'm tole

[cob]

Prairiepiss
Just whack the hornets nest with a stick.
The nest will be empty in a couple of seconds.

Smart move is to sneak in at night and envelope the nest in an industrial garbage bag . Then spray a shitload of starting fluid (ether) in the bag and walk away . Next day you got a very valuable hornet's nest full of very dead hornets for sale and you never got stung once .

i've used a 12 guage with bird shot, both barrels at last light. if you hit it just right theres nothing left.

[Truckinbutch]

COB ,
Nothin left is wasteful . Another good trick is to plant a torch on a stake close to the nest in darkness . Light it up and then tap the nest lightly with a stick . Don't stand between the nest and the fire . Hornets ,or any other bees , will come out of the nest and fly directly to the torch and burn their wings off .

[cob]

COB ,
Nothin left is wasteful . Another good trick is to plant a torch on a stake close to the nest in darkness . Light it up and then tap the nest lightly with a stick . Don't stand between the nest and the fire . Hornets ,or any other bees , will come out of the nest and fly directly to the torch and burn their wings off .

TB; if you were talking honey bees i'd agree with you. but bald headed hornets, the paper ain't worth messin with.

[shadylane]

Prairiepiss
Just whack the hornets nest with a stick.
The nest will be empty in a couple of seconds.

Smart move is to sneak in at night and envelope the nest in an industrial garbage bag . Then spray a shitload of starting fluid (ether) in the bag and walk away . Next day you got a very valuable hornet's nest full of very dead hornets for sale and you never got stung once .

i've used a 12 guage with bird shot, both barrels at last light. if you hit it just right theres nothing left.

I shot a nest with a 410 back in the 1960's
I'm sure it killed some of the hornets, but it also created more exit holes for them to get out of.
I was dumb enough to stand around looking at the damage I'd done.
Little did I know, of the education I was about to receive.

[SoMo]

Two 12 gauges no plugs, just cut down like Al Capone in his days. Take no prisoners leave no survivors.

[Prairiepiss]

They are black hornets. At least that's what others are telling me. There is a big brambles patch under them. So I can't easily get to it. This nest is about as big as a 5 gal bucket.

I armed my youngest with two flashlights. And I had two big cans of hornet spray. Was going to have him spotlight it while I unleashed hell on them. Well we got into position. And I was about to bring the wrath on them. And I seen a century come out. And make a b line right for the flashlight. And bam hit my son on the finger. He was fast. I looked back up and there were a WW more coming out. I told him let's retreat. And he was already moving. LOL

I thought about the 12 ga. I even have some dragons breath flame thrower shells. But its so damn big. I would have to get off a few good shots quick. And I would kinda like to get the nest. And maybe sell it.

Last night I took a led worklight down. And positioned it so it was shining right on the entrance. And over just enough I could stand outside the light and shoot it with the hornet spray. I left it on all night. My plan is to let them get use to it. Kinda. And the next colder night. Unleash on them.

[Jimbo]

If youre a brave soul, go out at night, with a large black garbage bag. Wrap it up over the nest and fill the bag from a raid can, then tie it tight on the branch. Next day your nest will be whole and ready for sale.

If you get stung to hell and back I will deny making this suggestion....

[goose eye]

Epi pen is good to have.

So I'm tole

[Prairiepiss]

Epi pen is good to have.

So I'm tole

I need to get a few. To have around.

[SoMo]

To me this is the second best part of how what we do one way can benefit our lives in another. Nothing's wasted, I pull what I want from these grains, and the leftovers become eggs and bacon, now there's the true circle of life.

[Prairiepiss]

Hey the wife said. After all this rain. We now have a pond for them ducks.LOL

[SoMo]

I bet you do, they seem to be enjoying it. At least something is. I had a driveway it's kinda washed away can't even blade it off, there's more coming.

[Prairiepiss]

I unleashed the wrath of two cans of wasp hornet spray on them last night. I was duel wielding them cans like a pro. It cooled off good last night. So I set off packing two extra large cans and a flashlight. I have had a led worklight setup for the last three nights or so. Pointed right at the nest. From a different direction then where I was going to cast the destruction from. I set it up so they would get a little use to it. And also cornfuse them. If they happen to make it out. Or one of the solders was out. The ground was nice and soft. From the rains we got. So my sneak level was maxed out. Extra thick coat and some lather gloves. Only thing exposed was my head. I wanted them to see the joy on ny face. (really just didn't have anything to cover up with LOL) I snuck into position with a clear shot of the entrance to their lair. And after fumbling a little with getting the cans shooting. Gloves and hornet spray just don't work good. But the right hand can got going first. It wouldn't stream like it should. It made me rethink a bit. Till the other can kicked in and my left hand was on Target right into the the entrance of their lair. So while I was filling it up with one. I was foaming the whole outside with the other. It looked like someone put bubble bath in the washer. I think I may have seen a few brave soles try to get out. But they fell to the ground foam covered. I kept an eye out for the protector. He was nowhere to be found. I must have gotten him with the first wave of my shock and awe. About half way through the cans. They decided to swap. Now the right was streaming and the left foaming. Little adjustment and I'm back in business. At this point it looked like a fountain someone had added bubble bath to. Foam just flowing off of it. Cans started running out. Time to retreat to the safety of the dark woods. Looked around to make sure they hadn't snuck up behind me. Threw the cans down. And watched for a second. No movement in the hell hole. Either I got them all. Or all of them I did get. Blocked the exit for the others. I made my escape. Into the woods no flashlight. Stealth mode go. Got to the safe zone. Turned the flashlight back on. So I could navigate my way back to home base. Promptly returned to refilled with liquid courage. For a a little celebrating. Watched the light on the trees above. To see if I could see any movement. Then it looked like something either swarmed the light. Or walked in front of it. Off I go to make sure the stupid cat didn't go down there. He was asleep in his box. So I don't know what that was. After I drank my drink. I went to a sniper point up on the hill. To evaluate the destruction. Could see the nest still dripping with foam. But nothing flying around. I called success. And went to bed.

Sory for the long paragraph. But on my phone in a Walmart parking lot. Ready to get home. Get over it.

Need to go check the outcome in daylight.

[Jimbo]

Hell of visual piss.

[SoMo]

Had me laughing so hard, the mental image of PP at war, guns a blazing.

[jedneck]

Mr. Piss bee killer.

[WooTeck]

[Prairiepiss]

I want to thank SOMO. For coming out and giving us a hand today. Our fist visitor to the homestead. Was another forum member. And bringing out some ducks. With his help we managed to build a makeshift duck pin. And clear a bunch of felled trees. That were in the fence path. He chainsaw clearly much better then my little piece o shite. I would still be down there clearing. But we managed to get 3/4 of the fence up and streched. We can knock the rest out tomorrow while the wife goes and gets the goats and chickens. Maybe I can get some kind of chicken coop up to. He brought some eggs and a chicken along with the ducks. Oh and some doors that will come in real handy. I managed to scrounge up a bottle of firepiss and a panela rum aged on some sugar maple. Probably not my best work. But couldn't send him home empty handed. The wife baked some zucchini bread and sent some with him. All and all was a nice day. Glad SOMO and his boy came out.

[SoMo]

PP, we were more than happy to come out and lend a hand, loved your place and hospitality. That zucchini bread's damn good. Any time, more than happy to help some one out who's as committed to building a better life for their family.
Haha suckers I got some Firepiss from the man himself, that's like Picasso handing you a signed framed painting with the paint still wet, just had a rum and coke, best ever hands down. Don't get no better than that guys, the simple things that mean the most.

[Truckinbutch]

Wish I could have been part of that . That's how communities get started .

[Jimbo]

Haha suckers I got some Firepiss from the man himself, that's like Picasso handing you a signed framed painting

Haha well put. Lucky Bastard

[SoMo]

Haha suckers I got some Firepiss from the man himself, that's like Picasso handing you a signed framed painting

Haha well put. Lucky Bastard

Lucky indeed!!