damn bees

[madman]

heres what i dug today, there would have been more, but i was keeping my eyes on a bees nest near by, i dont like em!!! my favorite is the sandfords library paste madman

 

[madman]

here they are cleaned up, bottles from this era seem to clean up nice, unless they have lots of rust on them, just use hydrochloric acid, always protect yourself when using acids, ill find that 1860s dump yet !!!!! happy hunting yall mike

 

[Tony14]

Very nice finds Madman, too bad the bees were there it looks like you would have found some nice stufff.

 

[swizzle]

Try taking some honey with you. Put it a couple 100 feet away from the hive. Make sure the wind is blowing in the direction of the hive. Maybe they'll catch wind of it and go hunting for that instead of you. Or maybe it'll attract a bear.lol Just be careful around them. Any sudden movement could trigger an attack. Bright colored clothes make you look like a big juicy flower. They won't sting unless prevoked or threatened. Just use common sense and you should be fine. Also if there is anyone out there that are allergic to bee stings then don't forget your epi-pen (sp?) your bee sting kit. It is bee sting season. BEE CAREFUL OUT THERE GUYS AND GIRLS. Swiz

 

[GuntherHess]

The menace I hate the most when digging is yellow jackets, those hornets that live in the ground. By the time you figure out you hit their nest there are 30 of them on you.
I dont mind snakes and other critters , but bees suck.
That hornet spray in the can actually can do a number on them if you can see the opening of the nest. It sprays about 20ft and will instantly kills any it touches.
Better than trying to do something crazy like burning them with gasoline (that usually ends up hurting the digger more than the bees).
One thing I noticed about yellow jackets is they dont seem to chase you far from the nest like wasps and bumblebees do. They seem to have about a 20 foot protection zone.

 

[KentOhio]

Bees instinctively go for the color black, so don't wear black clothing.

 

[swizzle]

It may be best to leave them bee. If you have a good hole your digging, it just may prevent others from digging out the hole on you. You've done research and spent time to locate the dump. Let nature bee the gaurdian of your treasures. I know a lot of people hate bee's and wish they were all dead, but I love bees and do my best to observe and work around them. If in fact the hive is in your hole then go ahead and take the necessary steps to insure your safety and kill the hive. Be sure to always use your head and be prepared to run. You might want to wait for a cold day or early cool morning to attack before the bee's become active. I think its anything below 50 degrees that they can't fly. Double check the web on that before you go standing over the hive with some heavy duty bee killer spray. Swiz

 

[c.m. arrington]

Some yellow jacket nests can have up to 5000 little nasties in 'em. They don't fly at night, so if you can spray them after dark, you have less chance of getting stung.

 

[Pettydigger]

Speaking of bees, I like to go out and collect bald-faced hornets nest in the fall here in Iowa. You do not want to mess with these bad boys unless you know what your doing, they carry a massive punch when they hit you. They are very aggresive when you are near there nest. Have any you folks got these in your area?BTW I like that Sanford's quart! Pettydigger

 

[whiskeyman]

PETTY..I have them here...also have a nest hanging in my bottle room. I kept that rascal sealed in a plastic bag for about a year before I opened it and hung it up...

I heard a tale once about a guy getting one and putting it in his house...the larva hatched and he had a house full of hornets...no fun.

I worry more about bees,hornets,etc, than anything else when I dig too. Some of them won't quit...especially the Carpenter bees. Those black & yellow monsters keep on coming after you...even when knocked down several times. One in an old barn nailed me about 4 times...Tha last time he got between my shoulder blades...ouch!...
I eventually surrendered the barn to him.