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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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Normally, when I landscape, it's my back and elbows that ache so much during the workday. But yesterday I discovered a new bane! 
I had just planted a Galaxy Magnolia tree and was edging around huge stones that circled that bed. As I was on my knees with a digger/trowel tool in hand scraping along the stones, I uncovered an ant mound. Before I could actually determine what the mass of reddish/black movement was, it was too late to move away. Then there was a sharp pain on my ankle, then another...next came one on my wrist! I glanced down at my legs and the little ants were all over me.  I quickly jumped up and started swatting at them...gave up and took the palm of my hand against them, squishing them against my leg. After a mad few minutes, I believed I had the situation under control. 
As I began working further away from them, still contemplating my misfortune, a new sharp pain hit me under the arm! I had missed one!
Thankfully, there was no swelling or irritation later that night and on the drive home, I had the windows open, both dogs asleep on the seat next to me, and I was really enjoying the coolness of the evening air after a hard day's labor. I ran my fingers through my hair and hit a lump. The smile disappeared from my face as I was trying to determine if it could possibly be just a lump of dirt. But after pulling on it, I could feel the skin off the back of my neck tug. Bringing my hand out in front of me, the lump between my fingers was a tick. Right, out the window he went...little bloodsucker. 
By this time I was smiling again, even singing to a tune on my radio. But what is that tickling on under my ear? Yuck...another tick.
You know, I enjoy nature and playing around in the dirt, but enough already with little critters that bite!
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi. 
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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MMICKELS
Aluminum Knight
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 36050
Loc: Land of Shake and Bake
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Erika I had a run in with fire ants when I was in FLA. It was at a picnic with music playing. The ants all bit me at the same time (Tom how do they do that), in an attempt to get them of I was doing a strange shuffle with my feet, and brushing movements with my hands. The folks at the picnic thought I was trying to dance! 
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Mark
I'm going outside to stand, so if anyone asks I am outstanding.
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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I can just picture them in a group with grins on their faces...then at the sound of the beat, they all crunch your leg! 
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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half meter
Postmaster
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 13026
Loc: Great Lakes
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I bet you never saw the tick-in-my-leg picture in my Canada canoe report thread last year Little bugger hiked all the way up my long sock just to find paydirt 
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Gary
Collins I3 (Thin Film) Image Intensifying Eyepiece
Coronado Maxscope Double Stacked 90mm <0.5A w/BF30
6" f/8 TMB/A&M Carbon Fiber APO; f/5 with 4" Borg ED Field Flattener/Reducer
8" f/5.6 Starmaster Versa V8/Zambuto Mirror/ServoCat Jr dob
30" f/4.5 Obsession/OMI Mirror/ServoCat/Argo Navis dob
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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I don't believe I saw that one, Gary. I remember you mentioning it in another thread though.
So far, Buttercup and I are the only two that has been collecting ticks. They don't like the guys for some reason.
Oh, and to top off the little blood suckers and biting ants, my dad was watching me work today from a balcony and I couldn't quite make out what he said, but sounded like...."you're doing great!" So I looked up at him, smiled and said "pardon?".
So he repeated himself..."I said, wow, you're going grey!"  
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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MMICKELS
Aluminum Knight
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 36050
Loc: Land of Shake and Bake
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Quote:
I bet you never saw the tick-in-my-leg picture in my Canada canoe report thread last year Little bugger hiked all the way up my long sock just to find paydirt
Gary, was it a "nervous" tick? 
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Mark
I'm going outside to stand, so if anyone asks I am outstanding.
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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No, it was just trying to find Toc... 
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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rboe
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 63466
Loc: Phx, AZ
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I hate ticks.
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
127mm F9 Surplus Shed/Crawmach kit scope
Coronado SolarMax 40 on a Celestron 102 Wide Field
Best of ATM
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woman
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/09/05
Posts: 856
Loc: Western Alberta, Canada
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Quote:
I bet you never saw the tick-in-my-leg picture in my Canada canoe report thread last year Little bugger hiked all the way up my long sock just to find paydirt
Canada canoe report? Where abouts? My dad has spent much time canoeing in B.C. His favorite being Bowron Lake Park. He manages the website for it as a matter of fact.
Take care,
Sarah
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Sarah
Canon Rebel XT
Single arm drive
My scope: 5.5 Skywatcher newt.
My son's scope: ETX 90
Homepage
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Dave M
Postmaster
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 6207
Loc: N.E.Ohio
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When it rains it pours, ive never had the pleasure of dealing
with ticks.
I just get those bumble bees that hover inches from your face
and stare at you, the other day i had one repeatedly come
inches from me and stare at me while sitting on my deck, luckily there was a fly swatter close by, Swish!! and i hollared grand slam as he went sailing over the neighbors fence never to return 
Moral of the story.....its not nice to stare 
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Dave
Unitron 131-C
Meade 16" F4.5 EQ Starfinder
1976 Celestron Pacific C5
Celestron C90-Astro
Tak FSQ106ED
Astro-Physics 900-GTO
Masuyama`s 35mm, 30mm, 25mm-Wide, 20mm, 10mm
Edited by Dave M (06/03/05 07:39 AM)
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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Quote:
Moral of the story.....its not nice to stare
We've got Carpenter Bees that I struggle to keep under control. They've never tried to attack me but do hover next to my face and stare!
I've only been attacked by a swarm of bumblebees once and that was while raking hay. It felt like I was getting shot in the back of my neck and face. After I found out I couldn't outrun them on a tracter, I dropped the rake & somehow shut down and flew off the tracter in one swoop, running the whole way to the house with a black cloud of movement still above me. I was all by myself and envisioned myself dying as my throat and face swelled up. Well I didn't die, but my workmates thought my husband at the time was beating on me with all the black and blue marks, swelling, etc for days afterwards.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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desertstars
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 41911
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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I've learned not to flinch when the big black bees check me out. No knowing what it is they think they're seeing, but I've never been harmed by one, so I save my swatting energy for the mosquitos.
Erika, my father once pointed out that I'd acquired a few gray hairs. I took a long look at his head, long enough that he finally gave in and said, "What?" So asked him how long it had been since he had seen any hairs, gray or otherwise, on the old noggin. (He really ought to know better. Really.)
By the way, ants communicate using ordor molecules as signals. So do bees. There is some anecdotal evidence on record to the effect that they can coordinate defences of colonies (or hives) this way...
Hey, somebody asked....!
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Thomas Watson
Author of Mr. Olcott's Skies. Available in paperback and ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
@desertstarsbks
Under Desert StarsEither Way, It's Reading
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Dave M
Postmaster
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 6207
Loc: N.E.Ohio
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I duno what it is with the big bees staring at you, normaly
they dont bother me since they stay a respectabe distance but the one guy had to go, maybe he had bad eyesight 
They seem territorial though, it wasnt long after the first
one met fate that another took his place, they just hover in
say a 20' x 20' area and chase off any other bee`s that enter the space.
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Dave
Unitron 131-C
Meade 16" F4.5 EQ Starfinder
1976 Celestron Pacific C5
Celestron C90-Astro
Tak FSQ106ED
Astro-Physics 900-GTO
Masuyama`s 35mm, 30mm, 25mm-Wide, 20mm, 10mm
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Dave M
Postmaster
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 6207
Loc: N.E.Ohio
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Quote:
Quote:
Moral of the story.....its not nice to stare
We've got Carpenter Bees that I struggle to keep under control. They've never tried to attack me but do hover next to my face and stare!
Maybe thats what i have, there "big" like a sparrow
black and yellow, i figured they were bumble bees.
I have seen them try and bore holes in the wood garage
molding/trim.
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Dave
Unitron 131-C
Meade 16" F4.5 EQ Starfinder
1976 Celestron Pacific C5
Celestron C90-Astro
Tak FSQ106ED
Astro-Physics 900-GTO
Masuyama`s 35mm, 30mm, 25mm-Wide, 20mm, 10mm
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half meter
Postmaster
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 13026
Loc: Great Lakes
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Quote:
Quote:
I bet you never saw the tick-in-my-leg picture in my Canada canoe report thread last year Little bugger hiked all the way up my long sock just to find paydirt
Canada canoe report? Where abouts? My dad has spent much time canoeing in B.C. His favorite being Bowron Lake Park. He manages the website for it as a matter of fact.
Take care,
Sarah
By whereabouts, Sarah, did you mean where did I canoe, or where is the Canada Canoe Report? :brag-graemlin: Let me answer both questions
I canoed in the Quetico Provincial Park in Western Ontario.
Here's the link to my report with a lot of pictures, including the tick picture and the picture that was the source of my avatar The pictures don't start until page 2.
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Gary
Collins I3 (Thin Film) Image Intensifying Eyepiece
Coronado Maxscope Double Stacked 90mm <0.5A w/BF30
6" f/8 TMB/A&M Carbon Fiber APO; f/5 with 4" Borg ED Field Flattener/Reducer
8" f/5.6 Starmaster Versa V8/Zambuto Mirror/ServoCat Jr dob
30" f/4.5 Obsession/OMI Mirror/ServoCat/Argo Navis dob
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half meter
Postmaster
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 13026
Loc: Great Lakes
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Quote:
Gary, was it a "nervous" tick?
If it wasn't it should have been 
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Gary
Collins I3 (Thin Film) Image Intensifying Eyepiece
Coronado Maxscope Double Stacked 90mm <0.5A w/BF30
6" f/8 TMB/A&M Carbon Fiber APO; f/5 with 4" Borg ED Field Flattener/Reducer
8" f/5.6 Starmaster Versa V8/Zambuto Mirror/ServoCat Jr dob
30" f/4.5 Obsession/OMI Mirror/ServoCat/Argo Navis dob
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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Great report and photos Gary! Thanks for digging it up for us!
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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Tom, my dad is going bald now and just the other day he gave in and completely shaved off what little bit he had....I wish I could have thought of a comeback like that!
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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