It's Never Any Fun Hoarding in the Hot Sun!

First off a big thank you to Eric Schamell for the lead on this score. He had been picking away at it and PMed me about it. State cutting on an entrance ramp to an interstate. I was working 15 minutes from there and its half hour from home as I normally wouldnt travel that far for wood. All birch (which is a rare scrounge for me) with a small sassafras thrown in. Was there less than ten minutes, moved a log and bamm...two yellow jackets get me through my glove. Great, nest right near where i have to cut. Worked around them best i could and they left me alone until i got hit in my other hand later when i pulled a log out from near their nest. About an hour and 15 minutes cut and load late this afternoon. There was another trunk farther down the hill, but was too beat by then. Temps in low to mid 90's with dewpoint in mid 70's. Most unpleasant day. I was in the shade most of the time luckily.
Bucked then moved rounds next to guard rail and backed up PU to load. Very few cars in the time i was there. Maybe 3/4 load.
Some nice rounds. Perfect hot weather size. Been sitting there several months as the ends were fully weathered.

 

Good work! Glad that spot helped TWO Connecticut hoarders build their stacks a little more! Nasty weather to be working in. Sorry to hear about the bees. Funny/tragic coincidence, I was grabbing some Locust on Saturday afternoon, pulled some up that was half buried in the ground and BAM! Within seconds I got nailed on my hand, my thigh, and my ankle. I guess sometimes there's a price to pay for free wood.

 

Be safe Brad! It wood take a special piece of wood to get me out hoarding in this heat wave. It was downright nasty today. I believe it’s supposed to go on through this sunday!

 

Ya didnt put up how hot it was buZZ? Just asking...

 

ill edit OP now

 

It's getting to be hornet/yellow jacket season, I wonder why they get so aggressive later in the summer. Nice black birch though. Sounds like a miserable outing.

 

I did some splitting today er i mean some sweating.

 

Whats with the gypsy moths this year winter? Crazy here?

 

Not around here, can't say I've noticed many.
Wow, I didn't realize they were so bad up there.
'We're getting hammered': Gypsy moth outbreak devastating Eastern Ontario forests | Ottawa Citizen

Interesting, white footed mice eat gypsy moth larvae.
"
But also, mast failure — that’s a really bad year for acorns and nuts — can lead to a collapse in mouse populations. That might mean fewer ticks, but it leads to an outbreak of yet another pest: the invasive gypsy moth.

White-footed mice eat the moths when they are in their pupal stage, and when the mice disappear, the moths erupt.

Nature abhors a vacuum …"
Ask Sam: After the Squirrelpocalypse, What's Next?

 

Maybe they don't like this heat either


Too bad for them

 

Any gypsy moths here, are completely un-noticed.

Low impact, fortunately.

 

Bunch of trees taken down on Rt 149 north of the Salmon River boat launch if anyone is interested. East side of the river.

 

No gypsy moths here this year. Not much of anything eating tree leaves this year. So many shiny, whole green pristine leaves on the trees and no need to wear a hat to thwart the bug chit raining down.

The yellow jacket nests/populations get exponentially larger as Summer progresses. There's safety in numbers ? In Fall, when there is no longer a nest and future broods to protect, they are just trying to survive and are then protecting themselves rather than a nest. Give a bug a stinger and everything's a target. Hornets also don't lose their stinger if they use it (even repeatedly) so wielding it is not a life ending event.


You guys that can gather wood from the side of the road/highway are lucky. You never see that around here. It's usually ground up immediately and blown into the woods or a truck or hauled off. Besides there are far too many Karens and narcs that would call the cops on you before you even got out of your truck, at least in this part of the state. Sad as that is.

 

Been very hot. I cut four hours last Saturday. More locust!!

 

Another great load brad! I was out for a little while two days ago in similar temps and I got stung on my left ear. Now when I look in the mirror one ear is obviously bigger than the other.

 

Didnt have my trusty little blowtorch or bee spray with me.

 

We had them last year in my area.

 

Ron, Ron, Ron, what are we gonna do with you??? Youve been hoarding and holding out on us? Inquiring hoarders wanna know what you're working on.
I wouldve cut in the hot sun for locust!

 

None here that im aware of. We got hit hard 3-4 years ago. If you drive the interstates you can see the skeleton oaks that were killed off by them.

 

Id be aggressive if some almost stepped on my home and was using a chain saw next to it!
Although not so much the chain saw aspect!