FNG from PNW~USA

[Gracie]

 

[Stryder50]

Well hello and welcome!

Hope your shots are up to date.

That, and usually tightly clustered, centered.

 

[ClaireH]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome Strider! What a well-rounded life you lead, and a beekeeper to boot! I can imagine you have several stories based on these necessary keepers of our world The best local honey around was from a small bee farmer, who used to have a roadside stand years ago but he no longer has his stand. It was worth the 45 minute drive to buy his honey, and I’m convinced it kept allergies at bay for years for many.
Enjoy the board and I’ll be looking for anything you might share about your bee expertise.

 

[Stryder50]

So let me offer this as an insight into the intelligence of honeybees, and some of what we "beekeepers" have to deal with ....

I Asked Leading Entomologists: ‘What’s The Smartest Bug In The World?’
Some insects can count, recognize human faces, even invent languages.
...

I Asked Leading Entomologists: âWhatâs The Smartest Bug In The World?â

Some insects can count, recognize human faces, even invent languages.

getpocket.com

 

[Stryder50]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome Strider! What a well-rounded life you lead, and a beekeeper to boot! I can imagine you have several stories based on these necessary keepers of our world The best local honey around was from a small bee farmer, who used to have a roadside stand years ago but he no longer has his stand. It was worth the 45 minute drive to buy his honey, and I’m convinced it kept allergies at bay for years for many.
Enjoy the board and I’ll be looking for anything you might share about your bee expertise.

Beekeeping for me has had mixed results, mostly negative. I live in an area of heavy agriculture for berry raising and between other hives brought in for pollination services and some irresponsible spraying of pesticides; most of my attempts have seen either a whole hive die off or abscond = everyone packs up and leaves.

A hive will reproduce by splitting and half taking off with the "old" queen - mom; leaving the rest behind to make a new queen. Known as swarming and I've experienced that a couple times, even managing to snag the swarm before they got too far away. However, when one comes upon a totally empty box, the whole family has fled, for some reason ~ ???

I've been through about a half dozen starts of queen and seed colony, which at about $120 each makes for an expensive hobby. Throw in the hive boxes with frames and my investment over the past 6-7 years has been a bite in the budget. Was one Summer a couple back where I had one hive producing well enough I could take a box or so of honey, a few quarts worth, but those were expensive honey when amortizing what I've put in so far. At this time I have about four hive sets but no bees and will likely look around for a nuc or two (starter set) this spring and give it another try.

BTW - a hive is basically a very large family. One mother - the Queen. About 99% are the workers, all females, and all essentially half-sisters since they queen will have mated with about a dozen to twenty males/drones on her "honeymoon" flight. Leaves here set with all the semen she will need for the rest of her egg-laying live, which is usually about 3-5 years.

Fresh and local honey is the best, especially if not pasteurized. Honey will keep nearly indefinitely so long as sealed tightly to avoid molding. Honey is made from flower nectar so if harvested at certain times of the year will have the flavor of the flowers the bees were working. For example, we grow lots of raspberries here in my county, about 80% of the nations crop, so pulling off the honey boxes and harvesting after the bloom of the plants will give honey with a raspberry flavor. We also get lots of blackberry, most growing wild, and that also is a flavor many like to harvest.

Local and raw honey is good for offsetting pollen and "hay fever" type allergies and reducing the symptoms and problems from same. Not sure how they do it, but something in the processing of the nectar has it acquire some of the immune system treatment from the bees.

 

[Stryder50]

Added note here. Wife is very much into gardening and has two green thumbs. I share that some, but am mostly the "pick and shovel" labor guy at times. We've some apple and pear, plus nut trees along with a couple grape vines and then the assorted garden patches for growing tomatoes, beans, greens, etc. And lots of flowers, since she can't stand to see bare dirt not going to use.

So we'd often see the honeybees(someone's) about and years ago decided maybe we should get some of our own. Make sure we'd have pollinators and get some honey as well. So that led to a fascinating, and expensive hobby.

One has to have patience around a bee hive, and takes some time to get to know them and how to care for them. I advise anyone interested in keeping honeybees to plug into a local club or other beekeeper to get know the quirks of your area and more importantly, put on a veil and work along side a keeper as they open up a hive. Taking the roof off a home to 30-50,000 bees can be an experience one should not jump into with out some sampling first. You don't want to spend hundred$$$ on hive boxes, bees, and gear and then have a freak factor strike you the first time you have to open them up and work with them. Also, make sure you aren't allergic to bee stings. You'll get such every once and a while when working them.

 

[ClaireH]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome Strider! What a well-rounded life you lead, and a beekeeper to boot! I can imagine you have several stories based on these necessary keepers of our world The best local honey around was from a small bee farmer, who used to have a roadside stand years ago but he no longer has his stand. It was worth the 45 minute drive to buy his honey, and I’m convinced it kept allergies at bay for years for many.
Enjoy the board and I’ll be looking for anything you might share about your bee expertise.

Beekeeping for me has had mixed results, mostly negative. I live in an area of heavy agriculture for berry raising and between other hives brought in for pollination services and some irresponsible spraying of pesticides; most of my attempts have seen either a whole hive die off or abscond = everyone packs up and leaves.

A hive will reproduce by splitting and half taking off with the "old" queen - mom; leaving the rest behind to make a new queen. Known as swarming and I've experienced that a couple times, even managing to snag the swarm before they got too far away. However, when one comes upon a totally empty box, the whole family has fled, for some reason ~ ???

I've been through about a half dozen starts of queen and seed colony, which at about $120 each makes for an expensive hobby. Throw in the hive boxes with frames and my investment over the past 6-7 years has been a bite in the budget. Was one Summer a couple back where I had one hive producing well enough I could take a box or so of honey, a few quarts worth, but those were expensive honey when amortizing what I've put in so far. At this time I have about four hive sets but no bees and will likely look around for a nuc or two (starter set) this spring and give it another try.

BTW - a hive is basically a very large family. One mother - the Queen. About 99% are the workers, all females, and all essentially half-sisters since they queen will have mated with about a dozen to twenty males/drones on her "honeymoon" flight. Leaves here set with all the semen she will need for the rest of her egg-laying live, which is usually about 3-5 years.

Fresh and local honey is the best, especially if not pasteurized. Honey will keep nearly indefinitely so long as sealed tightly to avoid molding. Honey is made from flower nectar so if harvested at certain times of the year will have the flavor of the flowers the bees were working. For example, we grow lots of raspberries here in my county, about 80% of the nations crop, so pulling off the honey boxes and harvesting after the bloom of the plants will give honey with a raspberry flavor. We also get lots of blackberry, most growing wild, and that also is a flavor many like to harvest.

Local and raw honey is good for offsetting pollen and "hay fever" type allergies and reducing the symptoms and problems from same. Not sure how they do it, but something in the processing of the nectar has it acquire some of the immune system treatment from the bees.

I admire your persistence as it certainly requires effort and a willingness to accept possible failure due to conditions outside of your control to have successes.

That is so interesting about how honey made from bees near fruit gardens can wind up with the honey being flavored with that berry.

It seems that bees compete for territory when a new hive could be wiped out by a separate hive brought in to pollinate a nearby berry crop. This enforces the idea (like with their dance) that bees are intelligent planners. Considering they communicate where flowers are located by using distance to the angle of the sun is so bizarre in my mind! The fact that they can count up to four is another amazing feature I never knew.

I’ve always been fascinated with animals in general; watching insects, birds, squirrels and rabbits is something I enjoy when weather permits. For whatever reason, my house seems to only attract wasps, as in way too many, and not one single honeybee! There are always multiple wasp nests that form in the spring at all entrances to the house and around the gutters. I’m sure there’s a connection among wasps and bees, and I’m wondering if they keep bees away somehow but I’d have to research that one

That’s so true that non-pasteurized, locally grown honey helps to reduce symptoms of pollen-related allergies.

Fascinating hobby to say the least, and I hope you’ll have good luck with your next queen!

.

 

[miketx]

FNG = Friggin' New Guy
PNW = Pacific North West

Does the "J" in JGalt stand for "John"?

Hi, the J stands for Jane.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome to USMB, Styder50. Hope you enjoy the boards.

Yes indeed,you sound very interesting.

 

[Meister]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome, so you're a stones throw from Custer, huh?

 

[Stryder50]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome, so you're a stones throw from Custer, huh?

More like a couple throws, being a bit south of Lynden.
How close are you, ballpark?
(I might PM later, need to run errands.)

 

[Meister]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome, so you're a stones throw from Custer, huh?

More like a couple throws, being a bit south of Lynden.
How close are you, ballpark?
(I might PM later, need to run errands.)

Just east of Spokane, my wife has relatives in Bellingham and Custer.

 

[Sunsettommy]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome, so you're a stones throw from Custer, huh?

More like a couple throws, being a bit south of Lynden.
How close are you, ballpark?
(I might PM later, need to run errands.)

Just east of Spokane, my wife has relatives in Bellingham and Custer.

Hey you two live in Majestic Washington state, I am in Kennewick just 1 1/4 miles north of the Columbia river!

 

[Meister]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome, so you're a stones throw from Custer, huh?

More like a couple throws, being a bit south of Lynden.
How close are you, ballpark?
(I might PM later, need to run errands.)

Just east of Spokane, my wife has relatives in Bellingham and Custer.

Hey you two live in Majestic Washington state, I am in Kennewick just 1 1/4 miles north of the Columbia river!

Well, for me, not exactly....I live in the Panhandle of Idaho. Post Falls to be exact.

 

[Stryder50]

Small world sort of.
My daughter and her family live just east of Spokane (Green Acres).
We often pass through Post Falls on way to Kalispell, MT where my wife's daughter and her family live.

 

[beautress]

Which we saw here a couple decades back with our state governor's race between Rossi(R) and Gregoire(D).

Initially Rossi(R) won, but the count was too close to certify and by law required a recount. Seems the auditor office(the vote counters) of King County/Seattle found a box of "misplaced ballots" which shifted the win to the Democrat Gregoire. But the difference was still too close to be valid (guess the Dems weren't good at math back then).

So another "recount" and another box of "misplaced ballots" was found and this time the Dems got their math correct.

So, having done the trial balloon back then, they've been honing the process ever since and "franchised" it nation wide.

Maybe. The technique was used in the E2000 Dubya/Gore slugoff in Florida' but it still didn't put Gore in office since the vote colonoscopy hadn't been perfected yet to reverse a Republican landslide. It took a Dominion computer shit when Demmie ends were up in 2020 to do the doo. /snicker

 

[Hang on Sloopy]

I'll start off with what is in my Profile here;
Near lifelong interest in history, especially military history; also aviation and space exploration. Sci-fi fan. Parent(5) and grandparent(13), gardener +, beekeeper, and active in local community and politics.
...
Add to that I've been active on various forums for a few decades now. I'd mention which ones but if I understand correctly, not allowed to mention other forums here (?).

Most recently though was on one dealing with mostly military history and "generalship" (for a dozen+ years) which went defunct a couple months ago; the owners declining to pay the renewal fees, etc. to keep this one of nearly two decades lifespan going. Hence I and hundreds of other members cast adrift on the waves of the internet. I've since tried a couple other history/military history forums but not overly thrilled by their "ambiance" one might say.

I've an eclectic range of interests and experiences which I'll call upon here. I consider forums a place to share information such as graphs/charts, images, and sources/links as well as one's opinions and engage in discussion/debate, so will try to get in the minimum number of posts ASAP that will allow me to provide the sort of documentation and backup I prefer to present along with any thoughts or positions I might present~express.

So far, a quick skim through here suggests this may be my knew "home", more than others have shown to be.

Welcome. Your knew home??? Just a warning the Grammar Police bans 3 days for that. Delete it.

I think you are expecting way way more than we can give you pal. You seem so idealistic and delusional about here.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Welcome.

What's an FNG and a PNW?

Pacific NorthWest

 

[petro]

Welcome to the Jungle