Site Discussions

Thanks for the great article. I have black birch in relative abundance in a 50 acre woodlot. It is happily growing among sugar maples and red oaks and beech. The soil type is slightly acidic deep and loamy. I’m in the Hudson Valley somewhat and experience climate changes slightly delayed from surrounding hills.

This tree has been marked as a favorite in my woods. I now keep a keen eye on its growth. I have harvested a few weaker trees for firewood study to learn the characteristics of the wood.  In a book by Rebecca Rupp called, “Red Oaks, Black Birches” she has stated that Honey is also used in a fermentation on the birch beer recipe. As this tree seems to produce large amounts of sap. The scent of wintergreen can be easily detected all the way down to the base of the tree. The scent does fade as the wood seasons.

Its also quite fascinating the same oil of wintergreen is extracted from the tree as well as the wintergreen plant that forms a low groundcover in the Adirondack Mnts. As children we used to chew on the leaves of the plant.

Thanks for the information on the sawmill statistics. Have never come across any info on the wood drying process. Not seen at sawmills anywhere and wondered why such gorgious wood is not timber harvested.

Unfortunately the tree fights for space in the canopy and grows toward available light. Making it not so straight as its taller neighbors.

For BTU’s its impressively competing with hickory and white oak. But feel its value is better served at the sawmill. Its heavier than black cherry and exposure to air gives it the same hue.(further studies from here)

Love the Botanical illustration…I keep those items for personal reference and feel that is what makes your magazine very collectable. Keep up the great work!!

John Ewing- I was stung by a paper wasp also this summer, and like your wife, my foot and ankle swelled terribly and the pain and swelling lasted about a week, then a week of itching. I get bit a couple times a summer and have always used a paste of baking soda and water and placed it on the sting area, where it sucks out the venom and probably the stinger too. Why I didn’t do that this summer I’ll never know but you can believe I will use that paste next time…and there WILL be a next time!

Hello, everyone, my name is Joe Rankin. I wrote the article on wasps and perhaps can answer some, though not all, of the questions posed.

Judith: I rarely react much to honeybee venom, but then, I get stung fairly frequently. Not every day, but fairly frequently. I once asked the Maine State Apiarist, Tony Jadczak, why I seemed to react more to wasp stings. He said, simply, “different venom.” As Jane and Kim said, an allergist should be able to test you to see how you would react to honeybee stings. Given the cost of starting beekeeping, it would be worth a little bit of upfront investment in the test just in case. It’s good to keep in mind that it’s normal to swell up at the sting site and for it to turn red and itchy. Some people tell me they’re “allergic” to bees or wasps because that happens to them. I tell them that’s not an allergy. What you have to worry about is a whole-body reaction, where your airway narrows and you go into anaphylactic shock. I have never had that type of reaction to a bee or wasp sting. I DID have that type of reaction, possibly to eating swordfish, and was rushed by my wife to the ER. I fainted about the time the epinephrine went into my arm. It was scary. Particularly in how quickly it all unfolded. As Kim noted, just because you don’t show an unusual reaction to a sting this time, that doesn’t mean you won’t the next time. I know of at least a couple of beekeepers who had to give up keeping bees after developing a severe reaction after decades of beekeeping. My wife keeps urging me to buy an epi-pen in case that happens to me and I’m at a beeyard in the back of beyond. So far I haven’t, but… Also, it’s my understanding that an epi-pen isn’t a cure, it simply gives you time to call 911 or get to a hospital. I don’t know whether you can suddenly lose an allergy to stings. As part of the research for the article, I contacted Debbie Patterson, who with her husband Norman runs theyellowjacketexpert.com in Connecticut. Together they remove 300 to 500 nests a year in the northwestern part of the state using organic methods, including carbon dioxide and in-line traps. They sell the wasps to medical labs that extract the venom to use in venom desensitization treatments. Debbie told me she developed a severe reaction to certain kinds of ground nesting yellow jackets and underwent desensitization therapy. It worked, she said. She has since been stung, but didn’t have a severe reaction. That said, she now lets Norman collect those types of ‘jacket nests, though she does collect other types, including aerial yellowjackets.

John: I find that, for me, wasp stings hurt like crazy, swell up a lot, and the skin gets really red. The reaction also persists longer. But I think that your wife’s reaction is unusual. That’s a long, long time for it to still be swollen and tender. I would get her to call a doctor.

To Stephen and Rick:  Paper wasps and yellowjackets don’t reuse their nests from year to year, preferring to build anew. So, once everyone’s out, knock it down if you want. But keep in mind that a good nest location is a good nest location. You might get a new nest there next year, but it’s not because anyone’s returning to the old homeplace, like a salmon, but just because it meets the particular species’ requirements. There’s no way to predict whether the queens produced by your nest will even make it through the winter. That depends on a lot of factors. Rick, if the nest is that high up, and they aren’t bothering anyone, I wouldn’t do anything, this year or in the future, especially if you’ve already painted the cupola. But you’re right to not try to spray it with insecticide and then retreat. There’s no way to go down a ladder fast—except the wrong way.

P.J.: As to your sudden aggression question. I don’t really have the answer to that. Are you sure they are the same species? Some species are more aggressive than others and some yellowjackets, for instance, are hard to tell apart. If they are, perhaps it could be accounted for by a genetic component. I occasionally have to replace honeybee queens in order to “cool down” a “hot” hive. Then there are environmental factors: weather, availability of food, whether an animal or a human is keeping them stirred up. Any of those and many more, of course. Once again, I look to myself and note how quickly I can become angry or frustrated. All beings react to external as well as internal stimuli. In the case of wasps I always assume that they’re going to be aggressive and territorial, but I’m never disappointed when they’re not.

To Jane in Farmington:  Of course you can have a copy of the article and thank you for the compliment.

For many years I have lived with yellow jackets both under and on the doors of my shed.  When I had work to do I could open the doors and the outliers (you called them bouncers) would reposition to the new location.  My starting the ATV in the shed never seemed to bother them. That is until this year when they came after me on opening the door. I wonder why the sudden aggression.

Any chance these paper nests will be reused if left alone?  Seems like a lot of effort to construct one.

Dave,
Enjoyed your blog as usual. The whole farming vs. tree harvesting discussion is interesting and I think there are more similarities than differences. Our local PBS station sent out a notice saying that if subscribers would elect to receive the monthly program bulletin electronically rather than in paper form, we would “save” 23 trees. These are folks who ought to know better. I wondered if anyone ever tells the local Italian restaurant patrons if you order your pasta without sauce, you will “save” seventeen tomatoes? Somehow this need to “save” trees has become fashionable even though harvesting may be far better for the long term prospects of the forest. Keep up the good work.

(Received by email, posted by our office.)

To the Editors:

I was impressed with Bob Kimber’s patience with beavers (Upcountry, Autumn 2012). I am now more patient than I used to be. Decades of struggle do lead to accommodation. After reading Mike Freeman’s well-written and compelling article (“Bar Bar: Why Regulated Trapping Still has a Place in the 21st Century,” Autumn 2012) it’s good to know I can feel better about trapping beavers because the new traps kill instantly, but I don’t need that option anymore. Chalk it up to the dry Summer of 2012.

My shiitake mushroom harvest from hardwood logs was failing. The logs I inoculated for three straight years were all dangerously dehydrated, despite my strategic placement of them in the shade of the north side of the sugarhouse, catching concentrated rainwater from the roof when we did get a shower. Below 30 percent moisture content they become worthless for fruiting mushrooms. In desperation, I threw a few in the beaver pond to soak them. Pulling them out a couple days later, I noticed one was missing. I suspected the big beaver my wife once mistook for a black bear. I was overdue for a paddle, so I headed for the woodshed to dust off the Old Town Discovery, hoping to recover my shiitake log from the dam.

One of the things I always appreciated about Castor canadensis was the esthetic blessing their industriousness creates. They’ve built a series of three ponds on the small wetland on my woodlot, the largest of which is bigger than any beaver pond I’ve ever seen. I’m glad for these ponds even though their builders constantly threaten to flood the woods road which is the only access to my maple orchard, and also take maple saplings not meant for harvesting in my management plan. Still, you can’t compare what they do to what a bulldozer could do for $10,000. Beavers build beautiful ponds for free, like Jesus gives away love for free. All I must do to accommodate them is to hoe out a couple of their dams everyday (and unclog the PVC pipe baffles), like a dairy farmer hoes out his gutters everyday.

I rescued the shiitake log with my canoe freighter and thanked God for the beavers. I now soak 6 or 8 logs a week in the pond, and I’m finally getting a nice, consistent shiitake mushroom harvest.

Michael Caldwell, North Wolcott, VT

In early July my wife was stung on the foot by a wasp. It immediately became painful, swelled up a lot, and stayed that way for about three weeks, and now her foot is still swollen although no longer tender. Is such a long reaction to the sting a rarity? What might be the reason?

I made my living as a cabinetmaker and now teach at the Yestermorrow design/build school.  My teacher Teruo Hara, felt that imperfect boards were more spiritual and that knots and splits that had been treated with a patch or butterfly connected the plank to the tree and the transience and imperfections of the living world.  For a further discussion of this aesthetic Google the term ” Wabi sabi.”
My students now relish dealing with boards that are less than perfect.  This has a very long history, enjoy it!

The painful sting of any wasp or bee can be quickly neutralized by the application of a piece of an aloe vera plant or masticated plaintain placed directly on the sting - the sooner the better.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Diane

What a wonderful, informative article.  Joe, may I have a copy?  I will see you at the market someday.  To Rick in VT.  If the yellow jackets are on the roof, why do you have to get rid of them?  They are probably feeding on insects that are more harmful to you than they are. My nest is in my compost bin and has been a very interesting evening event from my deck six feet away. I too will harvest the nest after the killing frost.
I look forward to reading more articles written by you, Joe.
Jane

Place 5 lbs of sugar in a pail half full of water and let the wasps come to you on or near the ground. Watch out some of their friends are not around and come visiting. I discovered this by accident after making home made wine and threw the pulp out in the woods soon to discover the pulp was covered with wasps. I don’t know if this will work will all types of wasps.

New to us this summer is a football sized paper wasp nest in the eves of a barn top cupola, accessible only by scrambling up a steep metal roof after a two story ladder climb.

It was scarey enough to get up there to paint the cupola. No way to spray insecticide the nest and then retreat quickly.

They don’t bother us so we were waiting till after a hard freeze to remove it. The mention of the hibernating queen in this article tells us that won’t really solve our problem.

Any ideas how to kill the wasps before the queen disappears and we get a new outbreak next year?

Thanks,

Rick

The venoms do indeed have some different chemical components, and it is possible for one to be more sensitive to one group of stingers and not others. However, a simple test at the allergist will give evidence if it is likely that one might respond in a cross-over reaction. Example, my son, after a severe reaction tested positive to all three of the main stinging culprits and immediately began 5 years of immunizations that will likely save his life in the future.
One must always remember that only through repeated exposure does an allergic reaction process even begin to take place and thus vigilance is a must. I just stepped right into a ground nest of yellow jackets and received no less that 10 stings. My reaction was minimal, but painful, itchy and temporally traumatic. The fact that my response was not even close to life threatening does unfortunately not mean that I will not, should there be a next time,  react the same way. Keep working with the bees, but I strongly recommend that you get the skin tests that may save your life.

Judith - I’m not an expert, but I have seen fellow beekeepers develop allergies after being stung over time.  I’m told the opposite can occur, that one can loose an allergy as well.  Keep in mind that a lot of people think a really bad reaction to a bee or hornet sting is an allergic reaction.  It’s not.  Though very painful, uncomfortable and possibly necessitating medical attention for relief, a true allergy can be deadly resulting in a whole-body reaction that may close the throat very quickly.  It’s nothing to mess around with.  If you’re considering beekeeping, please find out for sure if you are allergic by visiting an allergist.  If you find out all is well, the Vt. Beekeepers Association can help get you started with a mentor and trainings.  Best of luck to you.

I have question. I’ve heard that if you are allergic to wasps that you are not then allergic to bee stings. Is this true? I seem to have an increasing reaction to wasp stings, but want to keep bees. Should I take a chance on beekeeping?

I was just riding my bike with my Weimaraner along our gravel road by our oceanfront house in Prospect Harbor, Maine. I saw an animal sitting in the middle of the road. I initially thought it was a fox, as they do that sometimes. But as I got closer, it didn’t look like a fox. Then I thought it was a cat, but a big one, 18-20 lbs at least, and beefy, not lean like a cat. It saw us coming and didn’t go anywhere until my dog saw it and began pulling towards it, about 50 yards away. At that point, it ran into the brush. I was able to get a better look as I got closer. It had dark ears and dark stubby tail. The coat was tawny looking, but it didn’t look particularly spotted like the photos on this website. I suspect it was a bobcat. In 30 years of coming here I have never seen a bobcat before. It was quite exciting. Do you think it was a bobcat or is there some other type of wild cat it could have been?

Frank,

We here at Northern Woodlands are unfamiliar with any particular method for stripping dead leaves from oaks, as none of us have ever tried to do that.

Many thanks, Virginia, for the detail you included two years ago in your description of the Nannyberry (viburnum lentago).  From April to October in 2012, I have taken photos of this plant on a walk I take and this helped verify that it is indeed the nannyberry.

Greatly enjoyed your article, Ben! I’m a huge fan of wild rice, and love to look for it along the river and marshes in CT. A year ago I wrote an article for our local Audubon Society’s newsletter concerning wild rice, and a few times a year I purchase wild rice from Native Harvest in Minnesota. Thanks again for the excellent article!