The working man, and chainsaw thread!!!!!!!!!

[struggle]

Just when I say all is quiet the phone rings

First job remove a shrub small job just down the street, will take care of it tomorrow. Might use the stump grinder but will try and handle dig it out first.

Next job (bid I have not submited yet) take down around ten scotch pine trees varying in diameter at ground up to four foot diameter. They are cut them down and another guy will come in with a graple to dump them into a side dump truck and haul away. Need to make them so they can load them after on the ground then bid the stump removal. I am thinking based off of ease on this one of charging $450-500 as the trees have no hazards and should be very straigth forward. Notch drop and cut for the truck. Should be done in a day easy. with nothing more than two saws. MS660 28" and a MS261 16"

Figuring the chasing roots I measured 816" total and at $2 an" that is a lot to deal with. Since it is all very easy access and one after another in a row I might reduce grind rate do to volume on the bid. They want a cost to haul chips away as well and backfill but at this location I have no source for dirt. So I might just bid it as grind and haul chips. It is for a church so I'm not holding my breath on getting this job as some people seem to think they are supposed to get work for next to nothing. If it were my own church I will work with them very well but another one I can't support my stuff on nothing, I think you know what I mean. This job though also might entail work at a cemetary as well down the road that is tied to the church. Not sure what will come of it. These pine trees in our area are diying left and right. At this rate there will be none left in the next couple of years. All kinds of small pins holes in the bark on the trunks. Pine decline? boring insect? I guess it is really bad in the Dakotas

Third job bid tomorrow for trimming up ash trees. No idea what to expect until I see it.

Fourth winterize a nieghbors camper.

Service another neigbors two work trucks. One I did this afternoon and will do the other one tomorrow. Kind of looking like it will be a busy week after all.

No yard work here at my house Randy as it has been so dry here that lots of shrubs are just outright dying from lack of water. Everytime I use the stump grinder it is so dry I have to wear a dust mask. I look like pig pen after one stump. No miosture what so ever.

That tree looked like a tricky one with home/deck and fence, great job!

 

[Eccentric]

Thanks Randy missed you to Bro! Battle went to the governor. We are working all angles! Yeah for sure I need to do some sawing! Wonder if Aaron is game

Does a bear #### in the woods???

 

[NHlocal]

Thanks Randy missed you to Bro! Battle went to the governor. We are working all angles! Yeah for sure I need to do some sawing! Wonder if Aaron is game

Hey Norm,
hope that works out with the governor. Ayuh, "saw time", it works wonders. :msp_thumbup:

Just when I say all is quiet the phone rings

First job remove a shrub small job just down the street, will take care of it tomorrow. Might use the stump grinder but will try and handle dig it out first.

Next job (bid I have not submited yet) take down around ten scotch pine trees varying in diameter at ground up to four foot diameter. They are cut them down and another guy will come in with a graple to dump them into a side dump truck and haul away. Need to make them so they can load them after on the ground then bid the stump removal. I am thinking based off of ease on this one of charging $450-500 as the trees have no hazards and should be very straigth forward. Notch drop and cut for the truck. Should be done in a day easy. with nothing more than two saws. MS660 28" and a MS261 16"

Figuring the chasing roots I measured 816" total and at $2 an" that is a lot to deal with. Since it is all very easy access and one after another in a row I might reduce grind rate do to volume on the bid. They want a cost to haul chips away as well and backfill but at this location I have no source for dirt. So I might just bid it as grind and haul chips. It is for a church so I'm not holding my breath on getting this job as some people seem to think they are supposed to get work for next to nothing. If it were my own church I will work with them very well but another one I can't support my stuff on nothing, I think you know what I mean. This job though also might entail work at a cemetary as well down the road that is tied to the church. Not sure what will come of it. These pine trees in our area are diying left and right. At this rate there will be none left in the next couple of years. All kinds of small pins holes in the bark on the trunks. Pine decline? boring insect? I guess it is really bad in the Dakotas

Third job bid tomorrow for trimming up ash trees. No idea what to expect until I see it.

Fourth winterize a nieghbors camper.

Service another neigbors two work trucks. One I did this afternoon and will do the other one tomorrow. Kind of looking like it will be a busy week after all.

No yard work here at my house Randy as it has been so dry here that lots of shrubs are just outright dying from lack of water. Everytime I use the stump grinder it is so dry I have to wear a dust mask. I look like pig pen after one stump. No miosture what so ever.

That tree looked like a tricky one with home/deck and fence, great job!

Hey Shane,
sounds like you just got real busy. Sorry to hear about the dry conditions. I still have more trimming to do on my hedges but, was trimming/pruning after work yesterday and discovered a bees nest in the Rhododendron I was pruning(white faced wasps). :msp_scared: I got away without getting stung but that ended my yard work for the day. That's the third white faced wasp nest I've found in my yard. :msp_ohmy: Next project, remove wasp nest.....:hmm3grin2orange:
Time to make coffee and get ready for work.
Have a good week.
Work safe. :msp_thumbsup:

 

[struggle]

Hey Shane,
sounds like you just got real busy. Sorry to hear about the dry conditions. I still have more trimming to do on my hedges but, was trimming/pruning after work yesterday and discovered a bees nest in the Rhododendron I was pruning(white faced wasps). :msp_scared: I got away without getting stung but that ended my yard work for the day. That's the third white faced wasp nest I've found in my yard. :msp_ohmy: Next project, remove wasp nest.....:hmm3grin2orange:
Time to make coffee and get ready for work.
Have a good week.
Work safe. :msp_thumbsup:

White faced wasp can't say that I have ever seen anyhting like that:eek2:

Around here you might see a regular standard one flying around or a bee here and there. Wasp can hit a person hard though without warning and I don't know of anyone that likes that:msp_ohmy:

We have been watering out two trees (red oak, planted a year ago) trying to keep them alive the rest of the lawn is 90% dead and shrubs are starting to take a hit from it as well. I ifgure it is just less to take care of for now. Next spring we will know the full effect of the drought on the landscape.

 

[Denis Gionet]

These pine trees in our area are diying left and right. At this rate there will be none left in the next couple of years. All kinds of small pins holes in the bark on the trunks. Pine decline? boring insect? I guess it is really bad in the Dakotas.

I look like pig pen after one stump. No moisture what so ever.

Seems like it's dry everywhere. I'm way up at 49degrees 41 minutes North, and it's been sickly dry here. The ground has crevasses everywhere that's not gravel, I haven't cut the grass at the lake more than twice since early July, and no rain in the forecast again this week.

The pines I grabbed up last weekend were already down for probably a year already, bark all off them, same little pinholes as you mentioned. Some boring insect I suspect. I found some larvae while splitting some pine from the previous load from there, looked big enough to be pine beetle larvae. Mind you these trees are unsheltered, in a cut after logging, so they're well exposed to the elements to die off on their own just from lack of wind shelter, but I'd bet the farm the beetles are finishing them off.

Pig pen ?!? lmao !!!

 

[NHlocal]

White Faced Wasps.....

Started on the wasp nest project today, got two of the three nests. :msp_w00t: The one that is most active and hardest to get to I didn't get today. And that's the one I really want to get, when I was getting set to spray it I got stung once, not a big deal but, it was way too active to get today.(revenge) The one on the side of the garage I knew about when the wasps started it, the one in the bush in the yard we found last week, the one in the Rhododendron right in front of the house I found yesterday. They seem to be settling in around my house. Here's a couple pics.....

.....#1.....

.....#2.....

.....#3.....

.....these are the only "bee" pics I could get.....

.....white faced wasps, gotta love 'em.....:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[NORMZILLA44]

Shane good deal bro, glad you are getting some work! Hey only two saws? But two of the best right there buddy! Randy those nests are huge man! Im no fan of any bees but honey bees! Aaron thought so, we will get a day together soon my friend, I need to get more wood in for Bette. Jeanie and I could use it too.

 

[struggle]

One of the jobs I was called on I went out and got it. It will be nothing more than pole sawing dead limbs out of two ash trees. I has really got me thinking oabout buying the HT131. I use a fiskars pole saw now. This job would be perfect for a HT131. The job would in no way pay for the saw but it would be a good start.

Also picked up another job that was in the works a month ago. Once again nothing big, but anytime I can bill $400 in a day is good in my eyes on a one day job.

I talked to the guy today about the big stump/tree job and I have to submit a written bid to them which I will do soon. It will actually be bid two jobs as they want a bid on the cemetary work as well. IF I get those two jobs it will be a real boost to my year , but not holding my breath until the check is in the bank.

Randy it was always my understanding it is best to attack a nest like that at night:msp_angry:. That way they are all in the nest when you go after them. Just wondering what your approach on that is going to be. Thanksfully I have never ever seen a nest like that in shrubs. I think I would crap myself on what to do about it.

On a landscape I cleaned up earlier this year I removed a sandbox and in that was a metal semi trailer kids toy and in the semi trailer was a nest and it was full of bees. Had my wife bring a garbage bag over and had her hold it open:msp_angry: and I gently picked the trailer up and but the bag over it. to contain them and threw it in the trash.

 

[struggle]

Shane good deal bro, glad you are getting some work! Hey only two saws? But two of the best right there buddy! Randy those nests are huge man! Im no fan of any bees but honey bees! Aaron thought so, we will get a day together soon my friend, I need to get more wood in for Bette. Jeanie and I could use it too.

I will bring the MS460 though so it can be exercised in the event of hitting a nail with the others:msp_scared:

 

[NHlocal]

One of the jobs I was called on I went out and got it. It will be nothing more than pole sawing dead limbs out of two ash trees. I has really got me thinking oabout buying the HT131. I use a fiskars pole saw now. This job would be perfect for a HT131. The job would in no way pay for the saw but it would be a good start.

Also picked up another job that was in the works a month ago. Once again nothing big, but anytime I can bill $400 in a day is good in my eyes on a one day job.

I talked to the guy today about the big stump/tree job and I have to submit a written bid to them which I will do soon. It will actually be bid two jobs as they want a bid on the cemetary work as well. IF I get those two jobs it will be a real boost to my year , but not holding my breath until the check is in the bank.

Randy it was always my understanding it is best to attack a nest like that at night:msp_angry:. That way they are all in the nest when you go after them. Just wondering what your approach on that is going to be. Thanksfully I have never ever seen a nest like that in shrubs. I think I would crap myself on what to do about it.

On a landscape I cleaned up earlier this year I removed a sandbox and in that was a metal semi trailer kids toy and in the semi trailer was a nest and it was full of bees. Had my wife bring a garbage bag over and had her hold it open:msp_angry: and I gently picked the trailer up and but the bag over it. to contain them and threw it in the trash.

Shane,
good to hear you're picking up some more work. Hope you do get that big job.
Ayuh, night is the best time to go after any bee's nest. :msp_thumbup: The problem is I'm in bed early to get up at 4am in the morning, although I may have to stay up a bit later to get this last nest, they are very active/aggressive.....:msp_scared: They definitely have to go 'cause I've got to get that bush pruned. :hmm3grin2orange:
Once again, time to make some coffee and get ready for work.....
Work safe. :msp_thumbsup:

 

[NHlocal]

Shane good deal bro, glad you are getting some work! Hey only two saws? But two of the best right there buddy! Randy those nests are huge man! Im no fan of any bees but honey bees! Aaron thought so, we will get a day together soon my friend, I need to get more wood in for Bette. Jeanie and I could use it too.

Hey Norm,
Ayuh, that time of year, thinking more and more about firewood.
The bees don't bother me so much, I've always been amazed at how they work and how quickly they can build a nest, what I really don't like is getting stung.....:msp_scared::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Ronaldo]

Back here in my neck of the woods those bees are Bald Faced Hornets. At least that is what we call them. If you can wait for a cool down---even into the 40's or 50's for overnight temps they will be very sluggish in the morning. A good time to eliminate them!:msp_wink: They arent much fun to be around as they always make me nervous, just wondering when I'm gonna get nailed.....Good luck with them critters!

Ron

 

[NHlocal]

Back here in my neck of the woods those bees are Bald Faced Hornets. At least that is what we call them. If you can wait for a cool down---even into the 40's or 50's for overnight temps they will be very sluggish in the morning. A good time to eliminate them!:msp_wink: They arent much fun to be around as they always make me nervous, just wondering when I'm gonna get nailed.....Good luck with them critters!

Ron

Ayuh,
gonna wait 'til they're "sleeping", then I'll take 'em down.....they ain't got a chance! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Denis Gionet]

Good luck with the bugs, you can have 'em !

 

[RandyMac]

My Grandad was the mayor of a very small town, the other three old farts were going to outvote him over a cattleguard. So he got up early, wrapped a gunny sack around a paper nest and tossed it into the Grange hall. When they moved outside, he lit a pile of poisonoak upwind, the meeting was unproductive.

 

[Bingo]

Wasps

NHLocal:
That first pic looks exactly like the nest I had under my motion light on the back corner of the garage after I'd been outta town for two days. Two days!...Man, they work fast...I dedicated one can of wasp spray to it...after about 7pm...sprayed that opening tunnel until there was very little activity if any...then knocked the nest off and as soon as it hit the ground I had about half a quart of kerosene on it and then a match. No more wasps. I guess you could knock it off into a garbage bag or something but I think that's iffy...Much better if you know they're just gone.I go after yellow-jackets (ground wasps), with the same zeal around my woodpile. They don't like wasp spray or petroleum products...not much...just enough to discourage life...They are more aggressive and nastier than most.

 

[056kid]

Th Bald face hornets are pretty respectful, in my experiences they mind their own until you fool them. I got a fulll dose to the inside of my nose while throwing rocks at a nest on the landing. I swear the.hornet followed the trajectory of my rock. Im not allergic, but I wasn't right for a day or so...
I found some friendly yellow jackets today. Got my face in and was in the middle of opening up the kerf a little and zappp! Got maybe 15 stings, none bad except for the 2 behind the ear. My idleing saw had a swarm of what had to be over 500 attacking it. I managed to sneak up and get it without any more stings.

 

[Eccentric]

Around here, we've had the worst paper wasp season that I've seen in 30 years. I've gone through 10-12 cans of spray. The little bastards keep building nests under every overhang and in the 'nooks' of every parked vehicle.

So far I've been chased many times, but only stung once this season. When I was spraying a nest in the back of a truck, a wasp flew over the spray stream and stung the trigger finger of my hand that was holding the spray can...

A few months back I had the pleasure of hearing RandyMac's grandpa story while camping within a few miles of where it took place.

 

[NHlocal]

NHLocal:
That first pic looks exactly like the nest I had under my motion light on the back corner of the garage after I'd been outta town for two days. Two days!...Man, they work fast...I dedicated one can of wasp spray to it...after about 7pm...sprayed that opening tunnel until there was very little activity if any...then knocked the nest off and as soon as it hit the ground I had about half a quart of kerosene on it and then a match. No more wasps. I guess you could knock it off into a garbage bag or something but I think that's iffy...Much better if you know they're just gone.I go after yellow-jackets (ground wasps), with the same zeal around my woodpile. They don't like wasp spray or petroleum products...not much...just enough to discourage life...They are more aggressive and nastier than most.

I got two out of the three, I'm going after the last one tomorrow after the sun sets, 7:30 or 8:00pm. The spray I use I like a lot! :msp_thumbup: It has a very strong, single stream that instantly turns to foam and expands as it tears into the nest. Usually only takes a half can to take out the nest.

Th Bald face hornets are pretty respectful, in my experiences they mind their own until you fool them. I got a fulll dose to the inside of my nose while throwing rocks at a nest on the landing. I swear the.hornet followed the trajectory of my rock. Im not allergic, but I wasn't right for a day or so...
I found some friendly yellow jackets today. Got my face in and was in the middle of opening up the kerf a little and zappp! Got maybe 15 stings, none bad except for the 2 behind the ear. My idleing saw had a swarm of what had to be over 500 attacking it. I managed to sneak up and get it without any more stings.

Ayuh, they haven't bothered me or anyone else, but after finding the third nest I figured it was time for eviction. To tell the truth I love to watch them work building their nest, it really is amazing to see how quickly they are able to build. :msp_ohmy:

Around here, we've had the worst paper wasp season that I've seen in 30 years. I've gone through 10-12 cans of spray. The little bastards keep building nests under every overhang and in the 'nooks' of every parked vehicle.

So far I've been chased many times, but only stung once this season. When I was spraying a nest in the back of a truck, a wasp flew over the spray stream and stung the trigger finger of my hand that was holding the spray can...

A few months back I had the pleasure of hearing RandyMac's grandpa story while camping within a few miles of where it took place.

After I sprayed the first nest I was "closing in" to spray the next nest there was a little activity, one or two would fly in and out, when I got into position one of 'em flew right to me and stung me right on the trigger finger. That's the one I'll get tomorrow night. I got second nest with no problem. We're getting a bunch of bees nest here also, more than usual. :dunno:

 

[struggle]

I am going to derail this wasp topic.

Today I bought a new Stihl HT131 Will try it out tomorrow on two jobs.

I have been wanting one for sometime and am looking forward to using it.