Winter Returned

[Grumpy Bear]

Garden is done. Several nights below 32 F here this past week. Foliage of tomato plants turned black. 

 

Color is patchy but the Rock River was glass today and stunning. 

 

[BIGDOGx]

On 10/10/2022 at 4:32 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

Garden is done. Several nights below 32 F here this past week. Foliage of tomato plants turned black. 

 

Color is patchy but the Rock River was glass today and stunning. 

 

Looks like a Bob Ross painting.

[diyer2]

First morning below freezing 29.

[KARNUT]

We’re supposed to get down to 38 Wednesday morning. We don’t get slow decline get used to cold weather. It’s bam take that sucker. 95 one day and 38 degrees the next morning. At least we got rain, we needed it.

[Grumpy Bear]

Snowed a few miles west of us. Snowed a few miles east of us. Snowed in the towns south and north of us. Not a flake here but in the 20's overnight. 

[OnTheReel]

Summer returned this weekend. 75 and sunny.

[diyer2]

19 this morning. Windy and snow on and off yesterday. To warm for any accumulation. 

Just a nice photo.

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by diyer2

[customboss]

15F here this AM.  We've had voluminous amounts of rain and freezing rain/ ice pellets since spring. Very odd for a high altitude arid normally forest. 

 

Having crawl space cleaned up, lined the dirt/gravel floor with a heavy 10 mil black plastic which is bonded to the stem walls about a foot up then spraying 2" of closed cell foam today. Hope it helps.  Crawl space stays about 50F year round and about 50% humidity unless it's really humid. Here. Ive read that 65% or lower humidity in a large tall crawl space is about right. 

 

Anyone else had basement or crawlspace professionally foamed? 

Edited October 25, 2022 by customboss
10 mil added

[diyer2]

Hey boss, 25 here this morning. 

Encapsulated crawl space and insulated floor joists will help. Floors will be warmer. 

Make sure the crawl space is vented to remove moisture. 

[customboss]

15 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Hey boss, 25 here this morning. 

Encapsulated crawl space and insulated floor joists will help. Floors will be warmer. 

Make sure the crawl space is vented to remove moisture. 

Thanks. Yes Sir diyer2 2 north side vents that are thermal spring controlled installed last year after pack rats chewed em out. Crawl space door is vented year round. A door I can barely get in and out of anymore.  

Doing a little water removal on road too so it doesn’t follow road to front of home. 

[diyer2]

I set rat traps and mouse traps year round to control them. Not fun but helps.

[customboss]

5 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

I set rat traps and mouse traps year round to control them. Not fun but helps.

Same here and I found a good pelletized bromethalin based poison to hit mice and voles but dispensed so nothing bigger can access it.  They feed on that so much it must be refreshed every 6 days.  

 

The packrats and larger get the rat traps. 

 

The small steel mice traps that live catch via drop doors are serviced daily too and drown the live contents. 

 

I had a helpful weasel but he's not here all the time. Man he tore up the rock squirrels. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by customboss
Pics

[diyer2]

Not telling you what to do boss, food for thought.

I don't use poison because it can harm other animals. A larger predator can find a fresh dead creature and eat it which contains the poison. Not good IMO.

Worked on a rural house that the new owners used poison for pest control. House started to stink. We found dead mice and woodrats that had died in the walls. We cut a lot of holes in the drywall.

 

I use the old Victor brand traps, no suffering. They do sometimes get away unharmed but eventually it gets them.

 

I don't want to harm the Coyotes, Bobcats, Bears and other wildlife. 

[KARNUT]

We have stray cats around. There’s woods all around and a horse ranch behind my property. I don’t have any problems with mice. I’d try those. 

[customboss]

3 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Not telling you what to do boss, food for thought.

I don't use poison because it can harm other animals. A larger predator can find a fresh dead creature and eat it which contains the poison. Not good IMO.

Worked on a rural house that the new owners used poison for pest control. House started to stink. We found dead mice and woodrats that had died in the walls. We cut a lot of holes in the drywall.

 

I use the old Victor brand traps, no suffering. They do sometimes get away unharmed but eventually it gets them.

 

I don't want to harm the Coyotes, Bobcats, Bears and other wildlife. 

Fully understand and considered by this farm boy.  The tractor supply sold product is supposed to be safe for predators.

 

Chemistry neutralized in the target rodents. 

 

The mice live in the ground around the place and we ARE REMOTE so if I can keep them at bay with the combination it seems to work. 

 

I feed live trapped mice and voles after I drown them to crows and ravens and they keep coming back.