Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/10/02

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Subject: [Leica] Converting Trouble into Medicine
From: jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2016 13:44:38 -0500
References: <6a57b7ba-307a-13f3-3b87-abffdcfc7314@lighttube.net> <CAJTEq29zyN08eaXP4LT8PdeLMmXsFRjmcOJ80otWqFqqKK2iwA@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Philippe,

I've tried many solutions, including pouring in gasoline and tossing a 
match, but that was a long time ago.  This guy removes them for free, 
and has a market to cover his expenses.  Seems like a win-win to me! :-)

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA

On 10/2/2016 1:11 PM, Philippe Amard wrote:
> Thanks Jim
>
> We regularly have them nest in and round the house.
>
> I have photos of the guys smoking them dead - no mercy here - but they're
> on my other machine.
>
> I'm very happy nothing happened to you - remain on the watch as ours
> usually return once a fine location has been found ...
>
> Amities
> Philippe
>
>
> 2016-10-02 19:31 GMT+02:00 Jim Nichols <jhnichols at lighttube.net>:
>
>> Several weeks ago, I discovered a Yellow Jacket nest in my back yard.  I
>> kept a wary eye on it, but worried that my lawn maintenance guy might get
>> stung.
>>
>> On Friday, the local newspaper, The Tullahoma News, ran an article on a
>> Winchester, TN resident who traps Yellow Jackets, Hornets, and Guinea
>> Wasps, and freezes them, eventually packing them in dry ice and shipping
>> them to the lab of AKL Source Material in Pennsylvania.  There, the venom
>> sacs are extracted by hand and used to create anti-venom.  I gave him a
>> call and told him about my nest.  He arrived yesterday afternoon as I was
>> watching a football game.
>>
>> I decided to document the process.  The first photo shows the nest
>> entrance as I found it, essentially a hole in the ground laid bare by the
>> passage of many insects.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Yellow+Jacket+Nest.TIFF.html
>>
>> Pete Waldenmaier's "BeeBusters" truck.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Bee+Busters+Truck.tif.html
>>
>> The vacuum trap, essentially a tank vacuum cleaner with a special
>> collector trap.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/The+Vacuum+Trap.tif.html
>>
>> The trap in position at the nest hole.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Trap+in+Position.tif.html
>>
>> Final adjustments.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Final+Adjustments.tif.html
>>
>> After about an hour, the insect stream slows, so Pete hammers on the
>> ground to disturb them, and more start flying out.  The vacuum captures
>> most of them immediately.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Hammering+on+
>> the+Ground.tif.html
>>
>> His truck is filled with support equipment, including a freezer and
>> bottles of carbon dioxide.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Support+Equipment.tif.html
>>
>> The final product is a bottle of Yellow Jackets.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Yellow+Jackets.tif.html
>>
>> Pete stuns the insects with carbon dioxide before placing them in the
>> freezer to die.  To be usable, the insects must remain frozen until the
>> venom sacs are harvested at the lab.
>>
>> http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Stunning+with+
>> Carbon+Dioxide.tif.html
>>
>> While he had this operation going on at my house, he had a parallel
>> operation going on about 15 miles away.  I'm told there are only about 40
>> of these collectors nationwide.
>>
>> Comments and critiques welcomed and appreciated.
>>
>> --
>> Jim Nichols
>> Tullahoma, TN USA
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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Replies: Reply from photo.philippe.amard at gmail.com (Philippe Amard) ([Leica] Converting Trouble into Medicine)
In reply to: Message from jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols) ([Leica] Converting Trouble into Medicine)
Message from photo.philippe.amard at gmail.com (Philippe Amard) ([Leica] Converting Trouble into Medicine)