[Leica] Converting Trouble into Medicine

[Philippe Amard]

It is Jim, it is.

Stay safe

Amities
Philippe


2016-10-02 20:44 GMT+02:00 Jim Nichols <jhnichols at lighttube.net>:

> 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
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
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>>
>>
>
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