What Have You Learned Recently?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

I just learned 825 is an Alberta area code. I had no idea. Now I just have to learn who texted me "Hey baby" from an 825 area code.

I have an 825 number for work. When I call people they always think I’m in the US somewhere or am a telemarketer.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I have an 825 number for work. When I call people they always think I’m in the US somewhere or am a telemarketer.

I get that a lot here in BC. I have a 236 area code and people sometimes refuse to answer because they don't recognize it.

Or they just hate me and think I'm a creep. In which case, I say, touché.

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

warm water to 'soften' the toothbrush before brushing then cold water to rinse. i have wimpy gums! ha! ha!

Thanks for the lesson. I have never tried warm water for brushing but I do use heavily salted warm water for rinsing when my gums are tender.

[Wormius]

Crab apple seeds contain a higher than normal level of cyanide.

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Crab apple seeds contain a higher than normal level of cyanide.

... and hence add lively flavor to a pan of oven baked veggies.
...er... typo... lovely. But I like the word lively too.

And some crab apples have a lot of Wormius’ in them too.

[zamler]

Diatomaceous earth is incredibly effective at killing ants. Sprinkle it along their routes which is anywhere a smooth surface meets green like the edge of a sidewalk. The best part is food grade is non toxic to humans and pets. And it's cheap.

Keep it away from flowers or anywhere that is not ground level as it is harmful to bees.

[Fuzz]

I've never had much luck with it, but maybe the ants around me are resistant to it.

[zamler]

I don't see how. I also learned ants can live up to 12 years.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by zamler

I don't see how. I also learned ants can live up to 12 years.

Normal ants don't live more than a 3 years, queens can live up to 25 years.
I'm not sure which type of ants live for 12 years. Maybe some of the shorter-lived queens.

Termite queens live the longest of any insects at 50 years. Did you know that termites are technically a type of cockroach?
Periodical cicadas always live exactly either 13 or 17 years.

In Indiana, we had a gigantic swarm of the 17-year cicadas a few years ago.

[zamler]

Luckily we don't have termites here, or carpenter ants those things are a menace.

What's a normal ant? There are thousands of species probably 100 in Canada. Don't know why DE doesn't work for some people, once I figured out the routes they take putting the DE on those paths wipes them out. They got so desperate they started trying to make nests in road cracks.

I've never seen them in my garden though not sure why.

.....oh I see you mean like workers, queens etc.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Crab apple seeds contain a higher than normal level of cyanide.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Crab apple seeds contain a higher than normal level of cyanide.

How do you define a normal level of cyanide?

[NinePack]

Originally Posted by zamler

Diatomaceous earth is incredibly effective at killing ants. Sprinkle it along their routes which is anywhere a smooth surface meets green like the edge of a sidewalk. The best part is food grade is non toxic to humans and pets. And it's cheap.

Keep it away from flowers or anywhere that is not ground level as it is harmful to bees.

Diatomaceous earth is very effective , but do not breath the stuff in, wear a mask. It does say its non toxic, but those dust particles are just as bad as silica. It will stick in your lungs for years and end up possible tumors/cancer. Its terrible stuff. Floor dry is the same stuff and i keep telling people to not breath it.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by zamler

Luckily we don't have termites here, or carpenter ants those things are a menace.

What's a normal ant? There are thousands of species probably 100 in Canada. Don't know why DE doesn't work for some people, once I figured out the routes they take putting the DE on those paths wipes them out. They got so desperate they started trying to make nests in road cracks.

I've never seen them in my garden though not sure why.

.....oh I see you mean like workers, queens etc.

Yeah I basically meant non-queen ants.

Calgary has the best ants. Not too small, not too large. They don't seem to bite much.
The ones here are huge. In Asia, it seems most ants are tiny.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by getbak

How do you define a normal level of cyanide?

Hmm, I guess normal would be the level where you could never feasibly consume enough to feel any ill effects. Although, it seems like it might have to do with the ratio of seeds to fruit, and not just the seeds being any more poisonous than larger sized apples.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by NinePack

Diatomaceous earth is very effective , but do not breath the stuff in, wear a mask. It does say its non toxic, but those dust particles are just as bad as silica. It will stick in your lungs for years and end up possible tumors/cancer. Its terrible stuff. Floor dry is the same stuff and i keep telling people to not breath it.

I'm careful, I wear a mask (not a pretend covid type mask) a legit 3M. The dust is insanely fine and light, gets airborne so easily.

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Yeah I basically meant non-queen ants.

Calgary has the best ants. Not too small, not too large. They don't seem to bite much.
The ones here are huge. In Asia, it seems most ants are tiny.

Yes the ants here are tame.

[Fuzz]

After years of no luck with DE, I tried an traps this year. None of the round style ones worked(and the squirrels eviscerated the ones with peanut butter in them), but I tried Terro ant killer, and it was actually effective. Since it was latter in the season when I got to that brand, I probably have to try again next year, but it reduced a few of their nests to near zero.

[guzzy]

For an effective ant killer try soaking cotton balls in a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar, 1.5 tbsp borax and 1.5 cups of warm water. Put them all over the place and the ants flock to them and take them back to their nests. Don't put on your grass though.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by RichieRich

... and hence add lively flavor to a pan of oven baked veggies.
...er... typo... lovely. But I like the word lively too.

And some crab apples have a lot of Wormius’ in them too.

It's hard to imagine anything that could add lovely or lively flavor to veggies.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

It's hard to imagine anything that could add lovely or lively flavor to veggies.

Is this serious?

Are you saying there aren't any veggies with "lovely or lively" flavour?

Oh man, there are some many veggies out there that taste wonderful.