Maine's Off-Topic Thread: Part Nine (Bangor, Orono: law, assault, locations)

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I just got an email that claims the current round of negotiation and compromise among our state legislators has our state budget requiring a $5Million tax hike to support MaineCare.

I saw a headline in BDN about a new bill and how it would fix things if LePage would accept it.

Is this for real? Or is the guy who sent this to me a kook?

Are we preparing for a tax hike in Maine?

I suppose they could use some of it to pay for what is still owed to providers from years ago.

This is a tricky wicket when it comes to saying what MaineCare is actually paying. There is very little transparency on what expenditures are going for past-due bills.

My employer was paid for costs past due from years ago, and then very shortly thereafter, there was hubbub about Maine overpaying the providers.

Here's the thing: They overpaid what they agreed to pay for what was due in arrears. Whoops. There went our paltry 3% COLA for the third year in a row. Merit raises went south years ago.

Yep. Everyone seems to want the best care, but no one seems to want to pay for it (IMO).

So yes, they overpaid at that point, but they still owed the money to begin with.

Naturally, that caused bloomers to knot all over Maine because after all, we overpaid! Well, not really, but you get my point.

Still, there is a lot of fraud that they could go after - it's very apparent - but, we don't seem to want to kick them off (or heavily fine them if they are a provider) regardless.

That said, when it comes right down to the nitty-gritty details, I wouldn't believe an 'outrage email' because IMHO half of them are either wrong, or almost completely twisted.

[Submariner]

Someone was asking me if I thought that honey bees could tell when winter is over for sure. I think that bees have tiny little brains, and do not know squat.

However there is a much better sign. A sign I saw today. I went into the big city, we had to run some errands and afterward we attended a supper and show at the Bangor Grange [great food and wonderful show btw].

I saw five, I said FIVE, early spring short-shorts today. These are the most rare sightings of young birds just entering their maturity. Thats right, young females of the homo-sapiens variety out strolling about displaying their snow-white legs wearing incredibly short shorts [Hot pants we used to call them]. It really got my attention. Of course I acted cool, you do not want to spook the wild life when your out on errands. Besides to much drooling may draw an unwanted slap-to-the-back-of-the-head from another of nature's wonders the Dw.

[maureenb]

Cute, FBK...I've seen the same around here, though my reaction is more...amazement. But then, I'm still in long johns .

Speaking of bees - visited a friend's hives the other day and the bees were feeding - in the hive, where it's nice and cozy. We went up to Humble Abodes Beekeeping supplies in Whitefield and spent a couple of hours picking out "Paul's grade" (economy, though perfectly sound) stock to make two hives. I'm ordering two nucs on Monday from the same - Paul Dumont - for pick up later in the spring.

Do you have active hives?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by maureenb

Cute, FBK...I've seen the same around here, though my reaction is more...amazement. But then, I'm still in long johns .

Yes, 'amazement' works, it is close to amazing.

... Speaking of bees - visited a friend's hives the other day and the bees were feeding - in the hive, where it's nice and cozy. We went up to Humble Abodes Beekeeping supplies in Whitefield and spent a couple of hours picking out "Paul's grade" (economy, though perfectly sound) stock to make two hives. I'm ordering two nucs on Monday from the same - Paul Dumont - for pick up later in the spring.

Do you have active hives?

Yes I have some active hives.

My bees have been outside a few times for cleansing.

[AnnapolisSailor]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

My bees have been outside a few times for cleansing.

FBK: How exactly does a bee cleanse? Just curious do you mean an internal cleansing as in catharsis, or cleaning of their exoskeleton? Please excuse my knowledge deficit of "bee cleansing".

BTW - I hate bees due to a childhood trauma bee sting- allergy , but I very much appreciate the fruits of their labor in the way of yummy honey and their pollenation. Speaking of allergies & honey - our local TV network ran a special segment this week about home remedy's to help allergy sufferers, e.g allergies of the allergic rhitinits type and raw unpasteurized honey (the creamy colored kind our local Amish market sells in bulk here in Maryland in various flavors) was a remedy mentioned.

Just so you know, we've been seeing what appears to be honeybees, yellow jackets, and hornets here in Northern Baltimore suburbs the past 2-3 weeks, very odd this time of year - nature confused here too.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I saw five, I said FIVE, early spring short-shorts today. These are the most rare sightings of young birds just entering their maturity. Thats right, young females of the homo-sapiens variety out strolling about displaying their snow-white legs wearing incredibly short shorts [Hot pants we used to call them]. It really got my attention. Of course I acted cool, you do not want to spook the wild life when your out on errands. Besides to much drooling may draw an unwanted slap-to-the-back-of-the-head from another of nature's wonders the Dw.

Really? You better make sure they're over 18 or you may end up getting slapped with something more than the back of dw's hand.

[msina]

Originally Posted by reloop

Really? You better make sure they're over 18 or you may end up getting slapped with something more than the back of dw's hand.

"just entering their maturity" is a bit young for a man of your years,.. ya think?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by AnnapolisSailor

FBK: How exactly does a bee cleanse? Just curious do you mean an internal cleansing as in catharsis, or cleaning of their exoskeleton? Please excuse my knowledge deficit of "bee cleansing". ...

When it is too cold, they can force themselves to fly. But it kills them within a few seconds.

When it is too humid the moisture keeps their wings floppy. So they need dry air to make their wings work.

Most of the winter they stay inside their hive. They are not able to go outside to defecate. So they hold it all in.



On the first day that they can actually fly and survive, they go out to drop a load and 'lose weight'. The ground and walls within a 3 or 4 foot radius around each hive get covered with little yellow/brown streaks.

On warm and dry days after that, begins 'spring cleaning'. A lot of bees normally die over the winter. So on nice days they begin to drag out all of the accumulated dead bodies that had piled up inside their hive. The ground gets covered with all the dead bees that died over-winter.



Also I am noticing that they are looking for nectar everywhere. But can not find any flowers.

Our livestock feed hoppers have a feed mix that includes cracked corn. I suspect the corn is GMO high-fructose corn. I see bees covering each speck of corn. I think that they can sense to high sugar content, but can not figure out a way to drink the corn.

I hope that having corn in our feed hoppers does not lure too many bees away from their hive duties. As I make my rounds I see hundreds of bees at each of our hoppers, which counts for thousands for bees over all. Who probably should not be spending their day-light mesmerized by corn.

Anyway that is the Bees news.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by reloop

Really? You better make sure they're over 18 or you may end up getting slapped with something more than the back of dw's hand.

Someone is going to physically assault you for looking at girls on the street?

Wow what a rough crowd. Hope they do not like being arrested.

[maureenb]

just wondering...aren't you feeding your bees this time of year? That is, if they don't have adequate honey of their own...