What to know about fall pests
It’s the time of year when we start seeing the normal fall insects coming around and into our homes. Questions are rolling in about yellow jackets, multicolored Asian lady beetles, leaffooted bugs, brown marmorated stink bug, some species of flies and more.
At best, most of these are annoying and some such as the yellow jackets and wasps are more annoying than others. Most calls right now are focused on wasps.
Yellow jackets are wasps and are actually good guys. They are predatory and feed on other insects. Adults capture the insects and chew and condition them to feed to the larvae.
Adult yellow jackets feed on sugars and carbohydrates. This time of the year they invite themselves to our picnics because we have all of their preferred foods.
Yellow jackets are very distinct and easy to identify. They are about one-half inch long and have alternating black and yellow bands on the abdomen. Unlike honeybees, they are not covered with hairs.
Yellow jackets build their nests around homes, doors, entrances, eaves and in trees, etc. Knocking the home down in its early stages helps to prevent major populations in the fall. You might have to do this more than once.
Sprays are very effective in controlling them. However, if you don’t apply at the right time (early evening, dusk when they are entering their home) you won’t be as successful in knocking them down.
I have found at picnics that the wasp traps tend to work. Traps contain a sweet substance that attracts the wasps, just the same way your soda attracts them. Place the traps away from the picnic area.
Don’t swat at the wasps. Stings can be painful and they don’t normally attack unless provoked. Stings usually occur when you get one cornered in your elbow or some other body part.
Another predatory wasp is the baldfaced hornet. I have seen more and more of these around my pollinator-friendly plants. Again, the adults prefer sweets (nectar) and the larvae like the insects.
The baldfaced hornet is black and has ivory-white markings on the face along with white markings on the legs, abdomen and thorax.
These pests form the big paper-like bags in trees for nesting sites.
For the most part, all of these except for the fertilized queen are killed with a hard freeze. Unfortunately, we have to wait a little while longer before this occurs — hopefully!
In addition, they don’t normally re-use a nesting site so if you find a baldfaced hornet nest in a tree and want to keep it wait until after a hard freeze before removing.
I love spinning LAWNDALE, CALIF. — but it doesn’t always love me back.
So when I decided to try aqua cyling, an underwater spin class at the Motion Plus Aquatic & Therapy Center in Lawndale, Calif., it was more about giving my knees a break than getting my heart rate up.
The workout, originally designed as a therapy class for patients, is described as “a fine line between fitness and rehab” by instructor Criselda Esguerra, who is also a physical therapy aid at the center.
“It is low impact so anyone can do it,” says Esguerra. “And while it is a cycling class, I don’t focus on spinning alone but upper body, back and core work as well as breathing and stretching.”
Class takes place in 4 feet of water on about eight bikes that are attached to the bottom of the therapy pool with suction cups.
Pedaling against the water inside the heated pool left me feeling relaxed and sleepy; not exhausted or sore. That might explain why Esguerra’s most popular classes are in the evening. “The class is popular with insomniacs,” Esguerra says. Another reason why aqua cycling is growing in popularity? Simple: It’s fun.
This is a humble physical therapy office, not a boutique gym. The class was a mix of women of various ages and sizes and abilities. Some were recovering from
It is time to eat (and drink) your way through the 16th century.
There’ll be jousters, fire jugglers, blacksmiths and hundreds of other eye-catching sights at the 2017 Ohio Renaissance Festival, but you’ll be no lord nor lady if you miss out on the grub that once gobbled.
Giant “turkey leggs” (and that’s not a typo) are among the most glowing symbols of the festival held on a 30-acre, re-created 16th century village just down the road at 10542 E. Ohio 73 in Harveysburg.
Hoist up a turkey leg, probably the most popular food du jour at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. Plentiful and tender, these turkey legs are cooked to perfection at the Aleing Knight Pub, ready for you to sink your teeth right into the juicy meat. Prepare thyself for a nonstop, daylong adventure by going online to www.renfestival.com.
Turkey legs are far from the only fare sold at the festival, now in its 28th year and third year under new ownership.
Everything from fish and chips to hot apple dumplings to haggis to bangers and mash can be found at the festival, which is staged from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. nine Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29.
General admission is slightly less expensive this year compared to last. Adults get in for $22.50 and children ages 5 to 12 are admitted for $9.50 at the box office.
Slightly discounted tickets can be purchased on the festival’s website for $19.50 for adults and $8.50 for children, plus a service fee.
Below is some 16th centuryinspired food you can sink your 21st century teeth into at 2017 Ohio Renaissance Festival.
The festival is has a medieval theme, but that doesn’t mean organizers are against change.
Ren Festival spokeswoman Cheryl Bucholtz said new options include The Chocolate Raven, Archibald Drake’s and KJ’s Cajun Cuisine.
From the owners of Holly B’s Sweets in nearby Waynesville, The Chocolate Raven will sell a selection of chocolate and fudge treats.
Archibald Drake’s, from the owners of the Nacho Pig food truck from Clark County, will injury; others were taking the class to balance out other high-intensity workouts. One woman next to me, devoted to HIT classes, said the class had improved her flexibility, enabling her to do squats for the first time in years.
The class feels like a restorative version of spinning rather than SoulCycle underwater. It doesn’t feel like you’re working out, but you are.
They kept things simple in the 16th century, so it should be no surprise that a place called the Bread Bowl would sell bread bowls. You’ll find salads and a host of soups and stews.
Soups include chili, Peasant’s Potato Soup, Westminster Stew, Minstrel’s Mac & Cheese and a spinach artichoke dip bowl.
Bucholtz says the Bread Bowl is a popular spot when fall temperatures arrive.
Did we mention the turkey leggs? We assume the extra “g” is because they are extra good and really big — about 2 pounds each. About 35,000 turkey leggs are sold each year.
Turkey isn’t the only fowl to be served at Ren Fest.
Bourbon chicken — grilled chicken covered in a bourbon sauce and placed on a bed of rice — is also among favorites.
Who can pass up a seasoned pickle from a renaissance man? They are $2 each.
The festival features a new way to enjoy an adult beverage without the kids.
By popular demand, Bucholtz said The Naughty Bawdy Pub Show, an hour of “bawdy humor, cigars, and ale for ages 21 and over” will be held each day from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the The Dirty Duchess. Admission is $15.
Two summers ago, 1572 Roadhouse Bar-B-Q opened its doors to the public on the grounds of the Ohio Renaissance Festival.
The restaurant’s menu includes Baby Back Ribs, Chicken, Pulled Pork, and Smoked Sliced Beef.
Last year, Ren Fest added Garden of Eatin, Marco Polo’s Bistro and Jerusalem Cafe.
Burgers and such will be found in the Garden of Eatin. Go to Jerusalem Cafe for Middle Eastern foods like baklava and shawarma. Marco Polo’s will serve street tacos.
While you are at it, be on the look for Earl of Corn and swing by the Aleing Knight Pub for a list of munchies that includes Scotch eggs, onion petals and brownie bites.
Class takes place to music in a 4-feet-deep pool that is heated to 86 degrees.
Esguerra, who teaches 15 to 20 classes per week, jumps in and out of the pool, and on and off the bike. The workout is 45 minutes and includes band work, traditional stand up spinning in third position, crunches and stretching. It took me awhile to get my pedal stroke down in the water, but once I got the hang of it I could feel myself working my muscles without any joint pain.