Planet X Town Hall

Latest headlines since the previous lists in this topic, most recent first from each source.

From https://www.earthfiles.com/
*  October 15, 2018  UPDATED – 1-Second Puzzle During Earthfiles YouTube Channel Live Streaming Podcast Wednesday, October 3, 2018

From   https://watchers.news/category/earth-changes/
*  Large landslide blocks a river in southwest China
[ATTACHMENT  Oct16-2018_landslide_blocks_river_Tibet_China_Oct11-2018.JPG]
*  Series of strong earthquakes near Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
*  Destructive tornado, tennis-ball-sized hail hit Queensland, Australia

From  https://www.sott.net/category/4
*  Dozens still missing in Hurricane Michael, death toll rises and massive destruction assessed [USA]
*  'Very scary' and 'Hyperalarming' study shows massive insect loss - cause unknown [Worldwide]
*  From the Great Lakes to California record low temperatures and snow blanket the west [USA]
*  Another death of right whale confirmed off Massachusetts - 3rd this year [USA]
*  Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Passes, ports and towns cut off by record snowfall in N. Hemisphere
*  Flash floods triggered by tropical storm Luban continue to hit eastern Yemen
*  6.4 earthquake, series of aftershocks strike off New Caledonia
*  North American snow cover is the most it's been in Mid-October in 13 years
*  3 workers killed in landslide triggered by heavy rain in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

*  Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Dismantle capitalism to save a planet that is not warming
*  Wrong place, wrong time: Rare swift spotted for first time in UK
*  Acidified oceans are dissolving the protective shields of large shellfish population - study

Nothing new in:
  (none)

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USGS and EMSC do not agree. Reporting data from both.
Earthquake totals in last 24 hours according to:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
57 'quakes of magnitude >2.4 ⋅ Total mags = 246.0 ⋅ Avg mag = 4.32 (*)

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/?filter=yes
81 'quakes of magnitude >2.4 ⋅ Total mags = 331.0 ⋅ Avg mag = 4.09

(*) magnitude >2.4 in USA, and >4.4 elsewhere. (>2.4 worldwide not available)
---------------------------

Three strongest 'quakes from either site:
*  Mag. 6.6  east of the southern end of New Caledonia (EMSC.  USGS: 6.4).
*  Mag. 6.3  east of the southern end of New Caledonia (both sites).
*  Mag. 5.8  east of the southern end of New Caledonia (USGS.  EMSC: 5.5).

Largest groups of multiple 'quakes from either site:
*  19  east of the southern end of New Caledonia (EMSC.  USGS: 18).
*  12  in Alaska; east north and nearby, mid-north mid-west, mid-east south, and on south coast central and mid-east (USGS.  EMSC: 5).
*  6  around Puerto Rico; W, NW, and N (USGS.  EMSC: 4).
*  5  in Turkey;  west incl. nearby islands, central, and east (EMSC.  USGS: 0).

*  3  in and/or around each of: ⋅ Hawaii,  southern Mexico,  Panama+Costa-Rica,  Peru,  northern Chile,  western China,  and central Greece ⋅ (at least one source site each).
-------------------------

From USGS (all 'quakes, separate data capture, see notes):

*  109  'quakes of all magnitudes in California and Nevada (max mag. = 2.6).
*  66  'quakes of all magnitudes in Alaska (max mag. = 4.3).
*  13  'quakes of all magnitudes in Hawaii (max mag. = 3.0).
*  11  'quakes of all magnitudes in Puerto Rio region (max mag. = 3.4).

*  Strong 'quakes (mag. > 2.4) in California, and Montana (USA);  and in Alaska (9 Qs), Hawaii, and Puerto Rico region (5 Qs).

*  Little shakers (mag. 1.0 ~ 2.4)  in western Montana (4 Qs), NW Wyoming (4 Qs), California, Nevada, Utah, Kansas, Illinois, and NW Tennessee (USA);  and in Alaska (57 Qs), Hawaii (11 Qs), and Puerto Rico region (6 Qs).

*  47 little shakers in California and Nevada, plus MANY smaller ones. (All-magnitude clusters in California: SE of Los Angeles and nearby, and minor clusters mid-north mid-west, and central west.)

*  4 'quakes of all magnitudes in Yellowstone Park (NW Wyoming plus strips of Montana and Idaho), plus one nearby south (max mag. = 2.2).
+  1 'quake of all magnitudes near to New Madrid, SE Missouri (mag. = 1.4).

Notes: Quarry blasts and explosions are excluded from above lists and totals, except where otherwise indicated.
USGS lists some sites near borders as near locations across the border (worldwide).
Earthquake counts less than 3 are not reported, except where otherwise indicated.
The later data capture for this sub-section causes some inconsistencies with the earlier data set.
----------------------------

From EMSC (two separate data captures):
27 earthquakes of magnitude >1.9 in last 24 hours in Euro-Med region, according to http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/Map/zoom.php?key=1&typ=world#2  (8 only in Turkey).
============================

At this point, after a year of floods in the East, the arrival of our Russian bees has been postponed until April.

Meanwhile, there was residual honey that I had rescued from the hives and wrapped for the freezer.  Today was too chilly to do much work in the garden, so I pulled the frames out of the freezer to process.  One of my sons was handy to help, which was a bonus!

We're very old-school here, and just use the "Mash and Strain" method.  The alternative is to use a honey centrifuge, which most of the larger operations use, and they do make manual cranked versions of those.  A centrifuge helps if you want jars of clear honey in which the wax cappings are entirely separated out.

Materials:
Two large stainless steel mixing bowls
Uncapping knife
Wide mouth canning jars in either pints or half-pints
Wide-mouth canning funnel
Big strainer that fits inside of canning funnel (about 5" diameter)
Old pie plates
Waxed paper
Foil
Old kitchen spoon
Potato masher or sauerkraut pounder
A damp dishrag to tidy up as you go

I suggest doing this job before it's too cold to leave the garden hose hooked up to the faucet, because all the equipment will need to be blasted clean outdoors in order to remove the wax.  For that reason, a work table situated in a location where you can get messy for a while is ideal.

Hold a frame of honey upright in one of the bowls.  Using the curved tip of the uncapping knife, dig all the way into one of the top corners of the frame til the knife stops, and then slice downward, peeling off sheets of honeycomb into the bowl.  When one frame is done, set aside in a clean plastic trash bag.

Try not to lick your fingers as you work! 

In the other bowl, place open canning jar with canning funnel at the mouth, and strainer in the canning funnel.  It should be a snug fit.  Using the knife or kitchen spoon, scoop some honeycomb into the strainer, and mash with whatever tool you selected, moving the honey/wax mixture in a circle with the masher while you hold the strainer still with the other hand.  A creamy colored, rather than clear, honey product will pour into the jar. 

When it becomes difficult to mash and stir the contents of the sieve, it's time to stop momentarily and scoop the remainder of wax cappings (with a little honey still mixed in) into a pie plate, leaving the spoon to drain on the edge of the plate.  These scraps are valuable for two reasons:

1. chewing gum for the children
2. emergency bee food for late winter

Repeat until jars are filled, leaving a little space at the top.  Wipe and then screw lids on jars.  Store honey in a cool, dark place.  Blast dishes and utensils clean outside with the garden hose. 

Wrap pie plates of sweet wax scraps in waxed paper and then foil and store in freezer for emergency bee feeding, along with harvested honey frames which are still covered with bits of honey.  The wax scraps are especially good for the bees in the form of patties when brewer's yeast and a pinch of sea salt are added, as well as a drop of any essential oils that you may be using in an organic apiary (thyme, wintergreen, lemon balm...)

Photos below:

Looking through their catalogue, i'm thinking that i'm doing both of their Everything You Got options. It'll run me near $ 300 but who can put a price on such (genetic) information?

Next year; am tapped out this year but come halfway through 2019 i should be in excess of funds for this kind of stuff. God knows i'll be refreshing my seed collection entirely next year anyway (as i have not had the kind of refrigerating setup necessary to keep what seeds i have been ordering for decades).

Hopefully da sh!t don't hit da fan b4 then... 
And thanks, Lori; hope to be taking advantage of your help in a year or so. 

Barb, thanks for the info and warning - I was unaware of most of these facts.  Forwarded your post on to hubby at work this morning.