Suprises in Buckets

[antelope76]

This year's seasonally warm weather has resulted in all sorts of surprises in the buckets. I usually get moths every year but this year I've had moths, ants, spiders the size of quarters and most recently a dead mouse froze in about 3" of sap ice.

Anybody else getting anything other than sap in their buckets?

[johnpma]

This happened last Sunday. I was out back in the woods with the dog for a walk checking to see if anything was running. I slid the top off the bucket and a small gray squirrel decided to go for a 3 pointer and fell from a branch up above right into the bucket that only had about 1/2" of frozen sap in it. I almost pizzed my pants laughing LOL Who would have ever thought.

He looked at me for a minute and when he came to his senses jumped out of the bucket and back up the tree he went LOL

[Galena]

The occasional sap moth, small bugs, bark, and drowned mosquitoes are pretty much it. Though I have tons of red squirrels around I've never found one in a pail, and sure hope I don't!

[KV Sappers]

I've had moth, ants, flies, and tree dirt. Luckily no squirrels.

[bowtie]

i have had your usually insects, a couple of mice and 3 flying squirrels in the past. any way to die is bad but drowning must be one of the worst, always makes me feel bad when i find something in the buckets, i scoop the moths and spiders out and try to put them on a tree if they are alive.

[tbear]

Found 3 dead mice on seperate collections this season. Haven't seen that in the past. Usually just bugs. Ted

[stoweski]

For the past two seasons we've had some weird weather resulting in several daytime temps over 60. I found several honeybees drinking the sweet sap in the buckets when we were emptying them. I'd pull them out and set them in the warm sun where they'd warm up, dry off, and fly back to their hive.

Then again, not much of a surprise as the hives are within 50' of the buckets and 100' of the shack. It was pretty much an expectation.

[Michael Greer]

I had a big, brown caterpillar today, and have no idea what sort of bug could be at that stage this time of year. At another location, I get little 2" long earthworms at some point every year....but how do they get into the buckets??

[wnybassman]

I had a big, brown caterpillar today, and have no idea what sort of bug could be at that stage this time of year. At another location, I get little 2" long earthworms at some point every year....but how do they get into the buckets??

I get the worms once and a while too. Weird. Usually after heavy rains and all I can figure is they come up the bark.

Ants have been HORRIBLE this year.

Leaves seemed to be the problem of the day today. Lots and lots of leaves.

[Burnt sap]

This happened last Sunday. I was out back in the woods with the dog for a walk checking to see if anything was running. I slid the top off the bucket and a small gray squirrel decided to go for a 3 pointer and fell from a branch up above right into the bucket that only had about 1/2" of frozen sap in it. I almost pizzed my pants laughing LOL Who would have ever thought.

He looked at me for a minute and when he came to his senses jumped out of the bucket and back up the tree he went LOL

He was part of the Grey squirrel international diving team.

[maple maniac65]

I was wondering with the current weather if I might find sap in a bucket someday

[tbear]

Hey Maniac, now THAT was funny! Ted

[Ivyacres]

I have had the regulars in our buckets as well, but the ticks have been on my dog like never before. Every night we come in and I have to check her over good because three in a row there was a tick on her. She got a new dose of Front Line, hate it cause it makes her itch.

[stewardsdairy]

Reminds me of the joke about what the difference between is between a New York sugar maker and a Vermont sugar maker. When a New York sugar maker finds a squirrel in his bucket he looks around to make sure no one is watching and he tosses the squirrel and dumps the sap in his gathering tank. When a Vermont sugar maker finds a squirrel in a bucket he looks around to be sure no one is looking and puts the sap in his gathering tank and then squeezes all the sap out of the squirrel fur into the tank as well!

[Sunday Rock Maple]

A male bluebird, soaked but still alive, kept him overnight in a shoebox. In the morning he flew up in a pine tree and sang his heart out.

[maple marc]

Brian, thanks for that great story. Glad he made it. We have bluebirds here like never before. Beautiful things.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Brian, thanks for that great story. Glad he made it. We have bluebirds here like never before. Beautiful things.

Thanks, they are beautiful, and its the kind of beauty that leads me to ask "if I was creating a world would I think of bluebirds?" Or maple trees for that matter --- simply an amazing creation that we llive in......

[Daveg]

I have had the regulars in our buckets as well, but the ticks have been on my dog like never before. Every night we come in and I have to check her over good because three in a row there was a tick on her. She got a new dose of Front Line, hate it cause it makes her itch.

Better the Front Line Itch than debilitating arthritis.

[Daveg]

Reminds me of the joke about what the difference between is between a New York sugar maker and a Vermont sugar maker. When a New York sugar maker finds a squirrel in his bucket he looks around to make sure no one is watching and he tosses the squirrel and dumps the sap in his gathering tank. When a Vermont sugar maker finds a squirrel in a bucket he looks around to be sure no one is looking and puts the sap in his gathering tank and then squeezes all the sap out of the squirrel fur into the tank as well!

......and then he eats the squirrel?

[DrTimPerkins]

Reminds me of the joke about what the difference between is between a New York sugar maker and a Vermont sugar maker.....

Same joke, but a bit longer....

CT sugarmaker finds a squirrel in the bucket, dumps sap on ground, brings bucket home, washes it with Clorox before bringing it back to woods,
MA sugarmaker finds a squirrel in the bucket, dumps sap on ground and rehangs bucket,
NY sugarmaker finds a squirrel in the bucket, keeps sap and rehangs bucket,
VT sugarmaker finds a squirrel in the bucket, wrings out squirrel into bucket, keeps sap and rehangs bucket,
WV sugarmaker finds a squirrel in the bucket, cooks and eats squirrel, ferments sap to make whiskey.

[berkshires]

Good one Stewards and Dr Tim!

[antelope76]

Got my first red squirrel last night.

[old fashioned]

I had some folks out a couple of years ago. The 16 yr old daughter was helping gather and asked why the sap in the bucket was green? I said it was too early for the trees to be budding and that was usually why the sap was green. I said taste the sap and see if it is still sweet. She said it was fine. I walked over, looked in the bucket and pointed out the reason for green sap was probably the dead mouse floating in it. She tried to spit her tongue out. She later apologized for her reaction. I told her she didn't throw up so I thought she did fine.

[Daveg]

Reminds me of the joke about what the difference between is between a New York sugar maker and a Vermont sugar maker. When a New York sugar maker finds a squirrel in his bucket he looks around to make sure no one is watching and he tosses the squirrel and dumps the sap in his gathering tank. When a Vermont sugar maker finds a squirrel in a bucket he looks around to be sure no one is looking and puts the sap in his gathering tank and then squeezes all the sap out of the squirrel fur into the tank as well!
And in the Northern Kingdom, he eats the squirrel.:lol:

[GoldyCon]

I found a bunch of struggling bumble bees that I rescued and was promptly rewarded with a sting.

[maple flats]

Those telling the jokes, don't you realize which ever state you are from the maple producer from that state is supposed to dump the sap and sanitize the bucket?

[antelope76]

Got my first 2 wolf spiders this year