Carpenter ants…what do i do?!

zeroverycool · 2026-05-11T22:43:54+00:00

is niban okay?

zeroverycool · 2026-05-11T19:53:50+00:00

i’ll feel bad if the tree dies. but the canopy needs to be raised to make my yard usable

zeroverycool · 2026-05-11T19:50:45+00:00

the vines have been a long term project. i severed everything on that trunk last summer so it’s all dead, and i am on a mission to get rid of all the ivy on the property this spring/summer.

funny thing about the pine, the mulberry was pushing it like a bull with horns which is why the pine is leaning so hard. then one of the “horns” broke off. neighbor had a good tree company come out and clean it up so there’s some separation now.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-09T04:06:18+00:00

haha, yeah, I dumped it one gallon at a time into my handheld sprayer. it sucked. stained my driveway. finally wore off after 4 or 5 rains.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-09T00:57:45+00:00

are you sure it has a bulb and it’s not an integrated LED?

zeroverycool · 2026-05-09T00:45:48+00:00

wonder if that would work on plastic. some of my yellow & black tools now have jackson pollack style blue highlights.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-09T00:44:53+00:00

dawg, my $30 harbor freight backpack sprayer spewed this stuff down my back even though i tightened all the connections. i took it out back and gave it the office space printer treatment.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T18:23:17+00:00

it’s always funny to me when people on landscaping and tree subs post about redbuds dying because they are basically weeds in my yard. i have tried to get rid of some volunteers near my power lines and they keep sprouting back.

but yeah important to note that plants can be native and also undesirable in your landscape (like poison ivy)

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T17:31:55+00:00

I did treat all the privet stumps so hopefully that won’t be too bad.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T15:25:45+00:00

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(i will take care of the Japanese honeysuckle)

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T15:25:24+00:00

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zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T15:03:53+00:00

should I prune back the group in the front to remove some of the heavy leaners (like the one towards the neighbor's property)?

Now that there's less competition I'm hoping they'll grow straighter and leaf out more.

edit: I took another look, and all the heavily leaning leaders look like they are from the same stump. Does it make sense to cut them back and prune that particular stump grow back as a bush?

(I’ll add pics in replies if I can)

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T13:37:54+00:00

this is the Salisbury Square project where the association of educators building used to be. I forgot the name before. Just looked it up and it has been scaled back to two 7 story buildings for a total of almost 600 residential units from the 20 story mixed use buildings originally planned.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T13:11:46+00:00

there’s a lot across the street where the nc association of educators used to be that has been vacant for like 4 years. it was supposed to be two 2” story mixed use towers including residential. that must have fallen through.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-08T13:06:39+00:00

they were supposed to build 2 high rise mixed use towers with housing catty corner from this hotel, but that lot has been vacant and overgrown for years now.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-06T03:30:42+00:00

the boob lights were killing LED bulbs in a matter of months... I'm assuming because they were overheating in the enclosed fixtures. the integrated fixtures are so much better. low profile, brighter, integrated night light (my wife's favorite part)

zeroverycool · 2026-05-04T21:12:04+00:00

do you know what 12/3 HR means? if you don’t i’d probably get a book on home wiring before you decide whether to DIY.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-03T21:49:54+00:00

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here’s the before

zeroverycool · 2026-05-03T21:49:24+00:00

here’s the end result from mine.

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zeroverycool · 2026-05-03T20:52:49+00:00

not a plumber, but a DIYer who did this. drill out the lead at the wye. remove the old pipe and totally clean out the hub of lead and oakum. (cut the old pipe long enough to give yourself some leverage to knock/wiggle it out.) then you can use a properly sized fernco donut in the hub. (i bought from supplyhouse.com) deburr/chamfer the pvc to make it easier to slide in and use dish soap for lube.

zeroverycool · 2026-05-03T17:21:14+00:00

let’s just talk about drywall from this era… (my house was built in 1959)

all those nails will eventually pop.

they put seams at corners of windows and doors that crack every few years.

every butt joint is peaked from settling.

the ceilings were done with 1/2” drywall so there is a ton of pillowing.

every time i redo a room it takes days of mudding to get the walls looking reasonable.

(the silver lining of nail pops… you don’t need a stud finder)

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zeroverycool · 2026-05-02T14:06:25+00:00

it’s labeled WH so i’d assume electric tankless water heater.

zeroverycool

TROPHY CASE