Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The Obamacare decision has revealed the Supreme Court for the fraud it is. They bound and gagged the Constitution long ago, embezzled its authority and now speak for it rather than from it. It’s a Medieval priesthood overawing the citizenry with imagined infallibility, but at ground level these cocktail-circuit Big Thinkers enable and shield DC’s most conspicuous assaults on the rightful liberty of the people.

The deciding vote was cast by Chief Justice Roberts, a Bush appointee whose confirmation Obama opposed, which shows DC as it really is, an evil carnival of political chameleons imposing their dark fantasies on the rest of us, corrupt and convoluted beyond even its own understanding, a brittle and bankrupt fear-machine clanking from crisis to crisis, sniffing for advantage. DC is run largely off the books by psychopaths and the irretrievably compromised and they mean to make outsiders of us, with all the rights of uninvited spectators.

DC believes the people adore its captor, and some do. They’re the Kapos of our time. They think it right and proper to ask DC’s permission to be free. They believe permits and licenses are the same as liberty, meaning one man is compelled to get consent from another to live his life, or even to protect his life. They think it right we travel only by DC’s leave, that DC choose our food and our neighbors, that DC decide how much of our earnings we’re entitled to, that DC can rightfully demean and dismiss our opinions. They think it right we’re surveilled, bullied, and bribed with our own money. They think it right we’re lied to, swindled and slandered.

Others believe DC is a criminal enterprise in the sense of being outside the law, and thereby lawless, that elections merely sanction palace machinations, that every police-state decree was proposed and passed by our “representatives” and signed off by the court, that DC is where liberty goes to be abused and strangled, in short, that DC has become fundamentally illegitimate and the fix must be equally fundamental. They understand what’s been pilfered through chicanery and compromise, or outright betrayal. They revere liberty as it was and will be. Take heart. Ancient bonds are reconnecting. Paine and Jefferson and Adams are speaking again. Liberty will be regained.” – Ol’ Remus writing in The Woodpile Report

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

New England Gardening, by George H.

If you are not gardening now, those long term seeds you are saving is giving you a false sense of hope. We bought two acres on what was years ago farmland, sounds like it should be easy to return to farmland, Right? I discovered later what was raised on our property was the only thing which made sense after experience – Goats.
Gardening in New England presents many challenges and unless you are prepared and have experience dealing with them you are out of luck. Even if you have gardening experience in the past, if you have moved you will discover new challenges. Challenges you might easily face in any part of the country. Challenges such as:

  1. Rocks, Rocks, Rocks! I have two acres to grow on, all covered in rocks! The rock walls you see everywhere throughout New England are the tip of the iceberg for what you will see in the fields. I have cleared ½ an acre in six years, first year I fixed the existing rock walls and built a new wall. Since then I have built rock wall borders for all sections of my garden and have more for a Root cellar foundation. And each year I find more large rocks in areas which have been dug up for the past six years. I was gardening for 3 years prior to our move on backfilled land, all I needed was a shovel and rake. It was a shock when I went to prepare my garden the first year! I used the shovel to help pry up rocks but my pickaxe was what I used most until getting a 48” steel bull bar. Now I use the pickaxe to find rocks, the bull bar to move them! And it is not just my 2 acres, I have seen many more areas where farmers decided to only grow maple trees for Syrup or sheep/goat fields after building many rock walls.
  2. Trees – first year I cut down around 20-30 trees to clear the area for my garden leaving the stumps to rot for a year prior to breaking them up. Within a year the surrounding trees started to extend their branches to cover more of my garden. By the second year it was effecting my harvest! I trimmed the trees back but the trees really needed to come down. Fortunately, keeping a positive outlook on events, last year we had an ice storm which aided in the removal of the offending trees. Cut down another 20-30 trees to open everything back up for now. This will be a constant maintenance item every winter until the area is totally cleared.
  3. Animals – Raccoons, skunks, deer, woodchucks turkeys and smaller birds each have their own favorite food. And each have the potential to destroy a garden harvest overnight. Coyotes can be your friend for protecting your garden! As long as you protect your livestock. In the event of an actual TEOTWAWKI there is an additional meat supply.
  4. Weather – Each year has different patterns which will benefit one crop or another. One year my berries and pumpkins had a bumper yield, but little corn, apples or squash. Next year the exact opposite. But if your mix of crops is good then you fewer worries. We have more then adequate rainfall every year but some plants prefer drier weather or they begin to rot, others wetter weather to thrive. Early Blizzards and ice storms may destroy trees and bushes and ruin late crops. Early warm weather may cause fruit trees to bloom early just to lose their fruit when it gets seasonally cold again. There is no predicting the weather. But you can mix your crops for any weather you might get.
  5. Weeds – Some vegetables I struggle with to get to grow, start inside early in the season water, fence off, use clotches, row covers, everything to help. And every year weeds which are sprayed, hoed, and pulled out keep coming back! Certain weeds are very resilient, news reports blame this on Global warming personally I think it is more the limitations on the weed killer people can obtain. Older weed killer worked with one application new ones take multiple applications with a greater time for the weeds to build up a resistance.
  6. New vegetables – Planting new seeds in the garden I do not know if there are weeds coming up there or are those my peanuts? The next year I know but the first year the plants have to fight with the weeds until I recognize them.
  7. When to plant? Do you know when plants will be safe from Frost? What plants can tolerate a frost or will not rot in a wet cold garden? When will you be safe from May flies? Some insects can be brutal in the early spring and drive you mad with their biting. If you have protection you are okay but you need to test it out. You can only be prepared if you know it might be a problem.
  8. What can be your “safe” staple crops? The first year I planted I would have said Corn, in the next 9 years I have never had the same yield. My staple crops are Snap peas, potatoes, some squash/pumpkins and tomatoes. Everything else is hit or miss depending on the weather.
  9. How much compost can you generate? From our composed food we get about 50 pounds, no where near enough. Add leaves and garden waste and you will get closer. Nothing beats livestock for producing enough composted fertilizer. I get mine from a farm down the street, typically two tons a year for fertilizer and to fill gaps from removing rocks. Again I find many rocks in cultivated areas, more as I expand my garden.

What has worked out very well in aiding my Garden:

  1. Rain barrels – I am up to three now, two of which can be hooked up to a hose and will gravity feed to water my lower garden.
  2. Two separate gardens for different corn varieties, squash vs pumpkins and other plants I do not want to cross pollinate.
  3. Fencing helps keep animals to a minimum but is something I need to work on after clearing more trees. I do not want to crush the fence I just put up or spend more time taking it down every year.
  4. Square tomato cages, these stay standing much better then to round style and they fold for storage.
  5. Getting more varieties for cross pollination and as back up harvest. Again one year one fruit tree will do better than another. This year the apples will be fewer but I will have many more pears!
  6. Ooze tube watering system – I fill these 25 gallon tubes from my rain barrels and they slowly drip irrigate my blueberries while keeping down the weeds.
  7. Bull bar 48” steel bar for prying up rocks. Using this bar I can get a 200 pound boulder out by gradually lifting the boulder 1-2” and slipping smaller rocks underneath. One the boulder is at ground level this bar is often used to roll the boulder to the rock wall.
  8. Pick axe to remove smaller rocks or break up boulders too big for the bull bar.
  9. Two of everything, except for the bull bar. Everything else will break with constant use.
  10. Books – Self sufficient living by John Seymour was the biggest help. Many useful tips and instructions from someone who lives what he teaches.
  11. Certain types of weed killer acceptable for garden preparation, this cuts down on weeding and with several applications will kill poison ivy.
  12. Gloves 5-6 pairs, get vibration dampening style if at all possible. Swinging a pickaxe into a boulder will hurt much less, trust me on this! Gloves protect your hands from drying out, insects, thorns and poison ivy/sumac. Gloves wear out even faster then tools and will need to be washed often. Better to damage the gloves then your hands, I buy the mechanics brand gloves at $6-8 a pair at a local store when they are on sale. I never used to use gloves but listening to experienced mechanics and farmers plus my own scarred hands convinced me otherwise.
  13. Safety glasses, both tinted and untinted. These are a good idea in general, never know when something will kick up into your face and required if swinging a pickaxe. Move enough brush, cut enough trees and you will quickly realize that these are required.
  14. Every fall dig up a new location and fill with leaves then toss the dug up dirt on top this will provide brown gold in two years.
  15. Wild berries – my lawn is covered in wild strawberries, the forest has many wild blueberries and the edges are filled with blackberries!
  16. Large timber wood saws, maul and axe, easier to use for quick one or two  tree clearing, good exercise and quiet!
  17. A Come-along, wedges and Hi-Lift jacks with tow straps to encourage trees to fall in the direction you prefer.
  18. Food mill and apple peeler/corer saves a huge amount of time processing apples for storage. Experience with canning and how many lids and tools you need helps as well. The first year I cut all the apples by hand and used a food strainer. that took two weekends vs one day with the correct tools and I had better yields.

Unless you are gardening the area you will be raising food in in case of a crisis you will likely be setting yourself up for failure and at the worst possible time. Once you understand the basics of gardening you get the best yields possible and you know what to expect. I know at best I can get 2-3 months of food for my family with my current set-up. Under less than ideal closer to one month maybe two but it is still fresh food and will be a desired add on to any stored food. I only know that from experience, not what a spreadsheet or book will tell me. Books and other information has helped quite a bit but the actual doing is dependent on you. If it takes year to clear a lot and grow food it takes a year, even more time if you are out of shape, you are lacking the correct tools for the job or are under fed.
Have the long term seeds and know how and when to use them! Again any less will cost you when you can least afford it! Better yet have the long term seeds plus what heirloom seeds you have saved from last years harvest. Practical Knowledge is good, book knowledge is good but both combined is ideal.

 

Letter Re: Lessons From The Derecho Storms

Mr. Rawles:
Today is Wednesday, July 4, 2012.  I am writing from a small town in central West Virginia and I would like to share some thoughts, observations, and lessons from the recent Derecho windstorm experienced by the mid-west and east of our great country.  As I sit here, we are in day six of total power outage caused by a freak storm that came with little or no warning.  Power may not be on for another four days.
 
I have been a long time reader of your blog and have lots of lists and plans but sadly my preparations for hardship were found lacking.  We here in West Virginia are used to disasters such as floods but the mountains tend to shield us from tornados and high winds are rare.  Within an hour span power was knocked out to 50 of the 55 counties in the state.  The towers of major transmission lines were twisted wrecks.  And then the “fun” began.  This incident has galvanized me and my neighbors.  My observations will be preaching to the choir in this forum but here goes:
·          Gasoline was gone within 24 hours.  Lines were just like the 1970s fuel embargo.
·          Ice became the chief commodity and was in short supply or no supply.
·          Water was out for most people at least for the first two days.
·          Most big box stores and gas stations were up on generator power by day three.
·          A new shipment of 250 generators was sold in a few hours.
·          Temperatures in the high 90s added another layer of difficulty.
 
     Most people kept their cool and neighbors helped each other.  Many are much better neighbors now.  With all traffic lights out it was hectic but for the most part people were safe and courteous.  We used to have a tourism commercial about West Virginia that showed four cars pulling up simultaneously to a four way stop and each driver motioning for the other to go first.  The tag line was “Traffic jam, West Virginia style”.  I am happy to say that was true in most cases.
 
     The holes in my preparedness were:
·          I needed good high quality kerosene lanterns with reflectors and extra wicks.  The cheap Chinese red ones at Wal-Mart are toys.
·          Batteries, Batteries, Batteries.
·          Propane, Propane, Propane.
·          I needed a good tough portable radio with multiple charging sources.  I was reduced to listening to a car radio and risking battery and gas.
·          I should have had several barrels of water on hand
·          A couple of deep cycle marine batteries would have been nice.
·          A generator and fuel reserve have moved from the nice-to-have list to the have-to-have list.
 
The local radio station stepped up to the plate and suspended normal programming and went live 24 hours on generator with news and call-ins giving information.  The unpreparedness of some of the call-ins was instructive.  On the second day several were screaming for FEMA to arrive.  Well, in our recent primary election, Democratic voters supported a prison inmate in Texas with over 40% of the vote, so I do not expect FEMA anytime soon.  It is obvious to me now that there will be a die-off in any major disaster.  Those on medical oxygen or diabetic will not survive.  There is also an element of just plain stupid out there.  One lady drove 30 miles to a neighboring town to get water for her children when simply listening to the radio would have directed her to a fire station two blocks from her house.
 
Mr. Rawles, I know your feelings about areas anywhere east of the Mississippi but I must say that, in general, West Virginia enjoys some advantages as a retreat.  Property prices and taxes are low, low population density, low crime rate, no urban problems, minimal gun laws, and a conservative and religious population.  For the most part, it is “Almost Heaven”.
 
I have turned a corner on preparedness and I hope my neighbors have too.  Bottom line: We must have three days of supplies at a minimum and build from there.  Thanks for your blog.
 
Wavetalker in West Virginia

Six Letters Re: Cordless DC Power Tool Selection

Hi James,
I too have chosen DeWalt, but went out of my way recently to purchase a 12 volt cordless drill.  My reason being that the rechargeable batteries will eventually degrade.  18 volts is hard to come by without stacking small cells together in series.  But 12 volt batteries are ubiquitous in all kinds of shapes, sizes and capacities, and can be pressed into service easily with a few feet of wire. – Ray K.

Dear James.
I just want you to know that we appreciate what you do ,the information you provide is priceless,and don`t start my day without touching base at SurvivalBlog.com. I use my battery operated tools daily, as a contractor -handyman. I have also found Dewalt to make  great tools. My batteries started to go on my drill, impact driver set, so I went to the Big Box store. I found the price for one spare battery was $80 dollars. Yikes! So I started looking around for options. What I found might save you and your readers some money, and give them some inexpensive backup–since “two is one.” I found a combo kit with a DeWalt drill, two batteries, charger and flashlight on sale for for $159. This, mind you, was at the same store that sells a single battery for $80. Hope this helps, – HookNshoot

James:
Regarding Dewalt cordless tools, I agree that they have good quality and lifespan. In my case, I switched over to Bosch Cordless tools seven years ago. I ordered the full set of tools including the jig saw and the car charger and a free canvas carry bag plus an 18v hand plainer from the factory outlet at a good savings with new factory warranty.

The initial Bosch warranty is better and check out the six foot drop test online. Your results may vary and according to Bosch their 12 volt product line has performance close to the 18 volt product line, with less weight.

My change jar is being saved to purchase for their 18 volt impact driver.

As for the batteries after seven years of sporadic use including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina I had two of my three 18v batteries [eventually develop] dead cells. New replacements
seemed expensive so I called the local battery place and asked how much to rebuild. I had three batteries rebuilt, with same day service. The cost was $150 versus $240 for buying factory new replacements. Plus the batteries were at full charge when I got home. That’s my two copper-washed zinc cents worth.

Remember that most rechargeable battery packs can be rebuilt for about 2/3 the cost of new and as a plus you are “saving the Earth.”

Disclaimer: I am not in anyway compensated or have a financial interest in either company. I like them both but just prefer Bosch.

Cheers, – JHB

JWR:
Here are a couple of do-it-yourself “corded battery pack” conversions, like you mentioned:

Convert a perfectly good cordless drill to a corded one.

How To Make a Cordless Tool Corded

Regards, – Zac

 

Hello James,
As you noted in your overview of cordless tools, the weak link is in the batteries. When they fail (and they will [eventually] fail) an otherwise useful tool becomes useless.
As an option, you recommend using a high amperage 18 volt DC power source. But unfortunately, 18 volt power sources are not common.

Perhaps another option would be to own 12 volt DC power tools. When their batteries fail, the tool could be powered by any high amperage 12 volt DC power source, like a car battery.
Although these tools may lack the torque of their 18 volt brethren, the quality is still there. 12 volt lead-acid batteries are readily available. Additionally, in a grid-down situation, a number of other tools, appliances and communication gear could be powered by that same 12 volt battery. And, as you pointed out, be sure to use appropriate fuses. Best Regards, – David S.

 

Jim:
For extented hours of use on cordless power tool use, check this Y-T video out on what I’d call “semi-cordless”: Ultimate Battery Power. Oh, and here is a link to that company’s web site: TheUltimatePowerTrip.com. Kudos on having the biggest and very best prepping site in the blogosphere. The others are just pale imitators! – Charles J.

Economics and Investing:

Jim W. sent this from Chris Pulplava: Massive Japanese Debt Monetization Is Coming, Yen to be Devalued

G.G. flagged this: Financial ‘Armageddon’ Will Happen Despite EU Deal: Rogers

Also from G.G.: There Has Been A Stunning Collapse In Vending Machine Revenue

K.P. sent this: 77% of JP Morgan’s Net Income Comes from Government Subsidies

Heatwave threatens US grain harvest. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Euro Compromises Likely To Unravel

Manufacturing In U.S. Unexpectedly Contracted In June

Hiding Inflation Results In Perma-Recession, The Next Great Keynesian Failure

Here Are The New Taxes You Are Going To Pay For ObamaCare

Odds ‘n Sods:

James K. sent this report from McNewspaper: For those without power, patience wears thin, tempers flare

   o o o

SurvivalBlog Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Nevada Highway Patrol troopers sue over bogus K-9 program. Mike’s summary: “Dogs trained to react to cues, not drugs, to enable seizure of assets, officers claim.”

   o o o

Preparedness-minded folks in Holland might be interested in this site: Preppers.nl

   o o o

Overstocked! FreezeDryGuy has cases of Mexican Rice and Chicken Long Range Patrol (LRP) entrees on sale for a limited time. These individual freeze dried meals are perfect for your Bug Out Bag. Normally priced at $132 per case, they are sale priced: 1 case for $120, 3 cases for $345, or 5 cases for $550.

   o o o

This doesn’t bode well: Oregon wolf packs produce pups. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)

Notes from JWR:

Today, July 4th, marks Independence Day in these United States. Pray that we hold fast to our Liberty. (That will take God and Guns.)

—

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Bees Like John (The Baptist), by Mike The Bee Shepherd

In a true TEOTWAWKI situation, many people will naturally resort to hunting and fishing to procure food. The increased hunting pressure will make many animals nocturnal and quickly deplete the populations of wild game. There is, however, one overlooked source of food that flies completely under the radar by even the most seasoned survivalists.  It tastes delicious, lasts forever,  replenishes itself to be harvested again and again, is a phenomenal barter item,  and can be found in every state in America.  I am talking about wild honey! The Bible says that this is the food that sustained John the Baptist during his time in the wilderness and that’s all the endorsement I need.

Allow me to give you a quick primer on honey.  Honey has roughly 1,376 calories per pound. It is not uncommon for a healthy colony of bees to produce 60 to 80 pounds of surplus honey in a good season. That equates to 60-80 days of life sustainment for one person from one hive.  Honey has an indefinite shelf life. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian kings was found to be perfectly edible. Honey also has multiple uses. Besides its obvious value as a food item, honey can be fermented to make mead (honey wine) which can be further distilled to make ethanol fuel.   Honey also has antibacterial qualities since it contains trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide and it was reportedly used by Roman Soldiers to pack sword wounds.  Honey can and will crystallize over time since it is a super saturated solution but you can easily restore it back to liquid form by gently heating it. Did I mention that Winnie the Pooh loves the stuff?

I think it’s safe to say that John the Baptist didn’t get his honey from the local food co-op or Piggly Wiggly. Our ancestors didn’t have the luxury of buying bees from the Internet and having them shipped in a tidy box via UPS, instead they used an ancient technique known as “bee lining”.  Locusts may not travel in a straight line but fortunately for us, the honey bee generally does.  It is this straight-line behavior that we can utilize to lead us back to the proverbial “honey-hole”.  There are numerous techniques for bee lining and although I doubt John the Baptist used trigonometry to locate his wild bees, we can.  Do you remember the days back in high school when you were plodding with contempt through trigonometry homework and thinking to yourself “I will never use this”?  Personally, I would rather have watched paint dry as I was never very adept at math. I don’t think I could count all my protruding body parts and get the same number twice. I am now man enough to admit that I was wrong.  A little simple math can reveal the bee’s secret location.

Bees predominantly forage when the weather is nice so do not waste your time trying to do this in the rain. It takes honey to make honey! You need to start with a sweet solution of sugar or honey and water (dissolved 1:1).  Put this solution on a small piece of sponge in the center of a bowl.  Set the bowl with sugar baited sponge in an open area and wait. The wind will carry the scent to foraging bees.  The first time a honey bee takes her fill, she will fly up in ever widening circles trying to remember the landmarks so she can lead her sisters back to the source.  It helps them if you wear brightly colored clothes as they will use you as a landmark. The exception to this is the color red as bees cannot see the color red. You can get a very rough estimate of the distance to the hive by timing the round trip time between the first bees departure to its return. 3-5 minutes is generally indicative of a quarter-mile, 5-10 minutes a half-mile, and 15 minutes or more indicates a distance of at least one mile. Once the bee communicates the source of food to the hive, the whole family will join in and you should see an ever increasing volume of bees visiting your bowl. Take out a compass and note the direction that the bees are flying in between the dish and the hive. Shoot an azimuth and note the azimuth (in degrees) on a map. Write a line from your current position out a few miles indicating the bee’s current flight path. (We will call this line SIDE “A”) The hive is obviously somewhere along this line. Once you have 15 or 20 bees in your bowl you can place a cover on the bowl thus capturing the bees. Take your captured bees and walk 50 yards in a line that is exactly perpendicular to the bee’s line of flight. (It is very important that you are exactly 50 yards as this will figure into our equation later)  Jotting this line down on the same map as the bee’s azimuth would now form an “L” with your new position now being at the bottom right edge of the “L”. (We will call this bottom line SIDE “B”).  Now do your best to release just a few bees at a time from your new position and again shoot an azimuth with your compass.  Writing this line down on the map should now give you a right triangle with the right angle being in the base of the “L”. This last line SIDE “C” is the hypotenuse of our right triangle. The angle that you need to figure out is in the bottom inside right corner of your triangle (where you are now standing). We will call this angle “a”.  You can use a protractor on the map to determine this angle (angle “a”).  Once we have the bottom right inside angle of our triangle, we need to do a little math to determine where our new line (SIDE “C”) intersects with our very first line (SIDE “A”). This intersection will be the exact location of the hive.  The formula to figure this is:
SIDE “C”= SIDE “B” / cosine (angle “a”)
So let’s say that we used our protractor on the map and determined that SIDE “C” made a 47 degree angle with SIDE “B”. This means that angle “a” is 47 degrees. We also know that SIDE “B” equals 50 yards. 
SIDE “C” = 50 yards / cos (47)
SIDE “C” = 73 yards

Our wild bees are approximately 73 yards from our current position at the point where our last azimuth intersects with our first azimuth.  Now we can bring our bowl to that spot and use our ears and eyes to look for the entrance to the hive. Many old time bee liners claim to hear the hive before they see it.  Now finding the cosine of an angle usually requires a scientific calculator (solar powered scientific calculators are available for five or six dollars). To make life easier, I have created a lookup table that automatically converts the degrees of angle “a” into the exact distance to the hive so no cosine calculation is necessary. This table will only be accurate if you walk exactly 50 yards (150 feet) to form SIDE “B”. I have printed a small version of this table and laminated it to keep in my wallet. The table follows:

 

Once we find our bees we need to don our protective gear. It might be a good time to mention that this should not to be done by anyone with bee sting allergies and I always carry two Epi-Pens with me just in case. A simple Tyvek painter’s suit sold for a few dollars at Home Depot will provide protection that is comparable to most commercial bee suits. Be sure to get the suit with the built in hood. Purchase some nitrile gloves as they are more puncture resistant than either latex or vinyl and are the choice of medical professionals to prevent needle sticks. A simple mosquito head net worn over a ball cap completes the outfit. Many beekeepers remove hives with no protective gear whatsoever but this is not recommended for the novice.  Tie some dry grass together tightly and light it on fire. Extinguish the flames so that it makes smoke. Fan this smoke into the hive entrance. This will trick the bees into thinking their home is on fire and they will immediately gorge themselves with honey in preparation of seeking a new home. This causes the bees to become very docile. Would you want to get into a fistfight after eating Thanksgiving dinner?  At this point, you may need to enlarge the access hole to reach the comb. It is preferable to only remove a portion of the honey and to do it without destroying the colony so that we can come back for more later. Remember that the bees need honey to survive throughout the winter and without sufficient stocks, they will die. This is the equivalent to shooting your cash cow.

Take the honey comb back to process the honey. You can eat it right in the comb or you can employ the crush and strain method. Whichever you do, do it indoors otherwise you will create a swarm of bees all looking to rob your honey.  Crush the comb and strain it through a paint strainer or cheese cloth. Make sure that at least three quarters of your honeycomb is capped. The bees cap the comb once they have the moisture content down to 18% or less. The uncapped portion is still nectar but with a much higher moisture content. Uncapped nectar can be eaten if done right away but it does not store as it will ferment from the natural yeasts that are present. The wax can then be utilized to make everything from candles to lip balm (again, outside the scope of this article).

Some people see the face of God in the clouds.  I see Him in the bees.  They are an amazing gift to us and they have been sustaining man for thousands of years.  God’s Manna from heaven was reputed to have honey in it and the best land was referred to “the land of milk and honey”.  When you realize that one out of every three bites of food you eat is a byproduct of honey bee pollination, you get a picture for how important they are to our sustainment.  Mr. Rawles, please forgive the unabashed plug but if you are interested in learning more about honey bees or about purchasing wild honey you can visit my web site, The Bee Shepherds.

Cordless DC Power Tool Selection

Several readers have asked me what brand of cordless power tools I use. A few years back, I settled on DeWalt brand 18 Volt DC tools here at the Rawles Ranch. This company seemed to offer a very wide selection of very sturdy and reasonably priced tools with long battery life. The only drawback is that their spare batteries are fairly expensive. (Although their batteries seem to have a much longer service life than most of those made by competitors.) Since then, I haven’t regretted the selection of DeWalt, since they keep adding tools to their line, and a they’ve also started making compatible lithium-ion batteries. One nice thing about DeWalt is that they make both AC chargers and 12 Volt DC chargers. The latter come with ubiquitous cigarette lighter plugs, which I dislike. So I do my usual trick of adding pairs of genderless Anderson Power Pole connectors to the cords, to give me commonality with all of my other automotive, ham radio. and off-grid power systems. (I use fuse-protected RIGRunner power strips in most of my vehicles and Anderson Power Pole connectors all over our ranch house and barn/shop.)

I seem to get the most use out of the 1/2″ chuck impact drill and the reciprocating saw. (The latter uses standard Milwaukee Sawzall blades, and in fact I’ve switched to using the less expensive Milwaukee brand blades. For expendable items, I pay attention to quality and price rather than brand names.) My only regret was buying the compatible DeWalt cordless circular saw. I only rarely use it, so it wasn’t worth the expense. The motor is high torque, so it runs down batteries fairly quickly, and the blade diameter is fairly small, too. This limits the dimensions of stock that you can cut. I should have skipped buying it. Instead, I should have bought the less expensive cordless jig saw.

OBTW, don’t neglect getting a flexible floodlight. These come from the factory with traditional (filament) light bulbs installed, but they can quickly be converted to use high intensity LEDs. Using an LED, just one charged power pack will run the light for hundreds of hours.

I recently found a video of an adapter made that allows you to use less expensive Ryobi batteries in the DeWalt tools. (This is a bulky arrangement, but if you already have a pile of Ryobi batteries, then the adapter is worth buying.) There is also a company that re-builds Ni-Cd battery packs that will no longer take a charge. Detailed do-it-yourself rebuild instructions have also been published.

There is a DeWalt Owners Group Forum where folks discuss a lot of great tips and tricks. I’ve read that people have even done “hacks” for using DeWalt Power packs for powering laptop computers. I’m sure that many more hacks will be developed, as time goes on. I suppose that an iPod, iPad or Kindle Reader would run for months from a big tool battery pack.

One obvious need is a 120 VAC power cord adapter that would allow you to power your “cordless” 18 VDC tools from AC line current, for situations where you have a lot of repetitive work to do in places where you do have stable generator or utility power available. But, alas, the business of selling spare batteries is very profitable to tool makers, so they’ve essentially aced-out and third party vendors by patenting their proprietary battery connectors. I have a feeling that some clever fellow in Hong Kong will soon solve this problem. In the interim, anyone who is handy with a soldering iron can construct their own converter. You could simply take a dead battery, remove its cells, and connect it to a high amperage 18 volt power supply. To prevent over-heating, this would require using some heavy gauge cabling. BTW, the same “dead battery trick” has been used to make laptop power converters or adapters for other DC electronics that are 18 VDC, or less, such as handi-talkies. (Resistors can be used to drop the voltage, as needed.)

One word of advice, in closing: It is fine to look for used cordless power tools online or in pawn shops. But don’t buy batteries that way, unless they are still new and sealed in the factory packages. Otherwise, odds are that you will be buying grief.

Economics and Investing:

Stockton, California: The Bleeding Edge of a Scary Economic Trend

G.G. suggested: Doug Casey on the Coming Eurocrash

Also from G.G.: 8,733,461: Workers on Federal ‘Disability’ Exceed Population of New York City

U.S. Factory Output Drops in May, Second Fall in Three Months

From Jeff in Texas, a BBC article: Gold versus paper money: Which should we trust more?

Items from The Economatrix:

Oil Drops as US Manufacturing Shrinks in June

Financial Collapse End Game, Operation Twist Deception, Infinite Quantitative Easing

Odds ‘n Sods:

M.N. sent: Bird flu outbreak hits chicken farms in Mexico

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Our Editor at Large Mike Williamson forwarded this: Picatinny engineers set phasers to ‘fry’

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Sun watcher J.E.B. wrote to mention: “[Sun spot] 11515 has become more complex and grown rapidly during the last 36 hours now covering approximately 1150 SM of the visible disk. During the last 4 hours the average background X-ray flux has sustained at roughly a C-2.1 level. As I indicated previously, only in a few recorded cases has it occurred that such a sustained flux was not followed by high-magnitude flaring. As of this evening’s NOAA Daily Solar Report 11515 has been classed Beta-Gamma-Delta; the most potent sunspot type, with the STAR classification given by Solen.info as increasing to “FKC”. Lastly, the group is currently straddling the polar meridian and is therefore in optimal position for an Earth directed event. The next 24 hours will be interesting’

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News from Northern Virginia: No Deaths Related to 911 “Total Failure. Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

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I will be the keynote speaker via teleconference at Charlotte PrepCon. This is an event for North Carolina and South Carolina preppers. The conference will be held on July 14, 2012 in Ft. Mill, S.C. (near Charlotte, N.C.) Phone: (800) 704-1862 for details.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should."- President Ronald Wilson Reagan

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.