I worked my way through school as an outside technician for The Phone
Company. After opening a few terminal boxes on poles that were full of wasps
while on the pole in hooks or on a latter attached to the line, we learned
the following technique:
Assemble the tree pruning tool and extend it to the maximum length.
Get only close enough to the enclosure to touch it with the tree trimming
pole.
Give the enclosure a good WHACK with the pole and watch carefully for
swarming wasps.
If wasps flew out, we then went to the truck, put on a long sleeve shirt or
jacket and got a can of the trusty wasp spray that comes out in the stream.
The application was invariably "one can" - at least. We sprayed the
infestation, waited 20 minutes or so and climbed to the terminal box, wasp
spray in hand, and flipped open the box while maintaining a steady stream
from the wasp spray.
We always just assumed there would be wasps - there were in about a third of
the cases - and therefore proceeded carefully.
Unless temperatures are near freezing, perhaps that's a prudent assumption!
Be safe!
Mickey, N4MB
On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 2:16 PM, Larry K4AB <larry.k4ab@gmail.com> wrote:
> Once I was doing repair on a coax switch about 70' up on the tower. As I
> was taking the cover off the enclosure I heard a very loud "rattle" within
> the box. I remember thinking that it sounded like a rattlesnake, but how
> could a snake climb a tower?
>
> As I took the cover off the box I was engulfed by a swarm of wasps. It
> seems they had decided to build a large nest inside. The rattle was them
> flying into the metal box.
>
> I immediately aborted my repair and carefully began to descend the tower.
>
> By the time I got to the ground, the little buggers had "gotten" me 6
> times.
>
> Lessons learned:
>
> -Seal all enclosures to prevent insects from entering.
> -Wear long pants and sleeves...even in hot weather.
> -Its better to have switches ground mounted than up the tower. (even for
> stacks).
> -Always have 2 halyards on the belt. Always be strapped-in.
>
> 73,
> Larry K4AB
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 11:53 AM, <Cqtestk4xs@aol.com> wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 8/15/2010 4:49:18 PM Greenwich Standard Time,
> > jim@n7us.net writes:
> >
> > Or the legs of a crank-up.
> >
> >
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > I've encountered lots of wasps while climbing in FL. They just buzz
> > around aimlessly up to around 70-80 ft, then no more. The ones that
> you
> > have
> > to worry about are the ones inside the tower legs of the sections stored
> > on
> > the ground. You don't see them until you start moving the tower...then
> > the
> > fun starts.
> >
> > Bill KH7XS/K4XS
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TowerTalk mailing list
> > TowerTalk@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
--
Mickey Baker
Fort Lauderdale, FL
“Tell me, and I will listen. Show me, and I will understand. Involve me, and
I will learn.” Teton Lakota, American Indian Saying.
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