Re: The First Zucchini

I know of a guy who broke his neck when he touched a hot wire while grounded. Apparently the jolt was enough, and he was at just the right angle to snap it.
I touched one once through fabric (leaned too near a fence with hands in pockets) while wearing wet shoes. It knocked me several feet back onto my behind, and my teeth slammed together so hard that they ached for days.
That's odd about the hummingbird. I wonder how he hit it. I thought that dry bird feet wouldn't conduct. Dunno about snakes.
We have some mason bees, but they don't seem to be efficient at squash and cucumbers. I can grow the parthenocarpic cukes like 'Sweet Success', but I haven't found a parthenocarpic zuch. 

d
----- Original Message ----- From: "Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT" <cyndi.johnson@edwards.af.mil> 
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 6:24 PM
Subject: RE: [CHAT] The First Zucchini



I was working from a possibly apocryphal story Island Jim sent, about a
guy who foiled ground squirrels by zapping them on the hot wire. You can
kill a small animal with even the little fence chargers they sell for
dogs. I know this because we sadly discovered the bodies of a
hummingbird and a gopher snake when we had the hot wire up around our
property line. The strong ones will not kill a person (my sister knows
this from personal experience) or a sheep, goat, horse or what have you
- there would be no market if they did - but seems to me if the little
ones would take out a snake a strong one might well take out a rabbit.
But I don't really care how it works as long as it keeps them the heck
away from my veggies, other barriers are not doing the job for me. Dogs,
horses, and sheep in my experience do not sense the electricity until
they touch the wire, but it doesn't take more than twice for even the
dimmest animal to figure it out. Again, just going from personal
experience.
Too bad about the bees in your area, I guess we have been lucky here.
Maybe you should buy some mason bees?

Cyndi


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