Supposedly, to help travelers at each side of the border -- prior to the exits for alternate routes -- a freeway sign that updates is installed and it predicts border waits at the different crossings. Yesterday, it  said that the truck crossing was a 25 minute wait. It said that the Peace Arch, the main crossing, was N/A.  Not applicable? That says to me that the border wait would be not applicable, as in minimal wait.

I found out that I was wrong in how I interpreted that. I am just not smart enough to figure out government speak. When I arrived at the Peach Arch, photo below, the N/A wait was one hour and twenty minutes. I was more than half way to the crossing when I snapped this photo.

So what is the correct way to interpret N/A? I spoke with a lawyer friend today, guess you have to have a legal mind to get it. I told him how wrong the sign was, complained that they don't update it. He said, "oh yes they do -- you just don't get it". He went on to explain that N/A means that the wait is so long that they cannot estimate it. Hence, not applicable,  as in we will not predict it, we have no clue, slow down and wait.

At least I did get an education today -- some insight into government logic. It was my lesson for the day: The totally obvious is not always totally obvious and N/A does not mean not applicable.

Steven L. Smith

 Actually, I hate to use the word "bees" when speaking of hornets,wasps, yellow jackets. To me, bees are the obvious good guys -- the worker bees, the fat little honey bees, the orchard mason bees that are diminishing in numbers and creating real challenges for modern agriculture. This blog is about the "bad guy" bees.

In Whatcom County and Bellingham we have a great number of yellow jackets or hornets.

We also have mud-dauber wasps, that frequent attics, but they are not overly aggressive and help reduce the populations of other blood-sucking insects.

How do bees get in the attic. The obvious applies: Roof vents that have holes in the screens. But, in my experience, more often than not, the birds and the bees enter through rusted out screens at the "bird block" soffit vents (photo below). Birds, and bats can get in too, create a mess in the attic, but that is a mild problem compared to an attic full of hornets. 

The problem above is caused by age and time. The screens deteriorated. There are other times when the problem is the result of sloppy workmanship by a builder. This photo below is a good example of a builder doing a poor job or taking shortcuts.

Look at that gap below the two holes. In bee colloquial language, a bee could drive a mack truck through that wide gap. The screens were fine, but you might just as well take them out. This condition existed all around the perimeter of the home.

Did you know that once yellow jackets get into the attic, they might not be content to stay there? I have talked to several people who had them chew through a sheet rock wall and suddenly swarm into the house. We all hate uninvited party guests! Yesterday I was inspecting a property where that kind of invasion had occurred. The photo below is actual size and was in the ceiling. Got bees? Not anymore, they are all in the living room!

Bottom line: Bee careful. If you are a home owner, a realtor, an appraiser or an inspector, take precautions before entering an attic, or even a crawl space. Walk around the house and look for obvious bird or bee entry points, prior to opening the hatch. Remember, if birds can get in, bees can get in 100 times easier. When you enter the attic or crawl space, stop, look and listen. If all seems to be okay, then proceed but make sure you know how to get out quickly, in an emergency! Don't get turned around.

If you have never seen or heard hornets or yellow jackets, nor experienced the feeling of being in close confines with them, this video does a nice job of conveying that creepy crawly feeling.   

Please bee careful, the life you save might be your own!

Steven L. Smith

I had a major clue yesterday and, after walking by it about five times, it all registered. The good news is, that clue -- when it sunk in -- kept me from having wet pants. Let me explain. It has been dry as a bone in Bellingham since about the end of June. I am inspecting a home next to the site of new construction. As I passed by the foundation to the new house, I saw all this water at the end of the foundation. I thought, "gee, were those guys running water or what?" Next time I thought, "huh, is that ground water?" I decided to snap a photo.  

Because I saw all of that water, I decided that I needed to absolutely, for sure, no doubt about it, put on my full crawl space outfit -- the green machine -- prior to going under the house. I am glad that I did because, once I got under there, I saw that this same groundwater had given no amnesty to the house next door -- a 20 year old home. In Bellingham and Western Washington, we have more than our share of ground water but I did not really expect it as dry as it has been lately. I have not seen any significant standing water, other than plumbing leaks, in a few weeks. This is another example of a good reason to have an inspection. All that water evaporating up into the home is unhealthy and can rot the wood too. You really need to know about it if you are buying a house.

Steven L. Smith

Of course, nothing is ever as simple as one would like and sometimes the problem is that the insulation was not well-supported and it tumbled down by itself. If the bodies of vermin or droppings are present, those establish occupancy by undesirables. However, sometimes the clues are less disgusting but equally obvious. The photo below is an example of a way to make a 100 percent positive ID of rodents. 

All that chaff is bird seed, mainly sunflower seeds. Around here we do not have birds that thrive in crawl spaces so how does bird seed get up in the insulation --- yes rodents. The situation in the photo below is a bit less common -- bird seed along the sill plate but, again, it was not left by any stinkin' bird. Had I been guessing, I would have thought this might have been activity from mice. In this case, I passed by a dirty rat, very deceased, on the way to the other side of the crawl space. So I guess the big guys were in play too. In the Pacific Northwest and Bellingham, every homeowner needs to keep an eye out for these critters. They are opportunists and can live just about anywhere.

Steven L. Smith