I always assumed that the plant featured in Return of the Giant Hogweed was a figment of Peter Gabriel's imagination, but apparently that's not the case.

Everyone in Europe is supposed to already knows this, but it seems to be a real plant, and the sap even gets activated by sunlight. Giant Hogweeds are in Ontario now, and presumably they'll be showing up on my land, as every other invasive species seems to do within hours of entering the country.

I'm wondering if I should have held off on the VP180 and spent the money on a flamethrower instead.

The truly wierd thing, though, is that all of the online articles on the Giant Hogweed seem just a bit fake,, with lines like "the sap bonds with the DNA in your cells"...

Is this for real, or just a mistimed April Fools scam ?

"Alright, we're in. Party at Bridghemans"

Sounds like nasty stuff that does indeed bond with your DNA in skin cells.

Yep, I thought hydrofluoric acid was bad...

If I see one of these things I think the first step will be blowing the stem off at ground level with a shotgun, then waiting a few days for it to dry out before going any closer.

I'm currently fighting with bamboo from my neighbors yard where they planted it for a privacy wall. I think it's a losing battle. In a few more years I can at least probably save some money by selling my lawn tractor and replacing it with a good machete.

Might make for a cool yard actually, except that it dies every winter so in the spring it's just a big dead mess of dried stalks (not to mention a fire hazard) until the new growth starts in.

I love George Carlin's bit on the flamethrower: "The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.'"

My parents have a couple of batches of bamboo growing in their backyard. Been there since the beginning of time, I think. That stuff is incredibly hardy and spreads like crazy. Many mornings my dad would practice his golf swing on all the new shoots that would pop up around the yard.

In college, one of my summer jobs involved removing a patch of bamboo for a family friend. That was some tough stuff, with a root network like crazy. I have never returned to the scene to see if I was successful. I have a sneaking suspicion that the bamboo won.

"Swingin' Clubs in the ... hot sun
I Fought Bamboo and ... it won
I Fought Bamboo and ... it won
I needed money, 'cause I ... had none
I Fought Bamboo and ... it won
I Fought Bamboo and ... it won"

A little early for tequila isn't it?

It's either that or sir here letting dogs lick my face....

Well, I suspect that it's actually a combination of both. You drank so much tequila that the dogs are licking because they mistake you for an Australian Cane Toad and are probably enjoying the hallucinations.

I think I would just spray vegetation killer over the entire area when your neighbor isn't around.

Errr, good idea but I am trying to grow a bunch of new Blue Spruce trees in that area to replace the dying pine that used to divide our lots. If I can find a spray that kills bamboo but not trees, I'd at least do my side of the area. Where is a mad botanist-biochemical engineer when you need one. They are normally so commonplace.

"I'm not a quack, I'm a mad scientist! There is a difference, you know." - Dr. Cockroach, Monsters vs. Aliens

Ooh, I just found my new sig.

Looks like you need two things to get rid of running bamboo in your yard :

- an underground barrier (30" deep or more, angled "down and out") to stop new runners coming across from your neighbors yard

- a backhoe to dig out *all* the roots on your side

Seems like there are relatively simple ways to kill off the bamboo on your side but they seem to take a few years. Killing it over a few years involves "wearing it down", basically cutting off all the shoots so the plant doesn't have a chance to form leaves and feed the root systems. One article mentioned that the root system will put up one last burst of shoots that look more like grass just before it gives up and dies.

What I don't know is whether the bamboo root system will be able to tap into your blue spruce roots and keep going that way - if so then you'll probably need to completely kill the bamboo before planting the spruce.

Apparently "clumping" bamboo doesn't send out those runners, but it's more expensive so everyone buys the cheaper "running" kind that spreads like a weed.

Another pesky thing that has turned up in Ontario is Deer Ticks which carry tick-borne infectious disease - lyme disease. They have been found in parts of Ontario and have tested positive for the bacteria that is responsible.

I just finished cutting grass and was cutting along the border of the "wild" parts of the property and caught a tick crawling up my leg before it attached. Fortunately it was just a dog tick and not a deer tick.

With the hogweed and ticks investing your land you are not going to want to leave your house.

Bamboo can be used to hide other plants, too... If you really don't like your neighbors, there's always the boys in blue... just sayin'

And, even if it had attached, it usually takes a day or more for the disease to be transmitted, so catching attached ticks within a few hours almost certainly will take care of it.

Any tick bite not matter how long it has been attached you should keep an eye on it just for infection. People don't know how to remove ticks properly either which can increase chance of infection. It was a dog tick anyways (red legs). Just the thought of finding a deer tick is concerning. Its never pleasant pulling ticks off your body or even a dog especially after they have been attached for a few days.

I have Coyotes as well. The property is a ticking time bomb.

Coyotes, skunks, raccoons, we have. What's really been invading in massive numbers the last 2 years have been Earwigs and piss ants.

ARRGHHH! I hate earwigs worse than Bamboo!

Good advice on the in ground barrier Bridgeman. If nothing else, that should keep them contained while I work on slowly killing them around my trees. Unfortunately the trees are already a year in the ground so I don't want to risk moving them to really dig it up.