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Both of My Backyard Street Lights Lit
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Here's both lights in the backyard lit. The one in the background is my October 1967 GE M-250A, 100W MV. It's running a 100W Sylvania /DX lamp with some blackening but still fairly bright. The refractor is glass.
In the front, we have my November 1965 GE M-250R, 175W MV. It's running a new Sylvania cleat lamp. The refractor in it is my most browned out refractor. The clear lamp and browned refractor create a nice rich green light. I have the light's original glass indoors but I like the effect of the browned out plastic lens. Plus, the browned out lens is so fragile I don't want to risk breaking it indoors so it's actually safer outside lol.
I think the M-250A on the shed will be staying there for a while because the bees/wasps/hornets/yellow jackets (whatever the hell they are; they're all the same to me) seem to enjoy making a nest in whatever light I mount on there. I removed a nest a couple days ago and today it was back...
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This spring suggests a 'year of hornets'. In the last week I had to expel three of them from our bedroom. They entered through a partially open window, got behind the louvers and couldn't get away. The longest hornets here are about 35mm (1.4 inch) long and look pretty scary! Their nests are quite huge.
Last year I saw 4 old lanterns with a bird nest behind the reflector (actually two types of old Elektrosvit lanterns). Definitely much better lantern inhabitants than those yellow zeppelins!
I actually had birds in the same light that the bees are in and I have to say I prefer the bees over the birds. The birds make a mess of everything and their nests can easily overheat the fixture. Bee nests are usually smaller and attached to the top of the fixture instead of laying on the door right up against the ballast. Fortunately, birds don't attack though and removing the nest is easy. Just slap the fixture to scare them out and them open the door and the nest falls to the ground. With the bees they are very territorial and will not leave the nest unless forced (and when forced, they generally won't go down without a fight). That's when the hornet killer comes in handy. That stuff literally melts their abdomens!
Don't know what latitude you live in but here at 50 degrees wasps (similar to your yellow jackets) are the most annoying at the end of August and during September, especially on warm days. I think they're stocking up for winter and very interested in meals they can smell from a distance.
I thought once the plants were done pollinating, a good number of bees and wasps and what not all died off. I can't remember ever seeing so many bees/wasps/yellowjackets before. It's insane!