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[Bull Winkus]

Just thought of another way to prevent, or at least deter, spider infestation where it is a real problem. You get your Saran Wrap from the kitchen, then wrap the mast near it's base, but high enough that they can't jump over it. Then you paint the Saran Wrap with Vaseline petroleum jelly.    Just remember to leave you a grabbing point sticking out, so that you can easily remove it when necessary.

"There. That should last a year or so. Now where's that beer I opened yesterday?"

 

[staze]

Just thought of another way to prevent, or at least deter, spider infestation where it is a real problem. You get your Saran Wrap from the kitchen, then wrap the mast near it's base, but high enough that they can't jump over it. Then you paint the Saran Wrap with Vaseline petroleum jelly.

Yeah, I actually thought about putting some tanglefoot (http://www.amazon.com/Tanglefoot-99015-Tree-Pest-Barrier/dp/B002KHOSH2) on the mast. But like you say, I didn't really want to "deal" with that when it came to taking the mast down, or putting it back up. Spiders are also clever little things... while there isn't a tree very near the mast, I have seen them go up high on a tree, "tether" then float down using the wind for horizontal thrust. So, not sure what a good option is. Think my opening salvo is going to be a flea collar. =/

[Randall75]

Hi Staze,Bull Winkus,Edouard, Felix and Cat Family
 If I remember right when my anemometer got stuck right after I got it I think awekas email me that it hadn't change directions in 3 days for me to check it which I already new but has waiting on Davis to send me a replacement I emailed awekas of the problem so that they wouldn't take my station down


cheers


 

[elagache]

Dear staze, Herb, and WeatherCat station caregivers, . . .

Is it common for you to have a period of time in the summer when there is no wind for 8 hours or more?

I'm in the Willamette Valley (Oregon, so not far from SF), and yes? You can certainly have times at night where the wind dies down at night, and doesn't really blow at all during the night. Don't get me wrong, I am impressed he/she managed to so solidly secure the anemometer. Next time I'm on the roof I'm going to see if the flea collar trick works. Spiders definitely seem to be my main nemesis with the Vantage Vue ISS.

Yes the Willamette Valley isn't too far away.  One of these days I hope to take my trusty wagon up there.

Unfortunately, you might have hit the nail on the head with respect to your problem.  I have a lot of trouble with spiders on my Vantage Pro-2 ISS.  However, the anemometer thus far has never been attacked (knocking wood.)  The slim anemometer of the VP-2 doesn't give a spider much to secure itself to, while the other components of the Vue provide multiple attachment points for starting a web.

Hmm, should this actually make it into some future version of WeatherCat, I'll be very interested to see how Stu implements this!  It doesn't look like something that straightforward to do, but the very way Stu writes this suggests that . . . . . .  he is startin' to get ideirs . . . . . . .

I don't think it would be that difficult for anemometer reporting.

The problem with your scheme Herb is it cannot differentiate between calm wind and a stuck anemometer.  Where I thought the problem got more interesting is how to determine when say a rain gauge is broken.  Here in California, it isn't the rain gauges that are broken, but the rain!

Honestly, I think the best solution is to upload to AWEKAS or something analogous.  It isn't good enough that a sensor is "quiet," you need to detect a sensor that is quiet when the weather isn't quiet.  Still, even if Stu is a man of few words, I got a sense that he thought it was an problem that was interesting - perhaps even a bit challenging - in order words, potentially a fun problem to solve!

Cheers, Edouard 

[staze]

Yup, I signed up for AWEKAS, so hopefully that'll help in the future. =) But should be interesting to see if Stu comes up with something. =)

We just need to train birds, or garter snakes to hang out around the weather stations to eat the spiders. =)

[Bull Winkus]

I think a sticky barrier like Tanglefoot or petroleum jelly would help by decreasing the incidence of infestation. Tanglefoot seems a little like overkill, while PJ can be wiped off with a paper towel. The ideal response must take into consideration the frequency of the incidents of infestation. If this is a one off incident, then repair and carry on may be the appropriate response. If you're going on the roof every month, then the search for an effective deterrent becomes somewhat mandatory.

Also, it may only be necessary to sticky band the mast about an inch wide and then again on the anemometer support tube to discourage 8 legged travel along its dimensions in the initial construction. If spidey can't move around to connect his threads, his plans fall apart and he should then move on.