topic Re: The endless pollen! in Home

The endless pollen!

Mominohio — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:11:09 GMT

We live in the country, lots of trees, grass and pines surrounding the house, and big woods behind us. We deal with pollen every year, so you think I'd be used to it.

But this year is different. For one, it seems like it is later than usual, and the amount is so heavy. We have no air conditioning so our windows are open if it is warm. I always deal with having to wipe screens and window sills daily, and the furniture near windows has a green layer of dust to be removed daily. I don't know what it is, but this year it is piling up thicker and faster than usual.

We had a very mild winter, and cool spring with plenty of rain, so I guess we just deal with it for another week or two, then it usually settles down.

Anyone else have more pollen issues than usual this year?

Re: The endless pollen!

2blonde — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:20:43 GMT

@Mominohio Hey........you know I'm in Ohio just like you, right? It's the same here.......east of Cleveland. Everything is later than usual, but coming on strong. One thing that has recently slowed it down a bit is that (at least in my neighborhood) we haven't had any rain in maybe a month. It's like the dust bowl here, and the sun is out again today, after they said it would rain. Never though I'd want it to rain!

Re: The endless pollen!

wagirl — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:30:39 GMT

I live in the woods too and the greenish-yellow pollen is over with; now the cottonwoods are doing their thing and the grass pollens are high too---I live in WA state and it seems like all this is early here. We didn't have much of a winter really so things bloomed very early. but that yellow pollen made a huge mess on everything. Yuk!!!

Re: The endless pollen!

Serenity-Now — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:47:21 GMT

Hi @Mominohio--I noticed & remarked about this extra pollen this year, too. It seems especially heavy, & I was choking on it until we had a few weeks of rainy days, and that mercifully seemed to tamp it down & lessen the effects.

I also use an olive leaf nasal spray at this time of year, when my sinuses hurt & I get so many allergy headaches. That helps me a lot, too. I sure wouldn't want to be without it! I used to get so many painful sinus headaches whenever it is pollen season, & coughed constantly.

Re: The endless pollen!

ValuSkr — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:57:06 GMT

The pollen from white pine is peaking now in SE PA. I'm always glad when it's over - the yellow dust gets all over everything. I keep the windows closed for the two- to four-week period - which kills me because I like opening them in the Spring.

Re: The endless pollen!

2blonde — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:08:27 GMT

@wagirl wrote:
I live in the woods too and the greenish-yellow pollen is over with; now the cottonwoods are doing their thing and the grass pollens are high too---I live in WA state and it seems like all this is early here. We didn't have much of a winter really so things bloomed very early. but that yellow pollen made a huge mess on everything. Yuk!!!

@wagirl Yes, the cottonwoods have just started here in NE Ohio too. By now, they usually have been in full "snow" mode for a couple weeks. We also had a mild winter, but the spring was wet and cold.

Re: The endless pollen!

pinky ann — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:18:14 GMT

@MominohioIt seems to be a worse than ususal allergy season here. There's not too much pollen right now, but what remains is still gathering on outside furniture, etc. I don't open windows much because of my allergies and asthma, so we bought two air conditioners to use for the very hot days, or just when the house seems stufffy. We're in a heavily wooded area too, but lots more of the pines and other evergreen trees around, and a bit less of the leafier types of trees.

@Serenity-Now, Where did you find the olive leaf nasal spray? I've been fighting a bad sinus headache since five this morning, and nothing seems to be helping. Thanks! pinky.

Re: The endless pollen!

vermint — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:27:42 GMT

@Mominohio We live in the same situation, in South Carolina, and our pollen season hit earlier and much harder than I ever remember it being before! We've had the A/C on for awhile now (with a few spells of needing the heat for a day), but that stuff still gets in and gets all over everything! We had a fairly mild winter/early spring so I guess that's why.

Re: The endless pollen!

Reba055 — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 16:10:02 GMT

@Mominohio I feel for you for dealing with pollen without AC! That's my answer, lol. Stay inside and run the air. You must really have a tough time!

Re: The endless pollen!

Mominohio — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 16:23:22 GMT

@wagirl wrote:
I live in the woods too and the greenish-yellow pollen is over with; now the cottonwoods are doing their thing and the grass pollens are high too---I live in WA state and it seems like all this is early here. We didn't have much of a winter really so things bloomed very early. but that yellow pollen made a huge mess on everything. Yuk!!!

The cottonwoods are 'snowing' here too. I don't mind that as much, but maybe that is because we don't have a whole bunch of them.

Re: The endless pollen!

Mominohio — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 16:30:13 GMT

For those suffering with allergies, I feel your pain.

I had horrible allergies to the 'seasonal stuff' and cats as a child, and we all took shots as kids.

I seemed to outgrow much of it, or maybe in just manifests itself differently than it used to. I used to sneeze uncontrollably, watery eyes, and itch. Now it's more sinus headache kind of thing, and much easier to live with than what I had as a child.

On a good note, we now live in an area the the 17 year cicadas aren't located. The town I grew up in that is near us is under siege from them right now. I was just there this morning, and had forgotten how big, ugly and disgusting those huge bugs are. Glad they are short lived and only show up every 17 years! And glad when we moved here 21 years ago, we managed to pick a place they don't breed.

Re: The endless pollen!

Serenity-Now — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 17:32:18 GMT

@Mominohio, those cicadas give me the heebie jeebies! The only thing that creeps me out worse are the palmetto bugs/roaches. *shudder* We used to live in FL, and while other people see palm trees & think sunshine & beaches, I only think about the roaches that live in them...eek!

Re: The endless pollen!

Mominohio — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 18:12:33 GMT

@Serenity-Now wrote:
@Mominohio, those cicadas give me the heebie jeebies! The only thing that creeps me out worse are the palmetto bugs/roaches. *shudder* We used to live in FL, and while other people see palm trees & think sunshine & beaches, I only think about the roaches that live in them...eek!

@Serenity-Now

I hear you!

My grandparents retired to Ft. Myers back in the 70's and we would visit them in the winter (when the bugs should be a little less invasive?).

My grandma was the cleanest housekeeper I ever knew. But those bugs found their way in everywhere, even though they were sprayed professionally on a regular basis. One year, we were down there staying in a travel trailer, and you could hear those big things moving the pot lids in the cabinet. Creeps me out just to think about it.

I would love to retire somewhere warmer, but I don't know if I can handle the bugs in the warmer climate. Snowbirding is great, but gets to be too much to afford and do after a certain age, so I don't know. When someone invents south Florida winters without the bugs, I'm the first one on the list to move there.

Re: The endless pollen!

Serenity-Now — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 19:11:17 GMT

@Mominohio, we moved up to a cooler climate quite a few states north of FL, & it has been a blissful experience for me to not have to worry about bugs for at least half a year--I had never experienced that before, being a native Floridian. I can also say that there is no time of year when the roaches are not active, not in FL. They seem to live through anything. My mom was the type of person who cleaned clean rooms obsessively, but keeping roaches out of a home in FL is a full-time job. I remember one time when I was a kid, she was leaving the bathroom after taking a shower, & a palmetto roach flew down the hallway...she ran screaming to her bedroom, slammed the door & locked it, lol! She then sprayed the entire house with this putrid (now illegal) smelling insecticide, & guess where they found that roach? In the window screen, trying to escape...in her bedroom. I do believe she was convinced that roach was demonic!

The only annoying bug we have to deal with now are the Stink Bugs (those things are unbelievable!), but we are lucky enough to live in the woods overlooking a mountain now, & it is just a matter of days until my #1 favorite insect starts flying around soon....Fireflies! I can't wait

Re: The endless pollen!

AKgirl2 — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 19:59:52 GMT

I live in Anchorage, AK., we also had a mild winter, always a cool spring, but not too wet this year...trees bloomed little earlier as well, Because of the milder winter(?) We have tons of trees and pollen, and I have a love/hate relationship with spring for that reason alone...I do love all the green...as well as the gorgeous colors of all the flower, when I'm able to see past wiping my constant watery eyes and runny nose.