Ants Are Not the Problem….Pesticides Are

Last week Jeff and I saw a few ants in the house.  A couple in the office scurrying across the desks, a couple running across the kitchen counter and a couple at the front door.  Did we Panic?!  No.  Did we call the Orkin Man?!....no.  Instead we went down to Lowe’s and purchased some Terro Liquid Ant Baits, a natural non toxic product that has a Borax base.  It works every time and it is safe.  It is not a harmful, hazardous chemical…it is not a toxic pesticide.  It is a solution of borax and sugar in a liquid solution.  Easy to use and completely safe for humans, children, pets, the elderly and the neighbors.  A one ounce bottle will cost $3.29 and it also comes in convenient, pre-filled liquid ant baits which are what we use.  A box of 6 liquid filled ant stations costs $5.97 plus tax.  Terro also offers ant stations for outside and around the foundation.  Simple and easy to use, safe and inexpensive.  And, for those who hold the EPA Gospel, the EPA considers Terro to be the safest and least toxic chemical available to consumers.

We just place the bait traps where we see the ants and in a very short time, a large number of worker ants will appear, enter the trap and drink to their hearts content.  They LOVE this stuff.  When they are full, they go back to their nest or colony and feed the other ants especially the Queen.  In a short while, the borax in the solution will dry out the lining of their stomachs and interfere with their digestive systems and the ants die.  It is a slow kill but 100% effective…..Queen and all.  You get rid of the ants you see and the ants you don’t see.  After a few days, all that needs to be done is to pick up the bait stations and vacuum up the dead ants that may be visible on the floor.  Job done.  No muss…no fuss, and no danger to the health of family members, pets and the neighbors. 

Terro kills all types of ants, even the tiny sugar ants.  When I lived in Canton, Terro even killed carpenter ants that are so prevalent to wooded areas.  If ants are nesting inside the walls, there is no need to drill tiny holes to apply your ant killer.  All you have to do is set the bait on any flat surface and the ants will find it, no matter where they live.  You can use this product inside your house or out, without worrying about harming the environment.

OR!....you can call the Orkin Man or companies like that who use toxic chemicals and pesticides.  Even though these products are approved by the EPA, they are not safe.  And they really are not effective.   As the ants become immune to the pesticides used, a stronger more toxic pesticide is then needed.  The companies that apply the pesticides will tell you they are safe, they are not.  Over the years, science has uncovered health hazards due to these pesticides. The chemical companies and the government have launched campaigns to suppress and discredit the information that is being discovered.  I know this to be true, as I am a victim of pesticide poisoning and no chemical company, government official or farmer or exterminator is ever going to convince me that they are safe.  They are known immune suppressors, hormone disruptors, cholinesterase inhibitors and even carcinogenic.  They have been responsible for the onset of asthma and allergies and the list goes on and on.

Knowing what I know about the dangers of pesticides, it is amazing to me to see people calling the “Orkin Man”, or exterminating companies like them, when all they have to do is purchase inexpensive Terro and get the same results.  So I did some research and called the two most popular exterminator companies in the area….Terminex and Orkin.  Their marketing approach and exterminating methods are almost identical but makes no sense to me. 

When I made my call, the person on the other end insisted on giving me a brief course in ANTS-101.  Without taking a breath, she explained to me that I had a catastrophic problem that will take a year to solve.  A technician will come out to look the place over and plan a strategy of attack.  She could not tell me what chemicals/pesticides would be used, only that they were perfectly safe.  I would need to have chemicals and pesticides applied out side all around the foundation and 3 feet out.  Also pesticides would be applied to the house starting from the foundation and 3 feet up…..to make sure all critters are killed.  Then all the rooms inside will have to be treated with chemical pesticides, even between the walls.  They would come every other month for a year and that should do it.  Well, I certainly hope so!!!  Sounds like “chemical warfare” to me but I was told it is perfectly safe.  That seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through for some ants.

Then I asked the important question….how much?  Like I said….they have a plan of attack that takes a year so it ends up to be quit an expense.  For Orkin, the cost for a year was approximately $700 to $900 depending on the type of ants.  And Terminex was a little less….only approximately $600 a year.  And to think we use Terro for only $5.97 plus tax for a box of 6 bait stations, no matter what type of ants we find.  Plus there is no need to drill through walls to inject pesticides between the walls…..as with Terro, the ants find it, eat it, then go back to the nest and feed it.   Job done.  Clean, simple, effective and safe.

As I said, the customer service person would not tell me the exact name of the poisons being used so allow me to do my best to give you a little picture of the hazards of pesticide ant control.  Insect growth inhibitors are used such as methoprene and pyriproxyfen , which is very toxic to aquatic life as it has a tendency to lower the immune system.  Proper disposal is required.  It is important that it does not get into the ground water. 

Hydramethylnon types can be used.  They are damaging to developing fetuses and interfere with reproduction.  Neonicotinoids are harmful to insects such as bees, they are toxic to humans as well.  Absorbed through the skin, they are toxic to the nervous system and lowers sperm count. 

Avermectin are granular type pesticides that are toxic to the nervous system and to developing fetuses at very low doses.  Fipronil is another commonly used pesticide that is toxic to the nervous system and has been classified as a possible carcinogen by US EPA.  Fenoxycarb is toxic to the liver and also is a probable carcinogen. 

Fipronil, Metaflumizone, Indoxacarb baits all have weighed in with a certain amount of toxicity.  The problem occurs when you are continuously and repeatedly exposed to these pesticides over a period of time.  Both Orkin and Terminex recommend what they call repeated monthly maintenance treatments which will add to your family’s repeated exposure and possible adverse health effects.  Is it worth it?

Pyrethroids have been implicated as causing asthma attacks and setting off allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Organophosphates and carbamates are neurotoxic at relatively low doses, and several are probable or possible carcinogens.  Now I ask you.  Does this sound “Safe” to you???

So there you have it.  You can hire an exterminator to come to your house forever and spray harmful chemicals putting your family at risk for hundreds of dollars to solve your ant problem…..or you can purchase Terro for a few dollars, put it down yourself and all you have to do in a few days is to sweep up dead ants.  No muss….no fuss.  And as always, it is to your advantage to live healthy chemical free.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words…Putting Corporate Wealth over Human Health

If GMO Food is not bad enough, Scott’s Miracle Grow is coming out with a Genetically Modified Kentucky Blue Grass, engineered to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup and other Glyphosate based herbicides.  They are marketing this GMO Grass as if it is going to save the world, but according to peer reviewed scientific research, it will add to the use of more pesticides, namely Roundup, that will pollute the environment and further destroy the health of every man, woman and child not to mention the family pet.  To make matters worse, it will NOT be regulated by the USDA.  People are waking up to the dangers of Genetically Modified products and do NOT want this technology. But it seems the people who make the laws and regulations are more concerned with pleasing lobbyists and big Agra Business than doing what is in the best interest of their constituents. 

This Spring Scott’s will be testing this GMO Grass at the homes of several of their employees, allowing the homeowner to spray large amounts of Roundup over the entire lawn to kill weeds without damaging the grass.  This will increase the sales of Roundup, which is manufactured by Monsanto and marketed by Scott’s.  The new GMO grass seed is expected to generate over $500 million dollars in sales for Scott’s and a marked increase in sales of Roundup for Monsanto.  BUT at what cost to human health and the environment?  

So what can be the problem you say?  Roundup resistant weeds is one answer.  The more a chemical is used constantly, the more likely the weeds will become resistant, and you eventually will get what is called Super Weeds.  More Roundup will be needed and the only thing that will be accomplished will be an increase in sales and profits for Monsanto but the weeds will persist.  In short, the very thing that Scott’s is marketing for a weed free lawn will eventually give the homeowner a huge headache in the form of More WEEDS.

Another problem will be the migration of GMO grass seeds to contaminate other lawns, gardens and pastures for miles, invading properties of people who DO NOT WANT GMO Grass.  The GMO grass testing in Oregon a few years back was called off for this very reason.  This contamination by Scott’s GMO seeds will destroy the Organic Farming industry in Connecticut, which is growing by leaps and bounds and becoming the PREFERRED food of choice.  Not only will organic vegetable farms be in danger of Scott’s contamination but organic cattle and dairy farms as well.  This, in turn, will make it impossible for consumers like me to purchase safe food in the form of Organic GMO Free Verified vegetables, meats and dairy products.

Most of all, the problem with Scott’s GMO seeds will be the destruction of the health of your family, pets and neighbors as Roundup, as well as other pesticides and herbicides, is proven to cause disease, illness and cancer.  While the EPA and Department of Agriculture claim Roundup to be safe, the recent study by Giles-Eric Seralini proves glyphosate, at concentrations lower than EPA standards, kills human cells.  Science has now linked Roundup to fatal kidney disease and countries are beginning to ban the sale of Roundup, Shri Lanka being the first.  Many countries are refusing the sale and importation of GMO products and South Africa will not allow Monsanto to ADVERTISE in their country because the company’s claims to safety are proven to be false.

Concerned, informed and educated citizens of Connecticut have banned together to form the organization GMO Free CT.  Please visit their web site at gmofreect.org and read more about the dangers of GMO technology.  Another Connecticut organization you need to get to know is CONNFACT and you can read all about them at connfact.org.  This is an era of Buyer Beware because, ladies and gentlemen, the chemicals that are being marketed to you in a pretty safe package are really dangerous weapons of mass destruction that is killing you softly.

So the people of CONNFACT and GMO Free CT went to the State Senate Environmental Committee with a bill to ban GMO grass and the use of pesticides where children play, bill SB 443.  Seems like a pretty reasonable request, right?  And the committee thought so too, as they passed SB 443 and sent it to the State Senate for vote.  This important piece of legislation that was created solely for the safety of Connecticut residence, especially the children was PASSED by the CT Senate but SHOT Down by the CT House of Representatives….why?!?  Why would our elected officials, who took an oath to serve the people of this state, vote in such a way as to allow such dangerous products and practices?  And to make matters worse, they voted like thieves in the night.  The CT House prematurely called the bill to a vote in order to kill it before our voices could be heard. 

House Speaker Sharkey (D) said he called the bill to vote to “avoid the distraction that was going to inevitably occur if we kept it on the calendar for days and weeks”.  What distraction?  The voices of the tax paying citizens of CT?  The last time I studied Civics in school, the people of a state have a RIGHT to contact their elected officials to voice their opinions and desires because the elected officials are to represent the PEOPLE and not Big Business.   So now we are considered distractions?

Rep. Dan Carter (R) voted “nay” because he said we are voting against something that does not exist.  Oh, I see.  Instead of preventing a problem, we wait until the problem is here and out of control.  With that line of thinking, why vaccinate?  If you do not already have the disease, why take the precaution….are we to wait until we are sick before we do something?

Rep. Cook (D) said, the ban would send the wrong message about CT to industry.  WHAT?  You care more about Industry than the health of CT residence?  If industry offers a safe product they should be welcomed.  But when industry comes to a state offering a product with the potential to cause more harm than good, our elected officials should vote on the side of “safety” for the people of this state and not care about being popular with Big Business.

Rep. Cook thought the ban on GMO Grass could hurt Scott’s Miracle Grow Company.  But Cook ignores the recent and up to date facts that this GMO grass seed will impose a dangerous level of Roundup to be used in this state and THAT would be putting our people especially our children at risk.  Where does Cook’s allegiance lie?  She is suppose to have the best interest of the people in mind…not the bottom line and profits of Big Business.  Cook said Scott has $27.5 million in sales in CT and employs 226 people in this state.  “For me, this (bill) is just not good business,” she said.  WHAT!!!  She was elected to vote for the welfare of big business???  I thought she was to represent the “people”?

And this brings me to the Plainville area.  In the State Senate, we have Jason Welsh.  Sen. Welch voted “nay”.  It is OK with him to let a questionable product to be used in the state and deal with the consequences later.  And we also have Rep. Betty Boukus who also voted “nay”.  So I called Rep. Boukus’s office to ask her for an interview for this article but she never returned my call. 

So there you have it, the next time a politician “kisses” up to you for their vote….remember where their allegiance lies.  And as always, it is safer to Live Healthy Chemical Free…..