Pesticides, Anyone?

[firefrog]

Seasons Greetings

Calgary' s city council recently brought up the issue of banning pesticides. Half of council jumped right into action by devising a totally useless plan. Perfect politics - they can say they tried to do something about it to please half of the people, but won't upset the rest because they wouldn't really be affected by it anyways. Actually I'm glad they shot down the plan before any more taxpayers' money was wasted.

 

Our governments weasle out of the issue almost entirely by saying that pesticides pose no health risk when used as directed. Brilliant. That's like saying if you drive your car carefully, you won't get into an accident. Factual statements, to be sure, but absolutely removed from reality. Do you believe proper storage, handling, dilution and application procedures are always followed? Sometimes followed? Rarely followed? Totally ignored? I have yet to see any of my neighbours do things properly. And what of the presently-unknown or not-fully understood affects to the environment? (even when properly used)

 

You may have guessed by now that I'm not a fan of pesticides. I know there are situations when they are certainly necessary. But they are seen as a panacea by too many. Alternative and innovative approaches = more work.

So what to do about them? Nothing? What's a good plan? It seems to me that trying to enforce bylaws against individuals would be an enourmous, unfair, and ineffective measure. Total bans? Ain't gonna happen. Politics, economics, so-called rights, yada yada.

Targetting the retailers would seem to be much more cost and effort-effective. Why not only allow the sale of diluted, storage and application-ready products? PPE would still be needed, but this might keep Uncle Gomer from ignorantly contaminating the neighbourhood.

I'm not perfect myself, but I hate to see my world turned into chemical soup.

 

 

[maxwell]

i think like u mentioned attacking the retailers would be a more efficient way of doing things.. making it harder for people oto buy illegal products if bans or controls were put in place... like u said tho its easier said than done..... i think more than residential people would be the bigger problemo.. commercial places.. city fields (if they use anyhting im not sure) golf courses would be #1 for me....

[mvdaog]

A summer job (a good one for students) in terms of payment and easiness was my friends' old job sprayin pesticides for the city. They would drive around and spray all those little patches of grass in the road dividers, grass beside the roads, and all the parks. Basically any public grass was supposed to be sprayed, no matter how little or useless. Totally ridiculous, and you know it all washed out into the river after the rains...... they all quit and later testified against the spraying in some city meetings of some sort...

 

Cant imagine that was useful at all.

[rehsifylf]

A summer job (a good one for students) in terms of payment and easiness was my friends' old job sprayin pesticides for the city. They would drive around and spray all those little patches of grass in the road dividers, grass beside the roads, and all the parks. Basically any public grass was supposed to be sprayed, no matter how little or useless. Totally ridiculous, and you know it all washed out into the river after the rains...... they all quit and later testified against the spraying in some city meetings of some sort...

 

Cant imagine that was useful at all.

 

But aren't dandelions non native species? I read somewhere that we should be doing everything we can to protect native species, including erradicating non-native ones.

[firefrog]

Hey

Dandelions are actually quiet useful. Technically, we could harvest and use them (innovative solution) - that is if most of them weren't already sprayed and contaminated (nice try). Have I tried? Yes. But alas, it's time consuming and I can only use so many. Can you imagine anyone spraying to control tomatoes?

Non-native? Most lawn grass, especially golf course grasses are non-native. Personally, I'd like to see more native vegitation everywhere. But there's got to be a better way than 'shooting the dog to get rid of the fleas'. Why do we think this way sometimes?

Cheers

 

[Guest Sundancefisher]

The topic went from pesticide to herbicide.

 

I have tried dandelion leaves... Not to my liking. Way to bitter unless you pick those really small and young leaves and even then they are still bitter. They can also be dangerous for you if I recall correctly if you have a certain medical condition. They are non-native and considered a pest in many places and I wish they and European House Sparrow were wiped out of North America.

 

I laugh that the cities green spaces are 99% dandelions now. If they treated first thing in the Spring they would have to use way less herbicide later on. They seem to let them go to seed before spraying. Then yards get infested and people call on you and Calgary Bylaw gives you a ticket. Just plain silly. At the same time I don't want to live next to a house where they let their yard go to pot and have a commercial dandelion operation going instead.

 

As for herbicides I don't believe in fertilizer/pesticide or weed and feed type products. Spot application when manual removal is just way to silly and time consuming makes sense. People then just need to make sure they keep up the maintenance, allow the grass to grow thicker and longer and water appropriately. I personally use a manual dandelion removal tool. That is were people also argue against fertilizers and use of water for lawns. Then you are stuck having just a pretty low maintenance rock yard which provides very little habitat for bugs, birds and growth of plants to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

 

As for pesticides...if anyone saw the ant problem in our neighbourhood you would of screamed like a girl at a Britney Spears concert. We had actual ant hills (one two feet high) just like you see in the country. I tried the baking powder/icing sugar combo, I tried hot water, I tried digging it up...nothing worked. Then they started building new nests all over the yard. They were the black and red ones that bite really, really bad. So I bought a spray bottle. Broke the nests open. Shot about 10 blast into the nest... Nests all gone. I don't feel bad about that at all.

 

We also had ants coming into the house. I hired an exterminator to treat around the house. Eliminated it whereas the previous owner had that problem for years. I also patched the holes where the ants were getting in.

 

Where I stand with regards to pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers is just use common sense, don't go overboard. Use other practices to prevent the problem and try a few home remedies but don't suffer if they don't work. Common sense moderation. If you are lucky enough to never have to use them...then awesome.

 

IMHO

 

Cheers

 

Sun

[megarace]

Pesticides include Herbicides and Insecticides.

[ÜberFly]

There's your problem!! It's actually "boric acid" (borax) and icing sugar!! Insert gay pokey thing

 

I tried the baking powder/icing sugar combo, I tried hot water, I tried digging it up...nothing worked.

 

[Guest Sundancefisher]

There's your problem!! It's actually "boric acid" (borax) and icing sugar!! Insert gay pokey thing

 

LOL

 

Boric acid is best but unfortunately somewhat toxic. Icing sugar and baking soda has worked for me in the past. You have to keep reapplying. For small nests it did the trick. For large ones...not so much.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Pesticides include Herbicides and Insecticides.

 

I stand totally corrected. I was thinking insecticide versus herbicide but all are pesticides...

 

I typed faster than my brain could process...not the first time...won't be the last

[ÜberFly]

Though not as toxic as the stuff you ended up using, I would think!!

 

P

 

*edit* and probably not as effective as the stuff you ended up using... Which in most cases I think is the problem with going with most "natural" products (including natural/holisitic medicines, IMO).

 

 

LOL

 

Boric acid is best but unfortunately somewhat toxic. Icing sugar and baking soda has worked for me in the past. You have to keep reapplying. For small nests it did the trick. For large ones...not so much.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Though not as toxic as the stuff you ended up using, I would think!!

 

P

 

*edit* and probably not as effective as the stuff you ended up using... Which in most cases I think is the problem with going with most "natural" products (including natural/holisitic medicines, IMO).

 

Yup...to all the above.

 

I think everyone would chose the less toxic alternative.

 

In the end it has to work reasonably quick and reasonably effective.

 

Next year I am just introducing anteaters to Alberta...

[ÜberFly]

Yeah bill them to the community association at least they can right off the expense!! LoL

 

 

Yup...to all the above.

 

I think everyone would chose the less toxic alternative.

 

In the end it has to work reasonably quick and reasonably effective.

 

Next year I am just introducing anteaters to Alberta...

 

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Yeah bill them to the community association at least they can right off the expense!! LoL

 

Just can't introduce the jumping kind... Those introduced carp heading to the great lakes are nasty. I would hate for some biker to get killed by a jumping anteater.