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Herbicides aside, I worry a lot about the chemicals that we consider "normal". I signed up for a pest service after purchasing my home because we were getting a

Herbicides aside, I worry a lot about the chemicals that we consider "normal". I signed up for a pest service after purchasing my home because we were getting ants and water bugs in the house. They have a package they they sell that includes a "full property" treatment, which I don't think I need. They list off a couple down "pests" that they kill, and go through a long script about how safe the chemicals are. But like, how safe are they really? If they're spraying a cocktail that kills dozens of kinds of insects of all sizes, how does that have no effect on humans? Even at small doses it would seem that the effect would still be measurable. Surely whatever biological process that kills all those bugs also does something to people? I don't let them apply chemicals inside the house, that's where I draw the line. And I'm probably not going to renew the extensive service. If nothing else, it's more chemicals around me that I can live without. But almost every one of my neighbors pays for something similar. How much are we inundating ourselves in this stuff? And what is it doing to the environment and ecosystem? This is one of those things that I feel like we'll look back on with deep regret in a few decades.

kornhole 4y ago
Your skepticism is warranted. Of course the negative affects of these chemicals is down played by those who sell them. Many leech into ecosystems, our homes, and our bodies causing obvious and latent issues. I personally love insects and plants considered weeds as they are critical to our biosphere. I have learned to live with and around them managing a balance both in my house and in my garden. Chemical warfare should be a last resort.
- lostmsu 4y ago
  How do you deal with ant infestations inside your house?
  - kornhole 4y ago
    I suppose I have been lucky in location or keep some kind of good balance. Chemical warfare would be my last resort if I was ever faced with it.
  - refurb 4y ago
    I’ve had great success with the boric acid-sugar traps. Boric acid is toxic if you eat it, but not very toxic. The ants eat it, carry it back the nest and kill the rest of the inhabitants.
    - pkaye 4y ago
      That works great for ants in my experience.
- nemo44x 4y ago
  Termites ruin a home. Ticks are more dangerous than the pesticides we spray on foliage. Mosquitos are just plain annoying. There’s also sone invasive species that bring down certain trees, such as Lantern Flys.
kortex 4y ago
> But like, how safe are they really? If they're spraying a cocktail that kills dozens of kinds of insects of all sizes, how does that have no effect on humans? Short answer: it's complicated, and there are in fact very targeted pesticides that are far less harmful to humans. In the same breath, we've had so many fuckups of the flavor of "use this wonder chemical! It's safe!" that it's easy to be wary. Humans, having evolved as omnivores, are actually very good digesters of xenobiotics (foreign chemicals). The true masters of eating poison are rats (which, frankly it's cruel and* not very effective to use poison to kill rats), and they are only about 6x better than us at metabolizing weird chemicals. Insects have very different biology, so usually they can be orders of magnitude more selective than typical poisons. Most are nerve agents, basically Sarin for bugs. Note: they can still be very hazardous to poor metabolizers, e.g. cats. There is little in the way of selectivity against arthropods (some are better at insects than arachnids, or vice versa). Anything effective against ants, wasps, or even beetles will likely harm bees. Personally I use borax/sugar for ants (has to be eaten), and gamma cyhalothrin as a barrier only on the edges of my foundation, avoiding any zones which I think could spread out into the environment. I probably shouldn't even use that stuff really, but my partner insists.
hunter-gatherer 4y ago
Yeah, we have ants in our house in the summer. I have found that as long as everything is clean, I hardly do see them. Usually if we spill something and miss a spot and tbey show up then they generally have it all cleaned up and are out of my way by the time I get back from work. I've sworn off pesticides and herbicides and the effect on my property has been amamzing. It's like a little nature hub. Lots of insects outside, but it hasn't been an issue. We started to have lots of birds show up every day to feast, and there is a noticeable difference in the amoujt of birds that show up compared to all the homes around me. At first all the pesky weird insects show up, but eventually the birds and bats and other predatory insects balance things out. One group I wasn't to keen on was a wasp nest. I got rid of that one but they moved to the other end of the property and aren't an issue. I don't know... I feel like we humans are too afraid of nature these days. I mean, everyone likes hiking in the national parks and tells themselves they want to preserve nature but don't really seem to interested on the day to day things that can help preserve other species' habitats. I'm not perfect either. It takes some effort to question norms and behaviour you were taught, so I'm just as guilty as everyone else. Edit: On mobile. Forgive the typos.
- scruple 4y ago
  We keep a clean house, despite having 2 dogs and 3 young children. Ants haven't been a problem for a few years because I worked diligently to keep food in airtight containers, clean up, etc. But, this year, they came in for the water. They moved into our potted plants. It all happened so fast. I had to hire a pest control company to help us because nothing I did made a difference and I was finding them everywhere.
ransom1538 4y ago
"I signed up for a pest service after purchasing my home because we were getting ants and water bugs in the house." Lol. My neighbor got pest treatment for the first time recently. Guess what happens? The pests move next door. So now we need pest control.
coryrc 4y ago
We wrap food in PFAs. You know, that thing people are making a big deal about showing up in tiny concentrations in well water near military air bases. They're also on every waterproof jacket you can buy.
- bastawhiz 4y ago
  I don't think I shouldn't be worried about that as well, but I can make active choices to not add more compounds to the ones that are arguably forced on us.
coryrc 4y ago
And how could I forget BpA? Known toxic chemical and in all receipts from thermal printers, which readily enters the bloodstream. Luckily they removed it from PC water bottles and can linings, except replaced with... BpS! Obviously a completely safe chemical, though no testing had been done.

kornhole 4y ago

Your skepticism is warranted. Of course the negative affects of these chemicals is down played by those who sell them. Many leech into ecosystems, our homes, and our bodies causing obvious and latent issues. I personally love insects and plants considered weeds as they are critical to our biosphere. I have learned to live with and around them managing a balance both in my house and in my garden. Chemical warfare should be a last resort.

lostmsu 4y ago
How do you deal with ant infestations inside your house?
- kornhole 4y ago
  I suppose I have been lucky in location or keep some kind of good balance. Chemical warfare would be my last resort if I was ever faced with it.
- refurb 4y ago
  I’ve had great success with the boric acid-sugar traps. Boric acid is toxic if you eat it, but not very toxic. The ants eat it, carry it back the nest and kill the rest of the inhabitants.
  - pkaye 4y ago
    That works great for ants in my experience.
nemo44x 4y ago
Termites ruin a home. Ticks are more dangerous than the pesticides we spray on foliage. Mosquitos are just plain annoying. There’s also sone invasive species that bring down certain trees, such as Lantern Flys.

kortex 4y ago

> But like, how safe are they really? If they're spraying a cocktail that kills dozens of kinds of insects of all sizes, how does that have no effect on humans? Short answer: it's complicated, and there are in fact very targeted pesticides that are far less harmful to humans. In the same breath, we've had so many fuckups of the flavor of "use this wonder chemical! It's safe!" that it's easy to be wary. Humans, having evolved as omnivores, are actually very good digesters of xenobiotics (foreign chemicals). The true masters of eating poison are rats (which, frankly it's cruel and* not very effective to use poison to kill rats), and they are only about 6x better than us at metabolizing weird chemicals. Insects have very different biology, so usually they can be orders of magnitude more selective than typical poisons. Most are nerve agents, basically Sarin for bugs. Note: they can still be very hazardous to poor metabolizers, e.g. cats. There is little in the way of selectivity against arthropods (some are better at insects than arachnids, or vice versa). Anything effective against ants, wasps, or even beetles will likely harm bees. Personally I use borax/sugar for ants (has to be eaten), and gamma cyhalothrin as a barrier only on the edges of my foundation, avoiding any zones which I think could spread out into the environment. I probably shouldn't even use that stuff really, but my partner insists.

hunter-gatherer 4y ago

Yeah, we have ants in our house in the summer. I have found that as long as everything is clean, I hardly do see them. Usually if we spill something and miss a spot and tbey show up then they generally have it all cleaned up and are out of my way by the time I get back from work. I've sworn off pesticides and herbicides and the effect on my property has been amamzing. It's like a little nature hub. Lots of insects outside, but it hasn't been an issue. We started to have lots of birds show up every day to feast, and there is a noticeable difference in the amoujt of birds that show up compared to all the homes around me. At first all the pesky weird insects show up, but eventually the birds and bats and other predatory insects balance things out. One group I wasn't to keen on was a wasp nest. I got rid of that one but they moved to the other end of the property and aren't an issue. I don't know... I feel like we humans are too afraid of nature these days. I mean, everyone likes hiking in the national parks and tells themselves they want to preserve nature but don't really seem to interested on the day to day things that can help preserve other species' habitats. I'm not perfect either. It takes some effort to question norms and behaviour you were taught, so I'm just as guilty as everyone else. Edit: On mobile. Forgive the typos.

scruple 4y ago
We keep a clean house, despite having 2 dogs and 3 young children. Ants haven't been a problem for a few years because I worked diligently to keep food in airtight containers, clean up, etc. But, this year, they came in for the water. They moved into our potted plants. It all happened so fast. I had to hire a pest control company to help us because nothing I did made a difference and I was finding them everywhere.

ransom1538 4y ago

"I signed up for a pest service after purchasing my home because we were getting ants and water bugs in the house." Lol. My neighbor got pest treatment for the first time recently. Guess what happens? The pests move next door. So now we need pest control.

coryrc 4y ago

We wrap food in PFAs. You know, that thing people are making a big deal about showing up in tiny concentrations in well water near military air bases. They're also on every waterproof jacket you can buy.

bastawhiz 4y ago
I don't think I shouldn't be worried about that as well, but I can make active choices to not add more compounds to the ones that are arguably forced on us.

coryrc 4y ago

And how could I forget BpA? Known toxic chemical and in all receipts from thermal printers, which readily enters the bloodstream. Luckily they removed it from PC water bottles and can linings, except replaced with... BpS! Obviously a completely safe chemical, though no testing had been done.