What kind of society do we live in? We are supposed to be social folks who get along with each other and in some cases depend on each other, yet we are constantly arguing about the most inane thing. Look at the mosque situation in New York City. Some Muslims want to build a mosque near ground zero in the 9/11 attack, and some Christian conservatives think this is a horrible idea. One person, Sean Hannity, says the muslims will be spreading Sharia, a form of Islam, in our country. That is patently stupid argument as no Christian or Jew or anyone other than a Muslim will ever subscribe to Sharia. Islam is no threat to Christianity or Judaism or any other religion.
We have to realize that all of us, whether we are Christian or Muslim or Jewish or Buddhist or Hindu or anything else, we all believe in the same God. He may have different names and we may interpret His teachings differently, but it is the same entity. God didn't create us in His image, we created Him in ours and we modeled Him so He would fit our particular denomination.
We don't even know if God is a He. God is probably a She, or at least should be, if She/He has to be anything. Our different religions created different punishments for "evil" doers. Hell is an invention of organized religion and is not real. I can't imagine any ever strong God needing to create a satan. Satan was also created in our image and he represents the worst in us. The Bible originally taught reincarnation, which is a fact in my opinion, but it was taken out when they created the devil. How can you reincarnate if you are going to hell forever?
We are all equal, every living thing and we all share the Soul of God. The Soul is a shroud that enshrines the entire universe (universes if there are more than one) and every living thing is enshrined. Once we accept the fact that we are all the same with some minor belief differences, we will all get along. I doubt if that will happen anytime soon as many religious leaders want to be the only connection to God and will deny everyone else.
God is letting us make fools of ourselves because He/She knows that we will eventually know the truth. Someday their will be mosques, churches, synagogues and other places of worship right next to each other and everyone will greet each other in a civil way.
God Bless the World and EVERYONE and EVERY LIVING SOUL in it.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
SPIDERS
SPIDERS
When I first started in the bug business almost 40 years ago, I have a morbid fear of spiders. I don’t know if it was “arachnophobia”, but I certainly didn’t want to be around them. When I was in Southeast Asia during that war, I was more afraid of the spiders than I was of the enemy. Oddly enough I had no fear of the snakes over there. When I was about six years old I watched as my father killed a garter snake. When I asked him why he killed it, he said because it was a snake! That rationale stuck with me for years and when I got to high school I decided to get as many library books as I could on snakes so I could find out why they were so evil. Of course they aren’t. My father had an irrational fear of them and he killed them because of that fear. I don’t know why I maintained a fear of spiders for so long, but I had to overcome it when I got in this business.
Arachnophobia comes from the Greek words, "arachne", meaning "spider", and "phobos", meaning "a fear". The fear of spiders may have had its roots in Europe during the Middle Ages. Spiders were considered a source of contamination and any food that came into contact with them was considered poisoned. If they fell into the water it was thought to be undrinkable. Spiders were originally thought to spread the plague (Black Death) by biting people. Fear of the plague clouded people’s perceptions of the spiders and they were blamed for all sorts of illnesses and epidemics simply because they were present.
The fear of spiders has persisted in our society for a long time and it is actually encouraged by the pesticide industry. Many companies want to “control” spiders by spraying your home with pesticides. They are actually preying on your natural fear of the arachnid.
I am not a psychologist and will not try to tell you how to overcome your fear of spiders if you have such a fear. I will tell you what worked for me. When I got into the bug business in 1969, I didn’t know a cockroach from a caterpillar and I was deathly afraid of spiders. The first time I had to crawl under a house I was paralyzed with fear. I decided then and there if I was going to be successful, I would have to overcome the fear. I started by reading all the literature I could about spiders, I watched them spin their webs and stalk their prey. Finally after several weeks I let one crawl on me. Oddly enough it didn’t bite me and I didn’t have a heart attack. I went under houses and crawled through their webs. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but soon I had no fear of them at all. That is when I decided I needed to know them better.
Although most spiders possess venom glands, most are too small to break the skin with their fangs and have no desire to do so. All spiders will bite in self defense if they are handled carelessly, such as being squeezed. Most bites occur when people roll over in bed on one and get bitten or when they put on their clothes and a spider inside the clothing bites when it is pressed against the skin. I am not saying all spiders are harmless. Black widows are certainly capable of producing a serious bite and any such bite by this spider should be considered a major medical emergency. The brown recluse is also dangerously venomous. Sac spiders and wolf spiders can give serious, though not fatal bites, particularly if you are allergic to any of the components of the venom. Daddy longlegs (aka harvestmen) are not at all dangerous despite their reputation to the contrary. Jumping spiders are interesting to watch but are not dangerous although a large one can bite if mishandled. Most of the small hunting spiders, such as ground spiders are incapable of hurting anyone. Let's look at a few of the common spiders.
Tarantulas are very large hunting spiders. You often see the males crossing the road after a rain. They are looking for females to mate with. The one in my profile picture was looking for a female when he got tangled in my glasses :). Although they are fearsome looking, they are not at all dangerous. A large one can deliver a painful bite if molested, but they are not lethal.
The pillbug spider is a sinister looking arachnid. It is reddish in color with a gray abdomen and is often found under boards in damp areas. They feed exclusively on pillbugs and have long fangs to enable it to pierce their body. They can deliver a painful bite if mishandled but they are not dangerous.
Pholcid or cellar spiders frequently cause the cobwebs you see in the corners of your rooms. These long-legged spiders are harmless.
Comb-footed spiders (family Theridiidae) are a complex group of mostly harmless spiders, but this family does contain the black widow. Even black widows are overrated in their danger level. Bites by these spiders are extremely painful (I was bitten on the stomach by one under a house in Farmington, NM) and can be serious. However, bites are also extremely rare. There are probably more black widows in most urban areas than there are people, yet bites are almost unheard of.
Orb-weavers (family Araneidae) are large spiders that make distinct orb-like webs. The pumpkin spider, which is very common in parts of the country, is in this family. These spiders are harmless.
Funnel-weavers (family Agelenidae) make funnel-like webs in yards, in garages, in crawlspaces and other areas. The spider hangs out at the end of the funnel waiting for prey. Most of these spiders are harmless although they can bite. One species, the hobo spider, can produce a serious bite. That species is found in the Pacific Northwest.
Wolf spiders (family Lycosidae) are hunting spiders. There are numerous species in NM, ranging in size from very small to very large. We have an enormous wolf spider living in our garage and another in our barn. They do a good job of keeping the crickets and flies down. Large wolf spiders can produce a painful bite if mishandled.
Ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae) are very common and are frequently found indoors. They are also hunting spiders and are completely harmless. One species, the parson spider, can give a painful, but not a dangerous bite.
Sac spiders (several families) can be considered dangerous as they possess venom that will leave severe scars. One species, the yellow sac spider, is rare in the state but does have a particularly nasty bite.
Jumping spiders (family Salticidae) are hunting spiders that are frequently found on porches or the sides of buildings stalking flies.
There are many other less common spiders and the vast majority of them are not at all dangerous. Spiders should be considered beneficial organisms because they feed on insects and other arthropods that can be considered pests.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
MAD COW DISEASE & ALZHEIMERS
Mad cow disease has been in the news, and it has been downplayed by the federal government, almost to the point of a cover-up in an effort to protect the beef industry. What exactly is mad cow disease and how concerned should we be?
Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a brain disease caused by unconventional pathogens known as prions. Prions are literally infectious proteins that are practically invulnerable, surviving temperatures hot enough to melt lead. It is thought that cattle originally got BSE from eating diseased sheep parts mixed in their food. Sheep get a form of encephalopathy known as scrapie. In humans, prions can cause Creutzfelt-Jakob disease (CJD), a human spongiform encephalopathy, which can result in blindness and epilepsy as one’s brain becomes riddled with tiny holes. There are two forms of CJD in humans, sporadic and variant. Sporadic seems to strike one in a million people for no apparent reason, while variant CJD has been linked to mad cow disease.
Research in Europe has suggested that there may be a link between variant and sporadic CJD and they both might involve eating meat. It is presently illegal to feed cow parts to other cattle in their feed, but it is not illegal to feed it to pigs (or chickens). The FDA allows this exemption because no naturally occurring porcine spongiform encephalopathy has ever been found. However, pigs are killed when they are about five months of age, long before symptoms would develop. How do we know that the BSE prions aren’t transferred from cattle, through pigs in the form of hot dogs and sausage, into humans, where they can ultimately develop into variant CDJ?
Can chickens and turkeys carry the prions and transfer them to humans? We don’t know the answers to these questions, but we do know it may be possible. Right now it is only speculation, but the circumstantial evidence is compelling. Also, studies have shown that neither CJD nor Alzheimer’s disease can be conclusively diagnosed without a brain biopsy, as the symptoms and pathology of both diseases overlap. One scientist suggests that Alzheimer’s may be a prion disease as well. Alzheimer’s is now the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S., afflicting close to four million Americans. Can there be a link between CJD, Alzheimer’s and eating meat? At this point we don’t know. Is it worth the risk to order that fried chicken, hot dog or factory farm murder burger? I don’t think so. I can’t make the judgment whether eating meat is good for you or not. I stopped eating meat years ago and I feel better now than I ever did before. Even if mad cow disease wasn’t an issue, the barbaric way we treat the animals we eat is enough to make me not want to participate.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
I am frequently asked if I have an agenda against the pesticide industry in general or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in particular. Of course I don’t have an agenda, but I do like to get the facts out when they are relevant to our health.
I have written many times that pesticides are tested by the pesticide industry and the results are given to the EPA, which accepts the tests or not. Most of the pesticides in use now have not been thoroughly tested. Many of the pesticides that have been removed from the shelves have been in use for years before the truth about their danger came out. Another disturbing aspect of pesticide registration is that many individuals from pesticide companies move into the EPA and then back again to their original employer.
Generally the EPA is doing a good job but they got their start under suspicious circumstances. Let’s talk about asbestos. It is currently thought that asbestos is a very hazardous material that can cause all sorts of problems in society. There are many companies who specialize in asbestos cleanup but it is all a gimmick based on false information.
In the 1960’s, the Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) was a research organization. They had no power besides disseminating information about hazardous products and occupations. They wanted more power and they schemed to get it and they did. Eventually they became the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In 1964 the folks at BOSH wanted something as a mechanism to justify their existence, and fuel their bureaucratic growth. They came up with asbestos. Asbestos was the initial "le cause celebre'" of the political movement to get the EPA and OSHA acts passed.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was used commonly in buildings for insulation. Asbestos fibers are exceptionally strong, flexible and are resistant to heat and chemicals degradation. Asbestos is commonly found in ceiling tiles, flooring and pipes among other things. It is estimated that 30 million tons of asbestos was used in the United States in approximately 3,000 different products in the automotive, textile, construction, and electronics industries.
How dangerous is asbestos exposure? Certainly there are cases of asbestosis, a disabling and ultimately fatal scarring of the lungs that can result in severe breathlessness and chest pains. This disease is most common among those who have had regular and high exposures to the fibers, such as textile workers, and those involved in the manufacture of asbestos products. However, the alleged health problems are overstated. When BOSH did their first epidemiology study, their original finding was that workers who were exposed to asbestos were actually healthier than the general population, as derived from a statistical analysis of worker death codes compared to all deaths in the United States as compiled by the Dept. of Commerce. When they studied the deaths among 17,000 asbestos workers they didn’t have enough documented deaths from asbestosis diseases to warrant any action, so they doctored (literally changed) about 14% of the worker death codes to lung cancer and mesothelioma to infer that many more people died from asbestos causes then actually did. The cooked asbestos data and emotional cancer claims went on TV and swept these two legislations (EPA and OSHA) through Congress almost together in a package in 1970. Asbestos was then aggressively pushed in the very first expansive regulation numbered 1001 in the OSHA series (that has gone to above 1450 as this is written).
I did not make any of this information up. I got it first hand from person who worked for BOSH and later NIOSH and who was a consultant for the EPA. When my source was offered a position as assistant director of OSHA in the Carter administration, he turned it down on principal, because he knew firsthand about the fallacy of the asbestos misadventures and because he was told he would have to do things that were against his principles, such as put small businesses out of business and nationalize the steel and oil industries.
What we are left with are a few knowledgeable persons such as my source who were present in the agency and who were privy to what actually happened and who have protested the original fraud or lies on a moral basis over the past 35 years to the limited people they could get to listen to them. A lot of the money derived from this scam has gone in contributions to many congressmen and senators, so even that attempt to communicate with Congress failed. When my source went to congress with the facts, only two senators would even talk to him, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). They told him it was too large an issue to correct and nothing could or would ever be done. The vast majority of the others went along on the basis that the "end justifies the means". They originally thought that OSHA and EPA would be the ideal mechanisms to assure protection of the American workplaces and the environment. But people in these agencies have also created additional self-serving goals, and this tendency alerted wary people to be on the lookout for their shenanigans, including the pesticide issues I alluded to earlier.
Another example of government interference in science is the misinformation about radon, a naturally occurring gas, the radioactive daughter of uranium. It has been stated by EPA that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, next to smoking. This is nonsense. Radon is percolating from the ground virtually everywhere. Tests have shown that radon emissions can be measured between 1 and 2 Pico curies. This is very small number. The EPA came to the conclusion that 4 Pico curies is dangerous and set the limit there. Their number is not based on any science and is completely capricious. Dr. Victor Archer, who worked for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), formerly BOSH, admittedly hated the nuclear energy industry. Using similarly fraudulent data as the asbestos crowd did, Dr. Archer convinced the EPA that radon was a dangerous gas. The EPA, whose only mission at the time was to exert more power, jumped on it. By passing this bad science off as legitimate, Dr. Archer got his wish as everyone blamed the nuclear technology industry for the radon. President Jimmy Carter put a moratorium on building new nuclear power plants based on this erroneous information.
Although the EPA may have been founded on fraudulent science, it still serves a useful purpose. On May 26 of this year, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson committed to a federal leadership role in expediting the ongoing cleanup of the Michigan Dow Dioxin site and an acceleration of the Environmental Protection Agency’s overall scientific review of dioxins. “EPA is stepping up our commitment to this site, in partnership with the state of Michigan , so that we can accelerate this cleanup and deal with the pressing threats to human health and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We are also redoubling our efforts to provide guidance on the science of dioxin health effects to inform cleanup decisions at this site and protect other communities, in Michigan and across the country, facing dioxin contamination.” Dioxins, a class of hundreds of chemicals that are difficult to remove from water and soil, are produced by industries that incinerate waste or manufacture chemicals and pesticides. The Dow Chemical site in Midland , Michigan contains significant dioxin contamination that extends for 50 miles down the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers and into the Saginaw Bay . As one part of its overall cleanup plan, EPA will continue to negotiate an agreement requiring Dow to sample the rivers and bay for dioxin contamination and identify options for cleanup. Administrator Jackson pledged an unprecedented degree of transparency during these negotiations so the public has a full opportunity to be heard. Once the agreement is in place, EPA will implement a comprehensive public involvement plan going forward. While EPA hopes to work cooperatively with the company, Jackson said that the agency will not hesitate to use all tools at its disposal – including a wide range of penalties and sanctions – to ensure Dow Chemical upholds its responsibility to clean up this site. If Dow fails to meet its responsibilities, EPA will conduct the cleanup at the company’s expense. In this situation the EPA is doing exactly the right thing.
All of this information will be available in a book I am writing at the request of a major publisher. The book will deal mostly with non-toxic pest control but will also cover the EPA and some regional pesticide regulators as well as the pest control industry itself. I would like to ask my readers to send me any homemade remedies they are aware of to control pests and, also, any horror stories they have regarding pesticides and the pest control industry. If you want your name published in the book please let me know. The book is scheduled to come out in October, 2010. My email address is richardfagerlund@yahoo.com or you can call me at 505-385-2820.
I have written many times that pesticides are tested by the pesticide industry and the results are given to the EPA, which accepts the tests or not. Most of the pesticides in use now have not been thoroughly tested. Many of the pesticides that have been removed from the shelves have been in use for years before the truth about their danger came out. Another disturbing aspect of pesticide registration is that many individuals from pesticide companies move into the EPA and then back again to their original employer.
Generally the EPA is doing a good job but they got their start under suspicious circumstances. Let’s talk about asbestos. It is currently thought that asbestos is a very hazardous material that can cause all sorts of problems in society. There are many companies who specialize in asbestos cleanup but it is all a gimmick based on false information.
In the 1960’s, the Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) was a research organization. They had no power besides disseminating information about hazardous products and occupations. They wanted more power and they schemed to get it and they did. Eventually they became the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In 1964 the folks at BOSH wanted something as a mechanism to justify their existence, and fuel their bureaucratic growth. They came up with asbestos. Asbestos was the initial "le cause celebre'" of the political movement to get the EPA and OSHA acts passed.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was used commonly in buildings for insulation. Asbestos fibers are exceptionally strong, flexible and are resistant to heat and chemicals degradation. Asbestos is commonly found in ceiling tiles, flooring and pipes among other things. It is estimated that 30 million tons of asbestos was used in the United States in approximately 3,000 different products in the automotive, textile, construction, and electronics industries.
How dangerous is asbestos exposure? Certainly there are cases of asbestosis, a disabling and ultimately fatal scarring of the lungs that can result in severe breathlessness and chest pains. This disease is most common among those who have had regular and high exposures to the fibers, such as textile workers, and those involved in the manufacture of asbestos products. However, the alleged health problems are overstated. When BOSH did their first epidemiology study, their original finding was that workers who were exposed to asbestos were actually healthier than the general population, as derived from a statistical analysis of worker death codes compared to all deaths in the United States as compiled by the Dept. of Commerce. When they studied the deaths among 17,000 asbestos workers they didn’t have enough documented deaths from asbestosis diseases to warrant any action, so they doctored (literally changed) about 14% of the worker death codes to lung cancer and mesothelioma to infer that many more people died from asbestos causes then actually did. The cooked asbestos data and emotional cancer claims went on TV and swept these two legislations (EPA and OSHA) through Congress almost together in a package in 1970. Asbestos was then aggressively pushed in the very first expansive regulation numbered 1001 in the OSHA series (that has gone to above 1450 as this is written).
I did not make any of this information up. I got it first hand from person who worked for BOSH and later NIOSH and who was a consultant for the EPA. When my source was offered a position as assistant director of OSHA in the Carter administration, he turned it down on principal, because he knew firsthand about the fallacy of the asbestos misadventures and because he was told he would have to do things that were against his principles, such as put small businesses out of business and nationalize the steel and oil industries.
What we are left with are a few knowledgeable persons such as my source who were present in the agency and who were privy to what actually happened and who have protested the original fraud or lies on a moral basis over the past 35 years to the limited people they could get to listen to them. A lot of the money derived from this scam has gone in contributions to many congressmen and senators, so even that attempt to communicate with Congress failed. When my source went to congress with the facts, only two senators would even talk to him, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). They told him it was too large an issue to correct and nothing could or would ever be done. The vast majority of the others went along on the basis that the "end justifies the means". They originally thought that OSHA and EPA would be the ideal mechanisms to assure protection of the American workplaces and the environment. But people in these agencies have also created additional self-serving goals, and this tendency alerted wary people to be on the lookout for their shenanigans, including the pesticide issues I alluded to earlier.
Another example of government interference in science is the misinformation about radon, a naturally occurring gas, the radioactive daughter of uranium. It has been stated by EPA that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, next to smoking. This is nonsense. Radon is percolating from the ground virtually everywhere. Tests have shown that radon emissions can be measured between 1 and 2 Pico curies. This is very small number. The EPA came to the conclusion that 4 Pico curies is dangerous and set the limit there. Their number is not based on any science and is completely capricious. Dr. Victor Archer, who worked for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), formerly BOSH, admittedly hated the nuclear energy industry. Using similarly fraudulent data as the asbestos crowd did, Dr. Archer convinced the EPA that radon was a dangerous gas. The EPA, whose only mission at the time was to exert more power, jumped on it. By passing this bad science off as legitimate, Dr. Archer got his wish as everyone blamed the nuclear technology industry for the radon. President Jimmy Carter put a moratorium on building new nuclear power plants based on this erroneous information.
Although the EPA may have been founded on fraudulent science, it still serves a useful purpose. On May 26 of this year, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson committed to a federal leadership role in expediting the ongoing cleanup of the Michigan Dow Dioxin site and an acceleration of the Environmental Protection Agency’s overall scientific review of dioxins. “EPA is stepping up our commitment to this site, in partnership with the state of Michigan , so that we can accelerate this cleanup and deal with the pressing threats to human health and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We are also redoubling our efforts to provide guidance on the science of dioxin health effects to inform cleanup decisions at this site and protect other communities, in Michigan and across the country, facing dioxin contamination.” Dioxins, a class of hundreds of chemicals that are difficult to remove from water and soil, are produced by industries that incinerate waste or manufacture chemicals and pesticides. The Dow Chemical site in Midland , Michigan contains significant dioxin contamination that extends for 50 miles down the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers and into the Saginaw Bay . As one part of its overall cleanup plan, EPA will continue to negotiate an agreement requiring Dow to sample the rivers and bay for dioxin contamination and identify options for cleanup. Administrator Jackson pledged an unprecedented degree of transparency during these negotiations so the public has a full opportunity to be heard. Once the agreement is in place, EPA will implement a comprehensive public involvement plan going forward. While EPA hopes to work cooperatively with the company, Jackson said that the agency will not hesitate to use all tools at its disposal – including a wide range of penalties and sanctions – to ensure Dow Chemical upholds its responsibility to clean up this site. If Dow fails to meet its responsibilities, EPA will conduct the cleanup at the company’s expense. In this situation the EPA is doing exactly the right thing.
All of this information will be available in a book I am writing at the request of a major publisher. The book will deal mostly with non-toxic pest control but will also cover the EPA and some regional pesticide regulators as well as the pest control industry itself. I would like to ask my readers to send me any homemade remedies they are aware of to control pests and, also, any horror stories they have regarding pesticides and the pest control industry. If you want your name published in the book please let me know. The book is scheduled to come out in October, 2010. My email address is richardfagerlund@yahoo.com or you can call me at 505-385-2820.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Drywood Termite Control
Drywood termites are a major wood destroying insect that cost consumers many millions of dollars in damage and control. One estimate suggested Californians spend $250 million dollars a year on this insect.
For many years the primary method of controlling drywood termites was to use sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) as a fumigant. The house had to be wrapped and sealed and the gas injected. It was and still is a major inconvenience for homeowners as they had to do a lot to prepare for the fumigation as well as stay out of the house overnight. It was thought that once the house was cleared that the fumigant would dissipate harmlessly into the atmosphere. A recent study by the U. of C at Irvine has destroyed that myth. It turns out that sulfuryl fluoride is a major greenhouse gas that can last about 30 years in the atmosphere and may last up to 100 years (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121144059.htm). Another study by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=965 confirms Irvine’s findings. The Scripps study says researchers calculated that one kilogram of sulfuryl fluoride emitted into the atmosphere has a global warming potential approximately 4,800 times greater than one kilogram of carbon dioxide. That is pretty impressive.
Also homes and commercial buildings are built differently now then when sulfuryl fluoride was in its prime. They are more energy efficient which may prohibit the movement of the gas in the building which will allow some termites to survive.
There have been other methods of control tried but most only allow spot treatments. Microwaves, heat, cold and electro guns are a few. Heat has actually progressed to where it is considered sufficient to control termites in the entire house. There is a lot of preparation needed for heat treatment and the time and labor cost is reflected in your bill for the treatment. It takes six to eight hours to heat a piece of wood internally to 125° Fahrenheit. In addition, the pretreatment preparation required of the homeowner is extensive and, if not completed properly, heat can be extremely damaging to property, such as plastics, electronics, and many other items. and there was at least one instance of a house exploding because of the heat and propane gas. I can’t recommend this treatment.
Approximately ten years ago orange oil became a player in the termite control game and a very good player indeed. While there are several kinds of orange oil available to the pest control professional, one brand, XT-2000 stands out. It is the only orange oil formulation that can be used to treat entire homes. The others are only good for spot treatments. Orange oil is unique in that the capillary action of the product works in many ways like fumigation, but without the same risks! XT-2000 Orange Oil moves through wood like a gas, along the path of least resistance, filling up the treated piece of wood until the termites have no place to hide. Unlike fumigation, XT-2000 Orange Oil treatments are specifically targeted to the area of infestation, so you do not need to move out of your home during the treatment. Because of sophisticated optical equipment such as the borescope, inspectors have the ability to located otherwise hidden termite problems and treat them. Since orange oil has come on the scene, over 500,000 buildings have been treated. This includes homes, churches, schools, apartment complexes and assorted commercial buildings. There has been a very low callback rate with this treatment which demonstrates the effectiveness of the orange oil.
There are several studies that recently came out that are flawed. One, a Technical Release, by Dow Chemical, manufacturer of sulfuryl fluoride is terrible. That paper cites a study done by Dr. Vernard Lewis of Berkeley. In Dr. Lewis’ study he lists the products they use and where he obtained them. When he gets to XT-2000 (92% d-limenone) he says he got it from Formulated Solutions in Woodside, NY. That isn’t possible as XT-2000 is only made by Speers Chemical Company in Memphis, TN and a single distributor has all the rights to it. They are Xtermite, Inc from San Diego. I went to Formulated Solutions website, http://www.formulatedsolutions.net/index.htm and they don’t mention orange oil of any kind. The third paragraph on their Home page is pretty clear: “Formulated Solutions has the knowledge, creative intensity and manufacturing resources to satisfy your needs. We provide custom chemical solutions for customers in many areas including but not limited to: epoxy, acrylic, urethane, Portland cement, SBR, EVA and PVA”.
It is apparent that Dr. Lewis couldn’t get the real product so he had Formulated Solutions concoct something similar. He then did the study with a counterfeit XT-2000 and attributed the results to the real product.
That is like doing a study on Coca Cola and testing a generic cola and attributing the results to Coca Cola. This is very bad science and he should know better. I can’t believe the biology department or the university would condone this sort of study. Having seen that statement about where he obtained “XT-2000” early in the paper discredits the whole study in my opinion.
I don’t know why Dr. Lewis just didn’t admit he used a similar product or simply refer to it as orange oil instead of labeling it XT-2000 which it clearly wasn’t. This would lead one to believe he had a vested interest in destroying the reputation of a leading competitor to sulfuryl flouride. Who would benefit the most from this misinformation? Dow Chemical and the pest control companies that use sulfuryl fluoride, of course.
The Technical Release offers more bad science. A Certified XT-2000 Orange Oil affiliate did not apply the treatment. Clearly the operator in the photograph was not trained by XT-2000, Inc. In fact, the fellow in the photo works for a company that actively promotes fumigation and has a vested interest in putting the orange oil companies out of business (as does Dow).
They said in the study that “maximum volume of orange oil was absorbed by the wood”. XT-2000 Orange Oil is a contact kill, so maximum volume would mean 100% kill. The only way they can accurately test maximum volume is by using a dye to verify maximum volume was achieved as XT-2000 Orange Oil is transparent. How could it be determined that maximum volume is achieved if dye wasn’t used?
As for XT-2000, the company that distributes it is very selective as to where it goes. Any company that wants to use it has to go through a vigorous training program first and have annual training updates. Very few pest control products are as vigorously controlled by private industry.
Years ago we had DDT, chlordane, aldrin, dieldrin and many other pesticides that were thought to be ideal in how they controlled pests. I have used all of those products myself and I have fumigated many homes with sulfuryl fluoride. As time went by these products were determined to be far more detrimental to use than previously thought and they were eventually removed from use. Sulfuryl fluoride is in that category. It has been used in thousands of fumigations, most of them successfully, but we now know that sulfuryl fluoride is a serious greenhouse gas as noted earlier. The chemical's annual use in California creates emissions equivalent to the carbon dioxide produced by 1 million cars and California accounts for 60% of the sulfuryl fluoride used in the world. If this isn't bad enough they are contemplating expanding its use to farming. I think it is about time that Dow Chemical pulls Vikane off the market. Dow is not a bad company. They have a lot of very good products and services, yet like any company they have made mistakes. They would be doing their customers, society and the environment a service by removing sulfuryl fluoride from use and putting it in the museum alongside DDT, chlordane and the others. Sulfuryl fluoride is the past in drywood termite control and orange oil is the future.
If you want the names of good, qualified applicators of XT-2000 orange oil, please contact me.
Richard “Bugman” Fagerlund
richardfagerlund@yahoo.com
For many years the primary method of controlling drywood termites was to use sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) as a fumigant. The house had to be wrapped and sealed and the gas injected. It was and still is a major inconvenience for homeowners as they had to do a lot to prepare for the fumigation as well as stay out of the house overnight. It was thought that once the house was cleared that the fumigant would dissipate harmlessly into the atmosphere. A recent study by the U. of C at Irvine has destroyed that myth. It turns out that sulfuryl fluoride is a major greenhouse gas that can last about 30 years in the atmosphere and may last up to 100 years (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121144059.htm). Another study by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=965 confirms Irvine’s findings. The Scripps study says researchers calculated that one kilogram of sulfuryl fluoride emitted into the atmosphere has a global warming potential approximately 4,800 times greater than one kilogram of carbon dioxide. That is pretty impressive.
Also homes and commercial buildings are built differently now then when sulfuryl fluoride was in its prime. They are more energy efficient which may prohibit the movement of the gas in the building which will allow some termites to survive.
There have been other methods of control tried but most only allow spot treatments. Microwaves, heat, cold and electro guns are a few. Heat has actually progressed to where it is considered sufficient to control termites in the entire house. There is a lot of preparation needed for heat treatment and the time and labor cost is reflected in your bill for the treatment. It takes six to eight hours to heat a piece of wood internally to 125° Fahrenheit. In addition, the pretreatment preparation required of the homeowner is extensive and, if not completed properly, heat can be extremely damaging to property, such as plastics, electronics, and many other items. and there was at least one instance of a house exploding because of the heat and propane gas. I can’t recommend this treatment.
Approximately ten years ago orange oil became a player in the termite control game and a very good player indeed. While there are several kinds of orange oil available to the pest control professional, one brand, XT-2000 stands out. It is the only orange oil formulation that can be used to treat entire homes. The others are only good for spot treatments. Orange oil is unique in that the capillary action of the product works in many ways like fumigation, but without the same risks! XT-2000 Orange Oil moves through wood like a gas, along the path of least resistance, filling up the treated piece of wood until the termites have no place to hide. Unlike fumigation, XT-2000 Orange Oil treatments are specifically targeted to the area of infestation, so you do not need to move out of your home during the treatment. Because of sophisticated optical equipment such as the borescope, inspectors have the ability to located otherwise hidden termite problems and treat them. Since orange oil has come on the scene, over 500,000 buildings have been treated. This includes homes, churches, schools, apartment complexes and assorted commercial buildings. There has been a very low callback rate with this treatment which demonstrates the effectiveness of the orange oil.
There are several studies that recently came out that are flawed. One, a Technical Release, by Dow Chemical, manufacturer of sulfuryl fluoride is terrible. That paper cites a study done by Dr. Vernard Lewis of Berkeley. In Dr. Lewis’ study he lists the products they use and where he obtained them. When he gets to XT-2000 (92% d-limenone) he says he got it from Formulated Solutions in Woodside, NY. That isn’t possible as XT-2000 is only made by Speers Chemical Company in Memphis, TN and a single distributor has all the rights to it. They are Xtermite, Inc from San Diego. I went to Formulated Solutions website, http://www.formulatedsolutions.net/index.htm and they don’t mention orange oil of any kind. The third paragraph on their Home page is pretty clear: “Formulated Solutions has the knowledge, creative intensity and manufacturing resources to satisfy your needs. We provide custom chemical solutions for customers in many areas including but not limited to: epoxy, acrylic, urethane, Portland cement, SBR, EVA and PVA”.
It is apparent that Dr. Lewis couldn’t get the real product so he had Formulated Solutions concoct something similar. He then did the study with a counterfeit XT-2000 and attributed the results to the real product.
That is like doing a study on Coca Cola and testing a generic cola and attributing the results to Coca Cola. This is very bad science and he should know better. I can’t believe the biology department or the university would condone this sort of study. Having seen that statement about where he obtained “XT-2000” early in the paper discredits the whole study in my opinion.
I don’t know why Dr. Lewis just didn’t admit he used a similar product or simply refer to it as orange oil instead of labeling it XT-2000 which it clearly wasn’t. This would lead one to believe he had a vested interest in destroying the reputation of a leading competitor to sulfuryl flouride. Who would benefit the most from this misinformation? Dow Chemical and the pest control companies that use sulfuryl fluoride, of course.
The Technical Release offers more bad science. A Certified XT-2000 Orange Oil affiliate did not apply the treatment. Clearly the operator in the photograph was not trained by XT-2000, Inc. In fact, the fellow in the photo works for a company that actively promotes fumigation and has a vested interest in putting the orange oil companies out of business (as does Dow).
They said in the study that “maximum volume of orange oil was absorbed by the wood”. XT-2000 Orange Oil is a contact kill, so maximum volume would mean 100% kill. The only way they can accurately test maximum volume is by using a dye to verify maximum volume was achieved as XT-2000 Orange Oil is transparent. How could it be determined that maximum volume is achieved if dye wasn’t used?
As for XT-2000, the company that distributes it is very selective as to where it goes. Any company that wants to use it has to go through a vigorous training program first and have annual training updates. Very few pest control products are as vigorously controlled by private industry.
Years ago we had DDT, chlordane, aldrin, dieldrin and many other pesticides that were thought to be ideal in how they controlled pests. I have used all of those products myself and I have fumigated many homes with sulfuryl fluoride. As time went by these products were determined to be far more detrimental to use than previously thought and they were eventually removed from use. Sulfuryl fluoride is in that category. It has been used in thousands of fumigations, most of them successfully, but we now know that sulfuryl fluoride is a serious greenhouse gas as noted earlier. The chemical's annual use in California creates emissions equivalent to the carbon dioxide produced by 1 million cars and California accounts for 60% of the sulfuryl fluoride used in the world. If this isn't bad enough they are contemplating expanding its use to farming. I think it is about time that Dow Chemical pulls Vikane off the market. Dow is not a bad company. They have a lot of very good products and services, yet like any company they have made mistakes. They would be doing their customers, society and the environment a service by removing sulfuryl fluoride from use and putting it in the museum alongside DDT, chlordane and the others. Sulfuryl fluoride is the past in drywood termite control and orange oil is the future.
If you want the names of good, qualified applicators of XT-2000 orange oil, please contact me.
Richard “Bugman” Fagerlund
richardfagerlund@yahoo.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
More Fumigation Nonsense
I got the following letter from a reader. It proves that the fumigation industry is not to be trusted:
"When we bought our house and while it was still empty we hadthe fumigation done. As a first time homeowner and because I worked near our new home I stopped by often to see how things were going. We also had the wood floors redone, etc. So I stopped by one day and there was a small pickup truck from the pest control company out front. The tent was taken down and had been down for a while. I went in the house and there was a guy from the pest control with a little pouch on his side. He hadn't heard me come in since all the doors and windows were open.
Before I said anything I saw him reach into the pouch and toss something on the floor. He was startled when I asked him what he was doing. I'll tell you what he was doing. In his pouch he had an assortment of dead bugs. He was throwing them here and there! He left quickly after trying to tell me the house wasn't safe to occupy. I told him "B S".
My guess is that they didn't use any Vikane or anything else. They just did the bare minimum".
The reader didn't tell me the name of the company involved. All I can say is beware of any fumigation company. The fumigation industry has a history of deception.
"When we bought our house and while it was still empty we hadthe fumigation done. As a first time homeowner and because I worked near our new home I stopped by often to see how things were going. We also had the wood floors redone, etc. So I stopped by one day and there was a small pickup truck from the pest control company out front. The tent was taken down and had been down for a while. I went in the house and there was a guy from the pest control with a little pouch on his side. He hadn't heard me come in since all the doors and windows were open.
Before I said anything I saw him reach into the pouch and toss something on the floor. He was startled when I asked him what he was doing. I'll tell you what he was doing. In his pouch he had an assortment of dead bugs. He was throwing them here and there! He left quickly after trying to tell me the house wasn't safe to occupy. I told him "B S".
My guess is that they didn't use any Vikane or anything else. They just did the bare minimum".
The reader didn't tell me the name of the company involved. All I can say is beware of any fumigation company. The fumigation industry has a history of deception.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Put an End to Animal Fighting
Recently a large dog-fighting ring was broken up in east Texas. One hundred and eighty seven pit bulls were rescued but will probably have to be euthanized. fifty five people (and I use the term loosely) were indicted. I think it is time we put an end to animal fighting whether it is dogs or chickens. The only way that will happen is if the federal government gets involved and passes strict animal fighting laws. Many states have good animal fighting laws while others have very mild laws or the laws are poorly enforced. The animals do not have the choice as to which state they are forced to fight.
We, as a civilized society, have to realize that animals have the right to not be mistreated in barbaric ways. It is not part of our God-given human nature to torture other humans or animals. I do not know if animasls have souls or not but neither does anyone else. We all have our own opinions on that matter. We should act in a way as not to violate the God-given "rights" of any creature rather than assume we are a dominant species simply because we can rationalize. People who enjoy watching animals fight each other and tear each other apart are not rational. They are pyschopathic cowards who should be incarcerated for the good of society. People (again, I use the term loosely) who participate in this sort of barbarism like to make the case that it is tradition. If it is tradition, it is a satanic tradition and no civilized society should have to abide by these kinds of traditions. It certainly isn't Christian tradition or the tradition of any other major religion. Can anyone visualize Jesus at a dogfight or cockfight. I don't think so.
Animals, including dogs and roosters, were not created to entertain us by mangling each other in public arenas and we, as a civilized country, have to lead the way in promoting the eradication of such "sports". We need to convince our congressmen and women that we need stiff federal laws against this sort of barbarism.
If congress would pass an animal fighting law that required a minimum of ten years prison for anyone convicted of participating in an animal fighting venture and five years for being a spectator, this sort of thing would be dead very soon.
Look, the folks who participate in dogfighting and cockfighting haven't got the common sense or intelligence quotient that God gave a gopher, but that doesn't mean we have to let them pollute the moral fibre of our country with their barbaric acts against innocent animals, particularly dogs and roosters.
Love, kindness, respect and honor are not just Christian values, they are human values and now is a perfect time to start showing the world we are a people who consider all life sacred, all of the time, not just once a year.
Visit The Bugman & Holly's Animal Sanctuary
and Reptile Rescue at www.askthebugman.com
The site is being updated constantly.
We, as a civilized society, have to realize that animals have the right to not be mistreated in barbaric ways. It is not part of our God-given human nature to torture other humans or animals. I do not know if animasls have souls or not but neither does anyone else. We all have our own opinions on that matter. We should act in a way as not to violate the God-given "rights" of any creature rather than assume we are a dominant species simply because we can rationalize. People who enjoy watching animals fight each other and tear each other apart are not rational. They are pyschopathic cowards who should be incarcerated for the good of society. People (again, I use the term loosely) who participate in this sort of barbarism like to make the case that it is tradition. If it is tradition, it is a satanic tradition and no civilized society should have to abide by these kinds of traditions. It certainly isn't Christian tradition or the tradition of any other major religion. Can anyone visualize Jesus at a dogfight or cockfight. I don't think so.
Animals, including dogs and roosters, were not created to entertain us by mangling each other in public arenas and we, as a civilized country, have to lead the way in promoting the eradication of such "sports". We need to convince our congressmen and women that we need stiff federal laws against this sort of barbarism.
If congress would pass an animal fighting law that required a minimum of ten years prison for anyone convicted of participating in an animal fighting venture and five years for being a spectator, this sort of thing would be dead very soon.
Look, the folks who participate in dogfighting and cockfighting haven't got the common sense or intelligence quotient that God gave a gopher, but that doesn't mean we have to let them pollute the moral fibre of our country with their barbaric acts against innocent animals, particularly dogs and roosters.
Love, kindness, respect and honor are not just Christian values, they are human values and now is a perfect time to start showing the world we are a people who consider all life sacred, all of the time, not just once a year.
Visit The Bugman & Holly's Animal Sanctuary
and Reptile Rescue at www.askthebugman.com
The site is being updated constantly.
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