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Re: ants, to Sal Schettino

Ok, Sal, Do you know of anyway one can use slug poison without causing environmental or damage to beneficial insects?  Have not done so but just thought I'd ask.  Kimo
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From:   Sal Schettino[SMTP:sals@RAIN.ORG]
Sent:   Monday, June 30, 1997 03:15 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list SQFT
Subject:        Re: ants

I think Boric Acid will kill bees and there are not that many left.
what some folks do is put the boric acid in a jar with a lid with holes
in it so the ants can go in and get the boric acid and the bees cann't.

On
Mon, 30 Jun 1997, Bill DeWitt wrote:

> Toni Office wrote:
> >
> > There isn't a problem with ants, until they start farming aphids all over
 the
> > garden.  That's when they need to be eliminated!  I'd prefer not to have
> > aphids all over my vegetables and I really don't want to see my flower
 leaves
> > all curled under with hundreds of aphids underneath.
> >
> > I'm sure there is a middle ground somewhere between totally wiping out my
 ant
> > population and the 60's philosophy below!
> >
> > Toni
> >
> > In a message dated 97-06-28 12:20:40 EDT, you write:
> >
> > << I can't *imagine* why ants in your garden or  anywhere outside your house
> > would be such a concern that you would seek to eliminate them!  Hasn't it
> > occurred to you that you might not completely  understand the role of ants
 --
> > or many of the other garden creatures which  are more of a nusiance than
> > anything else -- in your garden or in the world?   Don't you realize that
> > when you use poison to eliminate one "pest" you will  eliminate many insects
> > you might want to keep -- spiders, ladybugs, etc.?
> >
> > How ever do you cope with gardening at all, what with its constant barrage
 of
> > "icky" insects, bugs, worms, spiders, grubs, rot, dirt . . .
> >
>         I think that the disparity of opinions are largely based on
 differences
> of intent. I planted my garden with the intention of feeding my family.
> I don't want bugs eating my family's food. Some folk put in gardens as a
> hobby, they can deal with a decreased harvest in return for the feeling
> of being one with nature.
>         When the latter start making declarative statements about what the
> former must do or not do I get nervous. For instance, it is very
> possible to use a poison to kill one insect without killing others, it
> just takes more care. But some folk don't want you to use 'poisons' so
> they use extremist propaganda to try to scare you.
>         The truth is somewhere in the middle as Toni pointed out. I would use
> Boric Acid on the ants. Use it sparingly and clean it up when you are
> done. Boric acid -is not- poisonous in any reasonable dose. But like
> oxygen, too much is a bad thing. It's pharmacutical use is as an eye
> wash! Try that with Garlic Tea!
> --
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Sal Schettino,Organic Farmer,don't panic eat organic,sals@rain.org
or check out my homepage:            http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html    .

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