Ant Killer (safe for humans and other vertebrates)
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 T yeast
Mix together. Puddle mixture in lids (placed upside down with the goop in
the middle) and place the lids in the ant's paths. They will almost
literally toss down anything they are doing and flock to it. So many they
will eventually suck all the moisture out, I put out a couple drops of water
in the center to help them clean up. It may start to look white because
most of the molasses is gone, but that's ok, you really only wanted the
molasses to attack the ants anyway and once they've found it they have make
a trail to it. They take it back to the colony and feed the lovely sweet
nectar to everyone they see, even the queen. Put new solution out as needed
until they slow to a trickle or stop. You've then killed the whole colony.
But it will reinvigorate itself, so stay vigilant. Store excess in the
freezer.
I usually start with the ant killer in the house then move it slowly,
following their path, outside. And back to the source. Making short trips
for the hungry.
I like that I could have a two year old pick it up and eat it and the worst
thing I'd have to think about is that ants walked on it or that perhaps they
ate an ant, which to me is not such a big deal.
*This part is graphic so those of you who don't want to know how it works
stop reading now*
Ants have exoskeletons, which don't allow them to belch, which is what we do
when we have too much CO2 in our bellies from the yeast growing on the
sugars. So, it crushes their little insides.but not until they are far, far
away and you don't have to clean up thousands of dead bodies. I like that
part best.
I told this at an organic gardening seminar and about made some "lovers of
all living things" faint. In the fight for food against ants, I consider
all options are on the table. I used to sit and watch ants for hours and
love the way they work together, but I've paid good money for these plants
and I expect to get food off them.
With reports coming in about a scourge affecting honeybees, researchers are launching a drive to find the cause of the destruction. The reasons for rapid colony collapse are not clear. Old diseases, parasites and new diseases are being looked at.
Over the past 100 or so years, beekeepers have experienced colony losses from bacterial agents (foulbrood), mites (varroa and tracheal) and other parasites and pathogens. Beekeepers have dealt with these problems by using antibiotics, miticides or integrated pest management.
While losses, particularly in overwintering, are a chronic condition, most beekeepers have learned to limit their losses by staying on top of new advice from entomologists. Unlike the more common problems, this new die-off has been virtually instantaneous throughout the country, not spreading at the slower pace of conventional classical disease.
As an interested beekeeper with some background in biology, I think it might be fruitful to investigate the role of genetically modified or transgenic farm crops. Although we are assured by nearly every bit of research that these manipulations of the crop genome are safe for both human consumption and the environment, looking more closely at what is involved here might raise questions about those assumptions.
The most commonly transplanted segment of transgenic DNA involves genes from a well-known bacterium, bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which has been used for decades by farmers and gardeners to control butterflies that damage cole crops such as cabbage and broccoli. Instead of the bacterial solution being sprayed on the plant, where it is eaten by the target insect, the genes that contain the insecticidal traits are incorporated into the genome of the farm crop. As the transformed plant grows, these Bt genes are replicated along with the plant genes so that each cell contains its own poison pill that kills the target insect. [Oh yum, NOT!]
In the case of field corn, these insects are stem- and root-borers, lepidopterans (butterflies) that, in their larval stage, dine on some region of the corn plant, ingesting the bacterial gene, which eventually causes a crystallization effect in the guts of the borer larvae, thus killing them.
What is not generally known to the public is that Bt variants are available that also target coleopterans (beetles) and dipterids (flies and mosquitoes). We are assured that the bee family, hymenopterans, is not affected.
That there is Bt in beehives is not a question. Beekeepers spray Bt under hive lids sometimes to control the wax moth, an insect whose larval forms produce messy webs on honey. Canadian beekeepers have detected the disappearance of the wax moth in untreated hives, apparently a result of worker bees foraging in fields of transgenic canola plants.
Bees forage heavily on corn flowers to obtain pollen for the rearing of young broods, and these pollen grains also contain the Bt gene of the parent plant, because they are present in the cells from which pollen forms.
Is it not possible that while there is no lethal effect directly to the new bees, there might be some sublethal effect, such as immune suppression, acting as a slow killer?
The planting of transgenic corn and soybean has increased exponentially, according to statistics from farm states. Tens of millions of acres of transgenic crops are allowing Bt genes to move off crop fields.
A quick and easy way to get an approximate answer would be to make a comparison of colony losses of bees from regions where no genetically modified crops are grown, and to put test hives in areas where modern farming practices are so distant from the hives that the foraging worker bees would have no exposure to them.
Given that nearly every bite of food that we eat has a pollinator, the seriousness of this emerging problem could dwarf all previous food disruptions.
This article appeared on page F - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle
I’VE always thought of worms as my friends, until I started talking to
ecologists who have been studying their voracious appetite for leaves.
“Your grandmother was wrong all these years,” said Dennis Burton, an
ecologist at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in
Philadelphia.
Worms may be good for vegetables and flowers, but for trees and shade
plants they are a large and growing menace. In an agricultural field or
a vegetable garden, worms help decompose organic matter, churning
nutrients back into the soil. Their constant tunneling aerates the soil,
creating pathways for air, water and plant roots.
But in forests in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest, worms are
proliferating and consuming leaves at such a pace that they are actually
destroying the duff, the thick leaf litter that nourishes tree
seedlings, prevents erosion and protects woodland plants from disease
and insects.
They are wreaking havoc in woodland gardens, too. Barbara and Robert
Tiffany, who tend four acres of shade-loving plants at their home,
MillFleurs, in Point Pleasant, Pa., have watched their prize-winning,
four-foot-wide hostas shrink to half their size.
The Tiffanys first noticed that their hostas were shrinking two years
ago. This was a crisis: they had promised to show off their 1,100 hosta
cultivars to the American Hosta Society at its national convention last
June in Philadelphia.
“I had no idea what was happening,” Ms. Tiffany said.
They thought their water might be the problem, so they had it tested.
But the water was fine. Then they noticed “gazillions of worms,” Ms.
Tiffany said. “Every time I would stick a trowel into the soil, worms
would pop up or skitter away. They were so energized, not like the worms
of my childhood.”
Mr. Tiffany did a little research and learned that the Northeast and the
Great Lakes region were plagued by worms. They sent a few of their worms
to Cindy Hale, a scientist at the University of Minnesota, who
identified them as Amynthas hawayanus and Lumbricus terrestris, two
species that are invading the Northeast.
The Tiffanys realized, in retrospect, that they had been helping the
worms proliferate by carting in mulch for paths and top-dressing plants
with compost.
They recalled digging up one prized hosta, a four-footer that had been
reduced to two feet, and counting 19 worms as they fell from its roots.
The roots, normally so fleshy and vigorous, were stunted and sort of
shredded, “as if something had eaten them,” Ms. Tiffany said.
“Earthworms were not meant to be in a forest,” said Anne Bower, a
conservation biologist at Philadelphia University who explained that
northern forests evolved without worms. “Their decomposers are fungi,
microflora and fauna, which release nutrients very slowly,” she said.
Worms arrived with the Colonists, who came in ships often weighted with
rocks and soil, for ballast. The settlers brought plants, too, which
carried worms and their eggs in plant roots. Over the centuries, of
course, imported plants added to the exotic worm population; so did the
fishermen who tossed their bait worms along the banks of streams and lakes.
In fact, the night crawler, Lumbricus terrestris, native to Europe and a
favorite for baiting fish, is a big eater in the forest.
“It’s an anecic species, a deep diver,” Mr. Burton said. “It burrows
deep into the soil, pulling leaf litter with it.”
Another invasive worm, an Asian species, Amynthas hawayanus, is epigeic,
meaning it stays close to the earth’s surface, living in the topsoil and
the duff layer.
“It’s like a rototiller running around the surface of the forest,” Mr.
Burton said.
Both these worms, among others, have higher populations in urban and
suburban areas than in rural areas. This makes sense, because they first
came in through seaports and are often spread by gardeners who not only
purchase their plants but also trundle mulch and compost into their
woodland gardens.
The Asian genus, Amynthas, was first noted in New York and Connecticut
in the late 1980s by ecologists working for the Institute of Ecosystem
Studies in Millbrook, N.Y. They were trying to analyze the health of
forests in a 100-mile radius of New York City.
These worms change the very chemistry of the soil, because their
gizzards emit calcium carbonate, which acts like lime on acid soil,
making it more alkaline. That may be nice for corn and sunflowers, but
it is not good for azaleas and oaks, which thrive in acid soil.
The worms are also breaking down organic matter so quickly that the
nutrient overload is injuring plants and running off into streams and
lakes. Invasive plant species, like stiltgrass and garlic mustard, which
thrive on heavy nitrogen, then move in.
How do you find out if you have too many worms?
Look for signs of invasive worms, such as a thinning forest floor or
even eroded open spaces. Another sign is a noticeable lack of spring
ephemerals like trillium, mayflowers and trout lilies, which are
disturbed by all these tiny plows shifting the microbial community from
fungal to bacterial.
To test for worms, mark off a section of your woodland garden or forest
about three feet square. Then wait for a heavy rain (this test will not
work in dry soil).
If the soil is moist, apply a hot Chinese mustard solution, made by
mixing two cups Chinese mustard with 10 ½ quarts of water. Sink five
coffee cans, tops and bottoms removed, about an inch into the ground of
the marked area, then pour the mustard solution into the cans.
“The mustard solution will go straight down and the worms will come up,”
Ms. Bower said.
If more than five worms pop out, you have a problem. In rural areas Ms.
Bower’s researchers have found only about two worms per three square
feet; “in the city we’re getting 89,” she said.
Ms. Bower and Mr. Burton have been testing various organic controls,
like tobacco, walnut shells and pine needles. They were not effective.
Sulfur pellets, however, mixed with oak leaf mulch, which is acidic,
showed promise. Simply follow the directions on the back of the sulfur
bag, and do not apply more than is recommended. (Soil that is too acidic
will have its own problems.) Then spread out a couple of inches of the
oak leaf mulch. The Department of Agriculture lists earthworms as
beneficial organisms, so using a pesticide to kill them is technically
illegal.
To avoid having so many worms in the first place, be sure not to feed
them by spreading wood chips or compost in paths in the forest. Do not
toss grass clippings, another favorite worm food, next to the woods,
either. And do not toss out fishing worms or red wrigglers by throwing
them on the ground or in a pond (they do not drown).
If worms are destroying your woodland plants and you have no choice but
to kill them, they can be put in alcohol, frozen or collected in a bag
and sent to the landfill.
Weyerhaeuser marked the planting of more than 100 million trees in Saskatchewan with a ceremony at Riverside Community School on Tuesday.
Steven R. Rogel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Weyerhaeuser Company, joined students from Riverside in a ceremony to mark the milestone. A white spruce tree was planted in the school yard to recognize the achievement.
Weyerhaeuser began operations in Saskatchewan in 1986 when it purchased Prince Albert Pulp Mill and Big River Lumber from the Government of Saskatchewan. In 1999, Weyerhaeuser added to its holdings in the province with the acquisition of mills in Hudson Bay and Carrot River as part of the purchase of MacMillan Bloedel.
Since arriving in Saskatchewan, Weyerhaeuser will have planted almost 105 million trees, including 9.1 million this year.
“Our company is based on a very simple thing – a tree,” said Rogel.
“We take our responsibility toward trees and the forest very seriously,” he added. Rogel noted that as a company, Weyerhaeuser plants about 100 million trees annually throughout its operations.
Also Tuesday, Weyerhaeuser announced a contribution of more than $91,000 to the Planting Dreams Program.
Planting Dreams is a partnership between Weyerhaeuser and the Saskatchewan Community Schools Association, the organization representing about 100 community schools in the province.
Weyerhaeuser makes an annual contribution to the Planting Dreams Program to match its annual tree plant in Saskatchewan. Weyerhaeuser will plant more than 9.1 million trees this year, leading to a donation of $91,484.50 to the Planting Dreams Program.
The Saskatchewan Community Schools Association has used the funds to support a number of initiatives with the pre-kindergarten Readiness to Learn Backpack program being the focal point.
Since 2000, Weyerhaeuser has contributed close to $400,000 to the Saskatchewan Community Schools Association through the Planting Dreams Program.
Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY), one of the world's largest integrated forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2003, sales were $19.9 billion. It has offices or operations in 18 countries, with customers worldwide. Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities. Additional information about Weyerhaeusers businesses, products and practices is available at http://www.weyerhaeuser.com.
For more information, please contact:
Wayne Roznowsky, (306) 953-5198
The Greenpeace Student Program was created to train and mobilize a diverse new generation of environmental leaders to win Greenpeace campaigns. The primary programs are the Greenpeace Student Network and the Greenpeace Organizing Term (GOT). The GOT is a semester or summer-long environmental training program filled with training, travel, and action. The GOT prepares the countrys best emerging student activists to mobilize their campuses on Greenpeace campaigns. Students learn through more than 50 trainings, hands-on campaign work, mentorship from staff, teamwork, and by mobilizing students across the country. Coursework includes grassroots organizing, strategic campaign planning, direct action climbing and boating, nonviolence, working with the media, building groups, leadership, and Greenpeace values, history, and current campaigns. The GOT includes a weeklong trip abroad for students to meet international Greenpeace activists.
Priorities include:
Training and coaching students in classroom, campaign, and one-on-one settings;
Working with campaign staff and the student organizing manager to design and manage student campaign work;
Recruiting trainers;
Refining and developing specific trainings as well as overall curriculum;
and Frequent evaluations of the program.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Run and review trainings for students in the program.
Develop and run inspiring trainings on a range of campaign and organizing topics: from the basics of recruitment, phonebanking, petitioning, to writing a press release, making a campaign plan, etc.
Manage the student group throughout the semester, provide feedback and motivation to each individual GOT participant, help foster GOT team and leadership development, Recruit trainers internally from Greenpeace and externally from organizations and allies to do individual training sessions throughout the semester and provide training outlines; and Provide weekend and weeklong trainings and skill-shares for key Greenpeace organizers.
2. Implement and manage student component of Greenpeace campaigns in select parts of the country. Achieve agreed-upon campaign objectives and student grassroots organizing strategy with the Greenpeace campaign teams and create campaign plans, creative tactics and events. Oversee program GOT student participants involvement in Greenpeace campaigns; Write, or assist in writing, press releases and in planning media strategies; and Represent Greenpeace at public events, grassroots activists groups and in the environmental community at large.
3. Liaise with the Communications, Development, or Campaign Teams on approved projects.
4. Develop project budgets and monitor program budget. Maintain all management and evaluation systems. Maintain contact management systems and update contact information databases regularly.
5. Perform other job-related duties as requested or assigned by the student organizing manager.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION:
1. Student satisfaction with programs based on surveys and regular evaluations.
2. Campaign and programmatic results versus objectives.
3. Recruitment and retention results versus objectives.
QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION: BA/BS Degree preferred or equivalent experience.
EXPERIENCE/ACCOMPLI SHMENTS:
A minimum of two years experience as a grassroots organizer.
Proven ability to develop grassroots leaders, inspire activists, and build lasting long-term relationships.
Proven ability to work both independently and in close coordination with a team.
Prior experience as a trainer or educator.
Strong skills and experience in key campaigning areas: public speaking, activist training, strategic planning, organizing people around an issue, oral and written communication, and problem solving skills.
Ability and willingness to travel.
Proven leadership.
Commitment to non-violence as a means of affecting change.
