[Domesteading 00248] Re: query ants & poison ivy

[J & D Goldman]

As much as I'm no fan of herbicides, Roundup (Glyphosate) will destroy
almost anything green it touches.  The original formulations have no
soil residue, although there are some new ones now that do.  Find a
bottle that has poison ivy on the label. The key
is to use the material persistantly, every time the plants get going
again after the last treatment, and is actively growing so it will be
tranlocated to the roots.  The final blow is when used in the fall,
when the plant is trying to store materials for the next season.  It
may come back weakly in the spring, but persistance pays if you want
to eradicate it.  You have to be more stubborn than the weed.
  If you have other plant materials there that you don't want to
destroy, you'd have to use something more selective.  Some materials
will kill broadleaves but not grasses. There are also some other
materials that will chemically burn off the tops but not destroy the
roots.  I'm not aware of anything specifically for P. Ivy but I'll
watch for one.  I do see some on the market now that are "organic" in
that the are made from oils and materials that are not considered
toxic to animals.  They are expensive, don't know if they work.

- Dan G.



-----Original Message-----
From: Chris <bewise at hypertech.net>
To: Domesteading list <domesteading at sculptors.com>
Date: Friday, May 18, 2007 9:58 AM
Subject: [Domesteading 00245] Re: query ants & poison ivy


>In the yard... and the 'forbidden zone' is perhaps the loveliest part
of our
>yard, making it feel like a deprivation of our sensibilities to not
be able
>to take a peaceful stroll along the creek without having to suit-up
in
> battle gear first <laffin>. While tip-toeing though the Tulips may
be
> pleasant recreation, light-footing it along pathways that are
carpeted with
> poison ivy is the pits. The approach that has worked best for me so
far is
> to 'smother' the ivy by loading pathways with 6" or more of leaf
litter,
>but
> there is just so much of the dern stuff everywhere I feel like it is
a
> losing battle and it annoys me to not be able to fully enjoy the
natural
> beauty that surrounds my home. Thus I seek a 'magic bullet'.
~Christine
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "John E. Johnson" <newageco at dbtech.net>
>> To: "'A forum for the discussion of aspects of
independent,off-the-grid
>> living'" <domesteading at sculptors.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 8:26 PM
>> Subject: [Domesteading 00241] Re: query ants
>>
>>
>>> On your skin or in your yard. I've got bloody ACRES of it...in the
yard.
>>> No weed eating around this house
>>>
>>> John E. Johnson
>>> newagedomeconstruction.com
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: domesteading-bounces at sculptors.com
>>> [mailto:domesteading-bounces at sculptors.com] On Behalf Of Chris
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:55 PM
>>> To: A forum for the discussion of aspects of
independent,off-the-grid
>>> living
>>> Subject: [Domesteading 00238] Re: query ants
>>>
>>> Very interesting... Anybody got any magic bullets for the
eradication of
>>> poison ivy...??? ~Christine.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "J & D Goldman" <jmgoldma at dwx.com>
>>> To: "A forum for the discussion of aspects of
independent,off-the-grid
>>> living" <domesteading at sculptors.com>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:28 PM
>>> Subject: [Domesteading 00236] Re: query ants
>>>
>>>
>>>>A few other things to try for ants:
>>>> -The boric acid trick works good for me too, although some stores
sell
>>>> this in a little dropper bottle ready to use.  I put drops on a
piece
>>>> of duct tape or just soak a q-tip with it and leave it for them.
I've
>>>> also sprinkled boric acid powder in walls of old houses during
>>>> remodeling to discourage invasions.  I believe some of the
structural
>>>> foams have this or materials like it mixed into the resin to stop
>>>> insects.
>>>> - Many will eat common bakers yeast if you mix it with some sugar
or a
>>>> little molasses.  The ants that eat it will explode.
>>>> - Steamed bone meal is an excellent ant repellent, and is
nontoxic.
>>>> I've put rings of it around ant colonies, and often they will
abandon
>>>> that opening rather than cross it.
>>>> - I also have an electric ant electrocutor that some guy was
selling
>>>> decades ago. It works on very aggresive species like giant red
ants
>>>> but may have little or no affect on others.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Sal Cerda <sal.cerda at rocketmail.com>
>>>> To: A forum for the discussion of aspects of
independent,off-the-grid
>>>> living <domesteading at sculptors.com>
>>>> Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 1:58 PM
>>>> Subject: [Domesteading 00234] Re: query
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>BobV,
>>>>>The 'antser' to excess humidity is an HRV.  Speaking of ants
(notice
>>>> how I worked that in?) I am having the same issue with the little
>>>> buggers.
>>>>>I took to feeding them some sugar mixed with boric acid and
water.
>>>> Yum.  They suck it it and take it home to mamma.  In few days
they
>>>> quit coming back.  Then it's quiet for a while until the next
colony
>>>> finds me.
>>>>>At my new dome, they have found that it's fun to chew up the sill
>>>> seal that is between the struts. Then they spit it on the floor
in a
>>>> pile of pink powder.  I think they are building a nice cozy dry
>>>> nesting site out of the rains.  Yesterday I took them some boric
>>>> treat.  We'll see how that works.
>>>>>
>>>>>BTW, spraying the ants you see does not stop the problem.  The
colony
>>>> is somewhere else and the queen ant is busy laying eggs.  They
keep a
>>>> coming.
>>>>>No use poisoning your environment with high-dollar bug spray.
Feed
>>>> them some cheap boric acic mixed with sugar and borax.   Helps
stop
>>>> wood rot too.
>>>>>
>>>>>Sal
>>>>>
>>>>>Robert Vance <naptimeatv at msn.com> wrote: "Cracking the upstairs
>>>> windows" is to vent the "humidity ...in the closed system of the
dome
>>>> (????)". How did this humidity get there and does it need
venting? My
>>>> main problem now is "Acrobatic ants" (...I've had a recurrence of
them
>>>> and am wondering how I can get rid of them - the local pest
control
>>>> company I used apparently thinks "dead" as in "killing ants",
means
>>>> that they "come alive again periodically!").
>>>>>
>>>>>Our dome can be seen at http://homepage.gallaudet.edu/janet.vance
>>>> it's a two story, three bedroom, two bath dome.
>>>>>BobV!
>>> <snip>
>>>
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>> Version: 7.5.463 / Virus Database: 269.7.1/805 - Release Date:
5/15/2007
>>> 10:47 AM
>>>
>>>
>>> No virus found in this outgoing message.
>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>> Version: 7.5.463 / Virus Database: 269.7.1/805 - Release Date:
5/15/2007
>>> 10:47 AM
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>> Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.7.1/807 - Release Date:
5/16/2007
>>> 6:05 PM
>>>
>>>
>>
>