Low Tech Termite Traps

Here in Kansas, termites are the norm.  When we lived in town, if one house in the neighborhood had their place treated for termites, the following year the neighbors had to, then down the street it went.  When the cycle started in the neighborhood of our friends, they had the outside of their place treated right away and signed a contract for monthly checks of bait traps.  I don't know how much they pay each month, but this has been going on for several years now.  I bet he's spent $1000 for those monthly checks by now.  Ouch.

Edited to add:  I talked to my friend yesterday.  She said they spent $800 to $1000 just to have the Tox-eol bait traps put around their house.  The cost is determined by the number of traps they say you need based on how large your structure is.  Now they pay $250 a year to have the traps checked monthly.  Double ouch.

The termites serve a purpose in nature, being part of the decomposition cycle.  That doesn't mean that I like them.  And even though I try to do the green thing, I'm not willing to risk my home and hard work by spraying with soapy water and keeping my fingers crossed. Termites were in a couple areas on our property when we bought it, so we considered it a 'known termite area' and acted accordingly.

After we got our foundation done, I bought several boxes of borax (20 Mule Team, Borateem) and threw it all over the crawl space area plus inside and outside of the foundation (before and after backfilling).  One neat thing about borax is that it keeps working for 2-3 years after it gets wet vs. DE that is ineffective after it gets wet.  A couple years later we were in the crawl space and saw one spider, that's it.  I was impressed. 

Fast forward two years and we're adding on to the side of the house and attaching to the old garage.  Bill thought he saw active termite activity on the back of the garage.  *Sigh*  So we called the local pest control guy and paid him $700 to treat the outside of the house and garage.  Come to find out, it wasn't termites that Bill saw.  I wished I would have done the borax thing around all the outbuildings and then just kept an eye on them, you know?  But at the time, we thought we'd be tearing it down in the future.

I learned from the termite guy that ants hate termites.  In the areas where we know there was active termite activity, there was also major ant activity.  He also told me that the purchased termite baits were 'iffy'.  Sometimes they worked, other times they didn't.  Well, he also makes a living spraying and doesn't live in the cheap seats in town, either.  But if they are 'iffy', I might as well make my own and check them myself.

So, instead of doing commercial bait traps, here's how to make your own.  Simple stuff.  First, dig a hole at least a foot deep, about 6' away from your building.  Throw in a chunk of wood, like a hunk of scrap 2x4.  Put a short piece of 1" PVC or any kind of metal pipe in the hole.  You want it to be long enough to reach the wood yet short enough so it's not really sticking out of the ground too far.  Pour sugar water on the wood, let it soak for a bit, then fill the hole back up with the dirt. The only reason for the pipe is so you have some way to add some more sugar water every once in a while.  PVC will degrade over time in the sun, but use what you have around there.  If your bait trap is in an area where you mow, obviously you want it short enough to mow over it, or have it stick way out and mow around it.

If there are termites around there, they will be attracted to the wet wood.  The sugar will attract the ants initially and they'll take care of the termites.  Next year, dig up one and see what ya got.  No termites and ants?  Good deal.  Put the trap back together.  Repeat on the next trap. The traps aren't going to create termites, but hopefully if there are any in the soil, they'll aim for the trap instead of your house.

Is this a sure fire thing?  No.  Will termites that are already in your building leave for the homemade trap?  No.  But it's cheap, green and it might save you a few bucks.

Just One Step

Our daughter made a comment the other day that when you really get into the eco-friendly lifestyle, you're more aware of how wasteful other people are.  Isn't that the truth.  Some of them just don't know there are alternatives, some have limited time and others just don't give a rat's ass.

Recently when Bill and I were at the grocery store, a woman was in the aisle, clutching a handful of coupons, staring at the 'Mr. Clean ' eraser things.  She commented that she couldn't make up her mind if she should buy the name brand with the coupon or the store brand, which would still be cheaper.  She asked which one I would buy.  I was polite when I told her that I was probably the wrong one to ask, as I would use baking soda to clean anything that needed the eraser thing, so I wouldn't buy either one.  As she was explaining in great detail all the money she saved by using coupons, I was looking at what she had in her cart.  There must have been at least 10 different cleaning products in there.  Sure, she saved $4 because of coupons, but she spent $20 or more when she probably had everything at home to make alternatives that would work just as well.  I have to admit that I was a little saddened because of all the plastic bottles, too.  I hope she recycled, but so many people don't.

I don't want this to be some kind of rant, so I'm putting out a challenge:  Can you take ONE STEP, just ONE STEP each month towards a better world for the future?  Even something as simple as taking your lunch to work one day a week, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of a hamburger, is making a difference.  Another easy step is to unplug things that you aren't using.  Or using a Brita filter pitcher instead of buying bottled water.  Or drinking one less soda pop a day.  Or using your slow cooker more often.  You get the drift, these aren't difficult or truly lifestyle changing, but it all adds up.

I am more extreme than ever since I watched 'No Impact Man', but I'm still looking for ways to be more eco friendly yet not too labor intensive.  And there's a comfort level that I want, too.

My latest change is the cat litter. Over the course of a couple of years, I went from purchased, silicone kitty litter to Feline Pine to making my own w/ recycled newspaper and baking soda to now scooping up straw bits and leaf crumbles from the garden into a 5 gallon bucket to store by litter boxes.  I have a coffee canister with some pine sawdust to sprinkle over the top after I scoop out the poops AKA composting toilet for kitties.  I have five cats inside, but I don't want my house to smell like I have five cats inside, you know?  Oh, I also scooped up a trash can full of straw/leaf crumbles and put that in the shop so it wouldn't freeze solid in the winter. It's easy to go out, dip up a bucketful and bring it into the house.  A lot easier than hauling 20 lb. bags back from the store, I'm telling ya.  Edited 3/9/11:  Well, that didn't last too long as the cats tracked it all over the place.  I think I didn't have enough dirt type stuff in it.  I also quit making the newspaper litter as I had to keep a batch going constantly since I have too many cats.  So, it's back to Feline Pine.  But I did read that some people use chicken scratch grains, so I might try that next.  Or a bale of pine shavings used for bedding.
Another edit 5/1/11:  Well, the pine shavings worked as far as odor control, but man, that stuff can travel when it's clinging to a long haired cat!   We even found a piece on our bed!  So, back to the Feline Pine.
Now, I admit that most people wouldn't go that far, or don't have a garden, etc, but how about makng the switch to a litter that is more eco-friendly like Feline Pine, Yesterday's News or another recycled litter?  No huge life changing step there, but it does make a difference.

Just one step - can you find some little thing to change each month?  Heck, you'll feel so good about yourself after a bit, the next steps will be easy!

Going 'Poo-less?

I bet that caught your attention, but I'm talking about shampoo.

My initial reaction to the idea of going without shampoo was EEUUUUWWW.  I had visions of yukky, smelly hair, and put that idea into the mental file labeled 'too extreme for me'.

I guess I just needed a while to wrap my mind around the concept.  So I decided to take the plunge after watching the film, 'No Impact Man'.  I looked at a bunch of different recipes online and then started to look for traditional ingredients: Castille soap, glycerin, nice smelling essential oil.

We're rural, so had to do some searching for these things.  Here's what I found:
Castile: $14.99 plus shipping - couldn't find it within a 30 mile radius.
Glycerin: $9.99
Lavendar EO: $22.99 (gasp)

Besides not digging the idea of ordering something that had to be shipped, the thought of spending $48 for experimental shampoo just didn't sit just right, ya know?

Back to the drawing board.  I found another site that suggested Borax (yep, honest!) and vinegar for the primary ingredients  for shampoo and conditioner replacements.  I had both on hand already, so I was ready to go!
Shampoo replacement:  1 TBSP Borax mixed in 1 cup of hot water, stir to disolve, then allow to cool.  One cup Borax to one gallon of water if you want to make a jug of it.
Conditioner replacement: 1 part apple cider vinegar to 4 or 5 parts water - I didn't measure.

The verdict:  It worked!!  I was shocked. 

I put each in one of those little ketchup squeeze bottles.  Since I was in the shower, my hair was wet when I got started.  I just squeezed some of the now cold Borax/water around on my scalp and worked it into the rest of my hair... the whole time thinking that this isn't doing anything.  No suds, no cleaning, right?  Or so I thought.  When I rinsed that out, I was surprised that my hair felt softer than what it usually did after using regular shampoo.  It also kind of squeaked, you  know, when you rub something really clean and it squeaks?

Now the vinegar/water conditioner - I did the same thing, just squeezed some on my scalp and rubbed it in the rest of my hair and rinsed.  It didn't smell as bad as I thought it was going to.

After I dried my hair, it looked clean and smelled clean with no vinegar odor. The best things were no tangles, more volume and shiny hair.  I also had an itchy bump that had been there for a while, and now it's smaller and doesn't itch.  I think I like this stuff.

It's weird, washing your hair with something that is watery and non-lathering.  I'll probably keep using it, but I'm not taking the regular shampoo and conditioner to the other bathroom yet.  I might decide to lather up once in a while.  Even if I just use the alternative every other time, I'll still be cutting my 'poo and conditioner consumerism plus the plastic bottles in half.

Later:  I now have used it twice, and honestly, I do like it.  It rinses out so much faster than gobs of suds, and seems to dry faster.  My naturally wavy hair seems a little curlier, too.  The purchased shampoo and conditioner probably won't be in my shower much longer.

This Changed My Outlook

I recently saw the film 'No Impact Man'.  And here I thought I was doing a good job of lowering my impact.  I have to admit that it inspired me to try to do more.

Today I tried to watch 'Meat the Truth'.  Tried and failed.  I couldn't stick it out just because I knew it was going to put me in a sad mood and I already knew some of what she was talking about.  But mostly because I was getting low, really quick.  And I'm in a really good mood today!  I'm sure it's a great film to watch, so I'll try it another day.

Another really good one is 'The Story of Stuff'.  It gave me a new prospective with everything I buy (what little that is).

There is also one about  how farmers ended up fighting Monsanto (the bastards).  I wish I could remember the name of that documentary.  One thing for sure, it left a HUGE impression on me, and was quite enlightening.  I did some research and found that Monsanto (the bastards) own a boatload of seed companies, so I will always get heirloom plants and seed from organic outlets that have NO connections to Monsanto (the bastards).  Do some research and you'll see how they are helping to starve poor communities with their suicide gene in all their seed.