DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO!

Having been involved in most all aspects and activities of Branch 3 Structural Pest Control for over 47 years, I have a pretty good understanding of, and respect for, chemicals used for the control of termites, wood boring beetle and dry rot fungus that may be found feeding on and degrading our wooden structures. Through out the years I’ve seen many compounds, chemicals and practices get suspended, set aside, made illegal and made to be more environmentally acceptable. My whole thought process concerning the chemicals used in WDO (wood destroying organism) control has also changed quite a bit. My thinking in the early years (thanks to self serving employers I worked for) was “Wow, chemicals are great and THE answer, THE ONLY answer to ridding us of these terrible, wood damaging pests”. However, over the years my attitude changed as experience, education and observing the results of misapplied chemical applications and/or use of improper chemical compounds had negative effects on non-target insects, animals, humans and the environment in general.

My feelings now are more like “Let’s avoid using ‘them’ if at all possible”. The problem is, controlling and getting the upper hand on WDO infections/infestations can be difficult to near impossible without employing chemical treatments. Also, we get lulled into a sense of false of security by the chemical manufacturers because of their (the manufacturers) slick advertising and assurances of how utterly safe their products are. The trouble is, we usually don’t find out for many, many years after the products have been in use that there ARE adverse side effects that no one ever knew about, tested for or even imagined could or would occur. With these kinds of possibilities out there, environmentally concerned people fight ‘tooth and nail’ against chemical treatments/applications of any type. These people come unglued if a neighbor has some sort of treatment done on their property, or, God help you if you try to treat their property or get any of that ‘stuff’ anywhere near them!

But, that is where I’m going with this discussion. It’s amazing to me that is their thinking until they have a WDO problem in their home. Suddenly, they start talking in a way different direction! Recently a past client who was experiencing what sounded over the phone as a ‘swarming’ episode in their home by subterranean termites contacted me. This person, besides being extremely stressed over the situation, proclaims to be an almost rabid environmentalist. But suddenly, what with the ‘monster bugs’ eating their home and getting in their face, ‘nuclear’ strength chemicals are OK to be employed to eradicate the intruders! How could this person’s convictions be reversed 180 degrees so quickly? I see this time and again as the calendar flips by, and, I just have to shake my head. These are the same people that give us grief and try to tell us how we need to conduct our lives and lifestyles, push their narrow agenda’s on our various levels of government, and yet, when push comes to shove, they break all their own rules and so-called convictions and embrace the practices of the rest of the world. I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’m pretty sure it can be found somewhere in the middle with a mutual understanding and respect of some kind. But then, what do I know?