Showing posts with label Pesticides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pesticides. Show all posts

September 10, 2015

Just Frogs



What's with the frog infatuation--especially associated with ice cream and frozen yogurt (SweetFrog, Frogg's Ice Cream, Frosty Frog, etc.)?

According to Save The Frogs, some interesting facts:

- There are over 6,300 species of frogs and toads (a close, warty relative of the frog). 

- They range from just 9 mm to over 30 mm and 6.6 lbs, and can live from a few years to as many as 30-years (ol' frog river uncaring with the flow of the Mississippi). 

- Frogs are amphibians developing in their larval state in water as herbivores, but as adults living on land as carnivores (flies anyone).

- Toads tend to have poisonous secretions as does the Poison Dart Frog (maybe the princess should not be kissing that frog).

- Australian Stony Creek Frogs build nests for their eggs just like birds (got to protect those youngins). 

- Wood frogs adapt to the freezing cold by stopping their breathing, blood flow, and heartbeat (now that's extreme hibernation).

- Similarly, Burrowing Frogs survive hot, dry climates by slowing their metabolism and shedding their skin into a protective mosture-retaining cocoon, and others can live underground for as many as 10 months and surface in mass when the rains come (like the 2nd plague in Egypt).

- Pesticides, fertilizers, and parasites have been increasing deformities in frogs such as missing limbs or having 6 legs (making jumping on 3 legs a bitch and jumping on 6 an unfair advantage). 

Frogs are a great illustration of how to "adopt or die" with the emphasis on living and thriving forward--not so sure though about frog-flavored ice cream. ;-)

(Source Photos: Andy Blumenthal)

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May 2, 2014

Die Bed Bugs, Die

So our daughter went off to college and brought us home a present--bed bugs!

This was the worst--at first we didn't understand why we were getting itchy bites.

Eventually, with some research and inspection, we figured it out

We tried to treat it ourselves--powders, sprays, encasements, and more--all to no avail. 

We also threw out all the bedding and even the beds.

We were losing sleep and patience--big time. 

We finally hired a serious exterminator who brought in these huge heaters and blasted our place for about 6 hours at something like 140 degrees. 

That should kill those and any other buggers bothering us.

When I got home--it was an oven and I couldn't even change my clothes because the workers were still here at it. 

I spent 5 hours cleaning up afterwards in the boiling house and even with all the windows open, it was like an oven and impossible to sleep last night--tossing and turning.

It was hell, but hopefully it's over--may I never see another vermin like this again. ;-)

(Source Photo: here, although Lynnwood is not the company we used, you get the idea)
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