Don't build from wood. Thats the only surefire method of keeping carpenter
ants from eating your house in the northwest. Now, unlike termites, ants
don't actually eat wood, as my grandpa delights in telling me. But they
chew it up and turn beams into little piles of sawdust, so from a practical
standpoint, they might as well.
On 3/4/07, Thomas Kelly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Mike,
For what it's worth:
Termites chew the plant matter, including wood, but it is the
microbes
in their gut that digest it. Termites, like all animals, lack the enzyme
cellulase, needed to break down plant cell walls.
As I understand it, the microbes are obligate anaerobes and are
sensitive to O2. I've heard that high levels of O2 kill their
endosymbiotic
microbes and the termites then starve to death. I don't know if this is a
practical means of eliminating termites or if it is done commercially.
Tom
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Weaver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 9:48 AM
Subject: [Biofuel] Termites - Re: Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
Speaking of termites - any advice for a environmentally benign way to
keep them under control?
-Mike
Keith Addison wrote:
>Hello Wendell
>
><snip>
>
>
>
>> By the way, I seem to recall that termites are the source
>>of 20 percent of the world's methane. I am no entomologist --is
>>there any known benefit to man or beast from termites?
>>If not, let's get 'em!
>>
>>
>
>Right, let's kill them all! Termite-caused global warming has to be
>stopped in its tracks. There can't be anything important about
>termites anyway, I mean they only produce 20% of the world's methane
>after all, and only about two-thirds of the world's dead plants go
>through termites in the organic matter cycle, obviously they're
>totally useless to man and beast. Anyway, if we can wipe them out and
>lose that methane maybe we can go right on guzzle-guzzle-guzzling for
>a few days or weeks longer before we hit Cold Turkey time on the
>fossil fuels. What do you think we should use, DDT or malathion?
>
>What about the methane from wild ruminants, you forgot about them -
>there are millions and millions of antelope and wildebees in the
>Serengeti for instance, if we don't go right in there and kill them
>they'll just go right on farting.
>
>Same applies to all these useless creatures, if they can't live
>without being so irresponsible then they just have to go.
>
>Nature knows best, and if Nature was capable of making these
>decisions for herself she wouldn't have given us brains to do it for
>her, right?
>
>Best
>
>Keith
>
>
>
>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Wendell
>>
>>
>>
>>>From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>Date: 2007/03/02 Fri AM 04:13:55 CST
>>>To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>>>
>>>
>>>Hi Terry
>>>
>>>Thanks for finding the ref.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hi Keith,
>>>>
>>>>You asked for a link to the the UCS quote. It was from the Green
>>>>Issue of the Vancouver Sun newspaper in Nov. (Vancouver, BC, Can.)
>>>>The actual quote was, Methane produced by waste on cattle and hog
>>>>farms is as hard on the atmospher as 33 million cars. 18% of total
>>>>global emissions.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>But 33 million cars is only about 15% of the number of vehicles in
>>>the US, let alone globally, how can that equal 18% of global
>>>emissions?
>>>
>>>"Cattle and hog farms" means CAFOs, not farms, or at least in the
>>>vast majority of cases. I don't think that's the same as what you
>>>said, "the total of all livestock on this planet".
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>I think the meat industry would account for a lot more than a paltry
>>>>>33 million cars' worth of GHGs.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>I still think that. The claim of 18% of global emissions from CAFOs
>>>doesn't sound unreasonable, but the cars bit can't be right, seems to
>>>me.
>>>
>>>Thanks Terry.
>>>
>>>Best
>>>
>>>Keith
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Terry Dyck
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>>>>To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>>>>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>>>>>Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:26:10 +0900
>>>>>
>>>>>Hello Terry
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Hi Kirk,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>If all of us did what we should be doing our houses would be one
>>>>>>room heated with Geo Thermal, hot water and electricity by solar and
>>>>>>we would walk or bike almost everywere
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>This:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>and we would be totally Vegan.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>... is nonsense, as we've established quite thoroughly many times.
>>>>>Please go to the archives and check it out.
>>>>>
>>>>>There is no way of raising crops sustainably without using livestock
>>>>>in the production system. No vegetarian farming system has ever
>>>>>survived the test of time.
>>>>>
>>>>>Please don't argue about it until you've checked it out, no need to
>>>>>go over the same old ground yet another time.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that because of the amount
>>>>>>of Methane gas caused from feed lots, etc. that the total of all
>>>>>>livestock on this planet is equivalent to taking 33 million cars of
>>>>>>the road.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>"Feed lots, etc"? What does the "etc" mean?
>>>>>
>>>>>I'm sure the amount of GHGs emitted by trees etc is even worse,
>>>>>should we cut them all down too?
>>>>>
>>>>>"Do trees share blame for global warming?"
>>>>>http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0119/p13s01-sten.html
>>>>>"Globally, living plants may contribute from 10 to 30 percent of
>>>>>global methane emissions."
>>>>>
>>>>>I haven't seen the UCS report you mention, would you give us a
>>>>>reference or a link please?
>>>>>
>>>>>Anyway you're talking about feedlots, CAFOs, Confined Animal Feeding
>>>>>Operations, industrialised factory farms. No CAFOs no meat? That's
>>>>>the same mistake enviros make when they attack fuel ethanol because
>>>>>they don't like Archer Daniel Midlands and Cargill. There are other
>>>>>ways of doing things, as we ought to know by now.
>>>>>
>>>>>There've been a number of high-profile critiques of industrial meat
>>>>>production and global warming, this is the main one:
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm
>>>>>Livestock's long shadow - Environmental issues and options
>>>>>Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
>>>>>
>>>>>Feedlot cattle, pigs and poultry eat industrialised grain, produced
>>>>>with high dependence on fossil-fuel inputs and at high environmental
>>>>>cost, and the same applies to the CAFO livestock production system
>>>>>itself. Check out how carbon-neutral industrialised grain turns out
>>>>>to be. Pastured livestock eat forage.
>>>>>
>>>>>With CAFOs most of the methane emissions result from the manure
>>>>>storage, especially in with pigs. With pastured livestock, especially
>>>>>with rotational pasture, the manure provides the soil fertility to
>>>>>produce multiple following crops, displaces the need for fossil-fuel
>>>>>based chemical fertilisers, and does so at a healthy profit. Such
>>>>>pasture soils sequester very large amounts of carbon.
>>>>>
>>>>>I think the meat industry would account for a lot more than a paltry
>>>>>33 million cars' worth of GHGs. Well so what, it doesn't have any
>>>>>future anyway, any more than the rest of the industrial agriculture
>>>>>disaster does. It's fossil-fuel dependent every step of the way, and
>>>>>measured in food miles that comes to a hell of a long way. It'll bust
>>>>>all their bottom-lines when carbon accounting starts hitting the
>>>>>global trade it depends on, the insane distribution system, the
>>>>>processing. Apart from all of which CAFOs have become a major
>>>>>bio-hazard.
>>>>>
>>>>>No need for it anyway. The future is small, sustainable, family-run
>>>>>mixed farms with integrated crop and livestock production, low input,
>>>>>high output, local markets.
>>>>>
>>>>>Best
>>>>>
>>>>>Keith
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Terry Dyck
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>From: Kirk McLoren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>>>Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>>>>>>To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>>>>>>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>>>>>>>Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:45:14 -0800 (PST)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The message is - It isnt really that important. If it were I
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>would do it.
>>
>>
>>>>>>>So how true is it - at least to him.
>>>>>>>If it doent motivate him maybe he knows something we dont.
>>>>>>>So of all people to squander energy it shouldnt be him.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>You might want to look into Cripple Creek Coal which he is on the
>>>>>>>board of directors.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Kirk
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Tom Irwin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>>>>> Hi Kirk and all,
>>>>>>>When the message cannot be attacked then attack the messenger. Ok,
>>>>>>>so Gore doesn´t walk the talk. How many of us do? We try to, but
>>>>>>>there is a long way to go for most everyone in the developed world.
>>>>>>>It´s the message that´s inportant, not the man.
>>>>>>>Tom Irwin
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>---------------------------------
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>From: Kirk McLoren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>>>Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>>>>>>To: biofuel <Biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
>>>>>>>Subject: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>>>>>>>Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:57:43 -0800 (PST)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>
>
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>
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