A few weeks ago I noticed termite droppings under our bed. I did what any level-headed person would do: I ignored it and told myself I was imagining it. Then Andrey noticed it and by bringing it up, the possibility of termites that was stored in the "Don't want to deal with it" file in my brain was accessed and brought to my fore brain where I realized I'd better do something about it.
So when I gave our landlord the rent payment on Tuesday I mentioned it to her and she sent someone over today to have a look. Two men flipped the bed on it's side to inspect by tapping all around the edges to find the termites. I guess they found at least one because then the guy had one in his hand and he showed it to me. Gross! My head is suddenly itching as I type this. I hate critters!
So they injected and saturated the wooden bed with cancer-causing chemicals and proceeded to replace my mattress and sheets and pillows. No thanks! I told them to just leave those things in the other room. We'll be sleeping in the guest bedroom tonight and until we figure out if we want to continue to use that thing. Does sleeping on a bed infested with and treated for termites sound strange to any of you? It sure does to me, too. And that's for two reasons:
1. There were termites in my bed. Now there are dead termites in my bed. It's my bed, where I sleep. At night, with the lights turned out. I know I'm not made of wood and the likelihood of them crawling on me is small but the thought of those things bed-sharing is more than a little creepy.
2. I really don't like the idea of sleeping on wood that is soaked with chemicals that I usually try to avoid.
I hate pest control chemicals. I hate them. When/if my residence has to be sprayed, I try to leave the house for the entire day. Currently my entire bedroom is thick with that smell. And it's not about the smell so much as it is about the fact that the smell is an indicator of the presence of the chemicals. I've been running the fan with the windows and door opened all day and it's still so thick. I hate it because every time I inhale it I worry about cancer. So I hold my breath when I have to go in there but that means I can't stay very long. It's my bedroom! I have stuff to do in there.
I really don't know what to do about these things. When we moved in we found tick-infested base boards in the part of the house that the past tenant's dog lived in. We also have roaches and after they sprayed when we first moved in, we found a dead rat. And since then, we've seen a mouse or two in our kitchen. Oh great, now my head is itching again. I'm so grossed out by the thought of these things. Now nobody is going to want to stay here as our guests! I promise it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. We now keep our fruit bowl where the mouse can't reach it. We never leave food out and so we really haven't seen much of it since then. And I think I've had to kill 2 roaches in the last 6 months. It's just easy to exaggerate these things.
I can't imagine what it'd be like had we never been sprayed. What are you supposed to do when you live in a tropical place? Is there any alternative? Anybody have any input?
If it were up to me (if I felt I had a choice) I would never have those chemicals come anywhere near me. Like I said, I hate them. I hate the thought of them and worse, I hate wondering if my liver is doing a good job processing the toxins I am inevitably inhaling. I try not to worry. I pray and say Lord, no doubt YOU are bigger than all of this. My hope is in you. Please protect me from the potential impact of these chemicals. I know I am probably exaggerating and I know that there are lots of other chemicals that I inhale/consume that I'm just not aware of but having had cancer before, it's just a little too touchy and real for me, especially with something I feel I should have some control over. Which is the better of two evils? The chemicals or the critters? I struggle with the same thing regarding bug spray. Since dengue fever is common here, and I have been told that because I lack a spleen that I'd better not risk getting it, I have started using bug spray more often - especially in the rainy season when dengue is more prevalent. But I don't like the idea of DEET being absorbed by my skin. So I buy a lower strength form of "Off" made for kids and that seems to work at least for a couple of hours. I just don't like the idea of applying that stuff daily. Every time I use it I think the same things - how I'm inhaling it, my skin is absorbing it, cancer, if I use my hands to apply it does it really come off with soap and water or am I consuming it as well when I eat and happen to lick a finger? Wow. Now I think I sound like a nut job. Am I being unreasonable? Help!
8 comments:
Don't know what to say, Jen, except that I received alot of pretty unseemly looking black fly bites last week. And now am applying insect repellent when I go close to the woods as well.
As usual, the "B" word (balance) applies. And our help comes from God. Even in these matters.
If you are nuts then I am too. When we moved here we were told to fumigate twice a year. We haven't done it even once. I can't get my head around the chemicals either. I'd much rather kill the odd cockroach. Not that I like roaches. But as long as it's not an infestation I'd rather not turn to chemicals, no matter how "no toxico" they claim they are.
Wait, what I said is not true. One time we had them come and do the drains only. Didn't change the frequency of cucaracha visits at all. At one point we were finding and killing as many as 7 cockroaches in our laundry room in the mornings. Since I stopped stashing dry dog food in that area, the numbers have dropped to rare sightings. If we were finding them everywhere and in our pantry and stuff I might not defer the fumigations, but as long as they're mostly in the laundry room and rare at that, I won't call pest control.
Some neighbors have trouble with termites but so far we have been spared. Ants are always scouting so we have to be fairly diligent about putting food away and getting dishes done.
I also don't like to use bug spray. Heck, I don't even like to use sunscreen if I don't have to. We just dart from shadow to shadow during the day.
I'm with you all the way! And like Marilyn said, if it comes to the point where serious pest control is in order, we trust God to take care of us. I do the best I can with our foods but organics are few and far between here. I know that God led us here and I know He thought about that too and so I don't have to spend energy worrying about it.
lots of love from one cockroachy, termitey and dengue-y country to another
xo Jen, you are not crazy. i think about chemical exposure all the time--and don't live in a dengue-y country or termitey country!!
It's only fair that you of all people would like to avoid cancer--I'm sure all of us would like to avoid it once, but twice would be imperative. I'm willing to bet God made SOMEthing that either 1, deters critters naturally, or, 2, is unsavoury to critters (ie, cement? lol)...have you tried to research online for critter deterrants that don't contain chemicals? I'm voting for a new bedframe.
Sorry to have freaked you out with my Lost: One pound and one small boy title.
I thought it might raise some curiosity, but I didn't think it would freak anyone out. Def. no one actually lost (except, perhaps, my mind).
xo
:-)
i love that you are "wondering if your liver is doing a good job" hehe, that's great. i NEVER wonder that!
oh you poor girl(and andrey), it sounds like my manila house + pesticides. i hope the animals die by natural causes, not on your property or requiring more poisons! is that helpful? :)
get a new bed. I have been a little freaked out because for Matt's birthday OP people got him a worm bin to compost our vegetable waste. Great idea huh? But even though those little wormies are outside I couldn't help but ponder the possibility of them coming into the house, squirming their way upstairs and making a home in a body cavity. What the ? I have something seriously wrong with me.
We have a holoholo friend who recently spent a month in Manila in the squatter villages. She sent a hilarious email about walking at night and seeing a rat. In her desperation to get away and not freak the group out she ended up stepping on the bugger!!! That is so sick!
Much love little Jen!
Yuck. New bed made of metal.
On the other hand maybe the termites keep the spiders at bay. Did you know that an average of 7to 10 spider crawl across your body every night will you sleep? It goes up to about 13 if you're in a basement. See? Now you're not thinking about the termites so much anymore. :)
Hey Jen, I can send you some "glue boards" like we use here in Wetumpka, Alabama. You just place the card board thing in a corner or under the sink or bed and when the critter crawls over it (they like the smell of the glue I think) they get stuck. Now you have to get over the part about the critter starving to death. I use the boards in my garage for mice. The worst that has happened is when a bird got stuck and I had to place the board and bird in a grocery bag and smash it with the back of a shovel. Sounds very cruel, but I didn't know what else to do. During winter we have field mice come in from the cold. Oh, I remember, you don't have cold weather. Love you so much..am loving the book. Auntie Jan
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