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is it time to bring back DDT?

Fanatical Meat

Fanatical Meat

Lifer
I was very, very young but I do remember the bug spray truck driving around the neighborhood. With Zika and bed bugs coming back big time is it smart to allow limited and appropriate use of DDT?
I believe DDT is an incredibly effective bug killer it just has some undesirable side effects. What's your thoughts AT?
 
We should spray it directly on bald eagle eggs so the bugs don't kill the baby bald eagles.
 
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When I was a kid, I would see one, maybe two, red tail hawks a year. I never saw a wild eagle while growing up. Never saw a peregrine, a kestrel, a swainson's hawk, or a prairie falcon. That's what DDT does.
 
IronWing said:
When I was a kid, I would see one, maybe two, red tail hawks a year. I never saw a wild eagle while growing up. Never saw a peregrine, a kestrel, a swainson's hawk, or a prairie falcon. That's what DDT does.
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I'm really wondering if there is an appropriate amount that would prevent that from happening or if the sight of zika deformed babies become so normal will we say f-the birds.
 
Fanatical Meat said:
I was very, very young but I do remember the bug spray truck driving around the neighborhood. With Zika and bed bugs coming back big time is it smart to allow limited and appropriate use of DDT?
I believe DDT is an incredibly effective bug killer it just has some undesirable side effects. What's your thoughts AT?
Click to expand...

The mosquito truck driving down suburban streets spewing aerosol-ized poison
is your idea of fond childhood memories? Timmy that's not the ice cream truck quit chasing it. ()🙂

The state of the art has advanced a bit since then. I doubt we need DDT as the current versions are likely as effective with less risk of known side effects.


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ddt-use-to-combat-malaria/
 
Risk-reward doesn't make sense in the U.S. especially for the political blowback that would follow from the uninformed. However in Africa it should remain an option since WHO wisely revised its recommendations a while back. Providing some funds and training to reduce its application to the minimum effective dose would be a good use of funds however.
 
monkeydelmagico said:
The mosquito truck driving down suburban streets spewing aerosol-ized poison
is your idea of fond childhood memories? Timmy that's not the ice cream truck quit chasing it. ()🙂

The state of the art has advanced a bit since then. I doubt we need DDT as the current versions are likely as effective with less risk of known side effects.


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ddt-use-to-combat-malaria/
Click to expand...

If they're just as effective why are bedbugs doing so well?
You stayed inside while they sprayed. I know it sounds weird today.
I do remember them spraying and there would be no bugs any where. We lived near a swamp or what's called wetlands today.
 
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Use DDT (or any means necessary) to genocide mosquitoes at current outbreak locations.
South Florida for example....
 
Jaskalas said:
Use DDT (or any means necessary) to genocide mosquitoes at current outbreak locations.
South Florida for example....
Click to expand...
I was on the edge of being in favor of this, but it appears to be something that really can't be stopped, only slowed. And, it appears that Zika vaccines are almost here. Cue the conspiracy nutcases, since you have "Big Pharma" and Monsanto coming together on this one. 😛
 
Apparently the reports that led to the banning of DDT were kind of done in the same manner of the reports linking vaccines to autism.

Ever since DDT has been banned tens of millions of people have died due to the resurgence of diseases like malaria.

DDT works so lets go kill those little biting bastards.
 
DrPizza said:
I was on the edge of being in favor of this, but it appears to be something that really can't be stopped, only slowed. And, it appears that Zika vaccines are almost here. Cue the conspiracy nutcases, since you have "Big Pharma" and Monsanto coming together on this one. 😛
Click to expand...

Funny I literally entered this thread to say. I believe zika will be similar to Ebola once it meets modern medicine and paying patients.
My DDT discussion I meant to be a lets think about it.
I'm saying if you've found mosquitoes in traps that have Zika maybe its time to bust out the DDT for a limited period & area.
 
Eh... it wouldn't be as effective as people thing due to built-up resistance, let alone other environmental and health problems that come from using it. DDT isn't a magic bullet for mosquito control. It was certainly effective when it was first out, but pest management cannot rely on one means of control.
 
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rudder said:
Apparently the reports that led to the banning of DDT were kind of done in the same manner of the reports linking vaccines to autism.

Ever since DDT has been banned tens of millions of people have died due to the resurgence of diseases like malaria.

DDT works so lets go kill those little biting bastards.
Click to expand...
Critters had been developing resistance to DDT well before the US mostly banned the use of the pesticide.

Other places in the world have not stopped the use of DDT. However, there are areas where spraying is ineffective due to widespread resistance. Other areas only allow indoor spraying. Finally, the pesticide is not as effective in some tropical areas as reproduction is ongoing, rather than following seasonal cycles.
 
Fanatical Meat said:
I'm really wondering if there is an appropriate amount that would prevent that from happening or if the sight of zika deformed babies become so normal will we say f-the birds.
Click to expand...
What we need are wind turbines that emit DDT. Wind turbines killing birds is OK so who will be the wiser?
 
I remember eating duck eggs on my uncle's farm, where he used DDT and other pesticides very responsibly and in strict accordance with the labels, which he always read. The egg shells were like rubber.

No thanks to bringing DDT back.
 
We should have a replacement by now. Where is the GMO virus that only kills mosquitoes, or some drug that makes our blood poison to them?

The progress of awesome in Sci Fis makes real life seem so boring sometimes.
 
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