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Killing Insects and Household Pests...
Okay, I'm picking up from a post Federica made on another thread, but I figured it should be a new topic. How do you all feel about killing insects or pests that are invading your home? I'm not talking about stepping on an ant deliberately if you see one, I'm referring to say, calling an exterminator for termites, bed bugs or mice. Is there a difference between hiring a professional to do it and treating it yourself? Is either okay? With an exterminator, you aren't directly killing, but you are hiring someone to kill. Is there a difference?
If I see a lone spider or ant, I catch it and put him safely outside. I am also careful to take preventative measures, etc. But what if one finds themselves with a serious infestation, say bed bugs or termites, something you cannot simply "remove"?? What are your views on this?
If I see a lone spider or ant, I catch it and put him safely outside. I am also careful to take preventative measures, etc. But what if one finds themselves with a serious infestation, say bed bugs or termites, something you cannot simply "remove"?? What are your views on this?
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Living in a rural area with no pest-disease problems, we brought The Mouse Family to a field and let them loose.
Easy to make the cage out of 1/4 inch wire mesh and a glue gun
Cover the cage, put fluff inside it too, so they don't freeze if it's cold.
But what about the things you CAN'T catch and release, say termites, which are inside the wood supporting your house? You cannot simply remove them. What then?
(I don't have any pest problems, this is all hypothetical; I've been wondering about this for some time)
Bees, wasps? Put a cup over them and slide paper under cup lip, take outside.
Termites: exterminate. Carpenter ants: exterminate. Sorry. It's a war with those species. meanwhile eliminate damp conditions to prevent them from advancing to be slaughtered.
Main thing? This guy I know, we were standing outside on the driveway fifty feet from his house, he sees an ant crawling harmlessly on the pavement and he thoughtlessly smashes it with his jackboot! THAT guy is NOT what you want to be!
I too see people stepping on spiders or squashing a bug that's outside and not even in their house. It actually makes me cringe. I can't help but to say "Why?! Why would you kill him, he's outside where he belongs!"
In the future do what you can to actively discourage, or better, prevent them from making your home into their home. Other than keep things dry, I forget the other specific precautions homeowners should take.
IM_H_O of course
CW, you're right about preventing termites. Always keep wood from contact with soil and take care of moisture problems! Also, people tend to surround their homes with mulch, which of course is chopped wood, which is termite food! Mulch is BAD!!!
Might have to get a dehumidifier and run it for a few month$ a year.
So I thought about right livelihood, and the ethics of it, etc. I decided that I could feel okay doing it with a couple of conditions: 1. I will never personally kill anything, 2. I won't recommend to customers to kill anything (only recommend an inspection, and then he (my boss/ex) can determine what needs to be done). It was a hard decision, but it was a rare chance for me, being disabled to have some part time income. I've tailored it quite nicely, if I do say so myself. I teach customers PREVENTATIVE measures, which my boss/ex advocates, and so I take comfort in knowing that I am preventing creature deaths as well. I've also implemented "green products" to our product line, which makes me feel like I am contributing to the environment by offering an alternative to harmful chemicals. So I've come to some sense of peace with it.
Sometimes, like I said, I will destroy the hapless insect if it's a mosquito, an unidentifiable spider, untrappable fly, or in-season moths (can be a mess if they lay eggs indoors). The intention is to respect these miniature living things while, at the same time, not driving yourself crazy by expectations of perfection in assuring their well-being.
Fascinating story, laurajean, about all the consideration you gave to accepting your job.
Same with bed bugs. They are not only in the bed, but they are in other areas, crevices, cracks, upholstery, seems in cloth, etc. Easily spread from room to room, even home to home (like child sleepovers hitching rides in duffle bags),living in couches, etc. They come out at night, and live on blood. So you can't even find them without thorough looking, and even if you see them, there are thousands of eggs and larvae invisible to the human eye, much like fleas, only worse.
When we (my company) treat for bed bugs, we instruct the customer to remove everything, from drawers, closets, wash and bag their clothes and linens for weeks, etc. There must be a thorough chemical treatment, and even then, there must be multiple treatments in order to break the reproduction cycle and get them all.
That's why I posed the question. Some "pests" cannot be removed without killing them. I wish there was a way, believe me I do.
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/9543/china-vs.-tibet:-a-good-articles#Item_37
China vs. Tibet
I think instead of being obsessed with precepts (like commandments) a Buddhist should just do what is practical. Use your heart and head to tell you what is right for you, don't depend on rule books.
I'm cool with bugs, but I feed live ones to my bearded dragon everyday. They're just her food the same way someone might eat chicken or beef from a bowl of soup. Except my dragons food is more fresh than the meat you eat.
My point: be nice to insects but it's okay to set your own swat/no-swat limits.
Here's a photo of some close friends!
At least, in the beginning we did.
Now,we're far more welcoming.
Did you know it was once illegal to keep bees in NYC? Thanks largely to the tireless campaign of one individual, not only is it now legal, it's positively encouraged. There are literally millions of rooftop and balcony gardens in the city and people actually have beehives there.
But there are less welcome intruders making their natural homes in cities.
cockroaches, rats and bed-bugs, to name but three.
And while their presence is largely due to our welcoming carelessness, they harbour disease, harmful bacteria and really, really nasty germs....
There are apparently two rats for every NYC inhabitant, and it's a battle to control them.
I read in one of Lama Surya Das' books that a Buddhist monastery was obliged for health and safety reasons, to call in the exterminators to deal with a particularly nasty roach infestation.
The monks were reluctant, and had tried to accommodate their little insect friends at first, but their welcoming compassion turned on them, and the rapidly became outnumbered....No choice but to eradicate them.
But they did think long and hard, and even consulted their "Mother Monastery" in Nepal, I believe.....
It became a case of "The needs of the few over-riding the needs of the many"....
So even the most mindful, compassionate and caring of individuals may have to make hard decisions....