Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Friday - July 18, 2008
From: Millcove, PE
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Burning sulfur over coals in the home for insect control.
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
Is burning sulfur(over hot coals) in your home a safe way of getting rid of ants and insects?ANSWER:
That would be a BAD, BAD, BAD idea! Burning coals in the home is a deadly endeavor. Charcoal releases tremendous amounts of carbon monoxide when burned and can quickly poison the air inside a home.
Moreover, sulfur burned in the home would leave a foul stench that would linger for some time and would probably not be very effective against the pests, either.
Shortly after immigrating to America, Mr. Smarty Plants' grandfather was living in a New York tenement along with 2 or 3 million roaches. One Friday, he left for the weekend to visit his brother in New Jersey. Just before leaving set he off a sulfur bomb in his apartment and locked the place up. Upon his return on Sunday evening he found his neighbors ready to lynch him. My much better educated grandfather found a new place to live the next day. True story.
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