I am raising worms. Reportedly, worms love rotting bannanas, so my Mother saved some and froze them for me to feed to my worms. A day after I put the bannanas in the bins, I opened the lid to check on them. The inside of the lid and the sides of the bins were completely covered with worms. I had never seen more than five or six of the African Nightcrawlers on the lid, and had never seen more than three of the Red Wigglers on the lid! What the heck??
I dug around looking for any problems, scooped all the worms back into the bin and went about my business. Next day was a repeat performance. I removed all traces of the bannanas and scooped the worms back into the bins.
The next day? Back to normal. No mass escape attempts, not even one worm on the lids or sides. I checked that they had not all died, and they were fine, happily eating cantaloupe rind.
So why did they have such a rapid and negative response to banannas??
Things that happen to bannanas before you buy them:
The new plants buds (corms) are fumigated, and growing is supported with fertilizer, fungicide, pesticides, and herbicide for weed control.
The fruits grow for a year and are directly sprayed with pesticide each week.
Less than a month before natural ripening, the ripening can be delayed (in response to market demand) by applying or injecting into the stalk the substance gibberellin, a plant hormone that regulates growth used to delay natural ripening on the plant.
When banannas are harvested they are bathed in a solution containing pesticide.
After harvesting, to increase sweetness and flavor while saving money, the unripe banannas are artificially prevented from ripening for up to four weeks during shipping. This includes treating with fungicide and packing them with a a block that will offgas potassium permanganate. (Potassium permanganate is an inorganic chemical oxidising agent with disinfectant, deodorising and astringent properties, used primarily to control taste and odors, remove color, control biological growth in treatment plants, and remove iron and manganese and is considered a poor disinfectant.)
Prior to local delivery to stores, bananas are artificially ripened using 2 to 3 exposures to ethylene gas at 1: 1000, or 6 hourly applications for 1 to 4 days, depending on the speed of ripening desired, while carefully controlling temperature and humidity. Ethylene is a gaseous hormone that is naturally produced by plants in small amounts. It is also artificially produced by imdustry. It kills chlorophyll which allows fruits to appear ripe (not green colored anymore). It is a hormone that in natural plant cycles promotes female flowering!
I dug around looking for any problems, scooped all the worms back into the bin and went about my business. Next day was a repeat performance. I removed all traces of the bannanas and scooped the worms back into the bins.
The next day? Back to normal. No mass escape attempts, not even one worm on the lids or sides. I checked that they had not all died, and they were fine, happily eating cantaloupe rind.
So why did they have such a rapid and negative response to banannas??
Things that happen to bannanas before you buy them:
The new plants buds (corms) are fumigated, and growing is supported with fertilizer, fungicide, pesticides, and herbicide for weed control.
The fruits grow for a year and are directly sprayed with pesticide each week.
Less than a month before natural ripening, the ripening can be delayed (in response to market demand) by applying or injecting into the stalk the substance gibberellin, a plant hormone that regulates growth used to delay natural ripening on the plant.
When banannas are harvested they are bathed in a solution containing pesticide.
After harvesting, to increase sweetness and flavor while saving money, the unripe banannas are artificially prevented from ripening for up to four weeks during shipping. This includes treating with fungicide and packing them with a a block that will offgas potassium permanganate. (Potassium permanganate is an inorganic chemical oxidising agent with disinfectant, deodorising and astringent properties, used primarily to control taste and odors, remove color, control biological growth in treatment plants, and remove iron and manganese and is considered a poor disinfectant.)
Prior to local delivery to stores, bananas are artificially ripened using 2 to 3 exposures to ethylene gas at 1: 1000, or 6 hourly applications for 1 to 4 days, depending on the speed of ripening desired, while carefully controlling temperature and humidity. Ethylene is a gaseous hormone that is naturally produced by plants in small amounts. It is also artificially produced by imdustry. It kills chlorophyll which allows fruits to appear ripe (not green colored anymore). It is a hormone that in natural plant cycles promotes female flowering!
I'm not a rooster, but I reserve the right to crow! 1 husband who wants a rooster and will not get it, one son who flew the coop, one lovely german shepherd, one amazing adopted farm dog, three gold sex links, two who hit 17 weeks old the first week of July and laid first eggs 7-15-12!!
I'm not a rooster, but I reserve the right to crow! 1 husband who wants a rooster and will not get it, one son who flew the coop, one lovely german shepherd, one amazing adopted farm dog, three gold sex links, two who hit 17 weeks old the first week of July and laid first eggs 7-15-12!!
I so agree with you Redhen!! Disgusting!
