{"id":38378,"date":"2013-04-15T21:26:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-16T02:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=38378"},"modified":"2021-09-28T21:33:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T02:33:30","slug":"a-natural-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-natural-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"A Natural Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

LA Times<\/p><\/div>\n

I found yet another interesting article in the paper today. Bed bugs have been making a comeback and scientists are looking for solutions that don’t involve chemicals. A traditional defense against bed bugs in eastern Europe is to spread kidney bean leaves on the floor and to the scientists’ surprise, the leaves are very effective. Kidney bean “leaves possess a natural defense against hungry insects predators, stopping leaf-eaters in their tracks. The leaves sport tiny, sharp-hooked hairs called trichomes across their surface. These microscopic hooks … jab into insects’ bodies, trapping them before they get very far. Even those that break free are often trapped again after a few steps.” Kidney bean leaves can trap bed bugs within nine steps across their surface.<\/p>\n

More interesting were the attempts by the scientists to duplicate what kidney bean leaves do. They tried to create their own hooked surface, which failed, and even tried to put natural hooks into an artificial surface and that also failed. “‘So that tells us there’s something very cool and subtle going on mechanically in these tiny microscopic hairs,’ Loudon said.”<\/p>\n

Even when man tries to duplicate the design of an existing structure, he finds that there is more there than at first appears. Yet, how many stop to give praise to the Creator of the original design? Instead, some insist that such subtle complexity is just a result of a chain of accidents that had no purpose. Which is more reasonable — a Creator of infinite wisdom or happenchance? “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well<\/em>” (Psalms 139:14).<\/p>\n

— Quotes from\u00a0The Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/em>, “Kidney bean leaves are a natural deathtrap for bedbugs,” published in the\u00a0Omaha World-Herald<\/em>, 15 April 2013, page 6A.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I found yet another interesting article in the paper today. Bed bugs have been making a comeback and scientists are looking for solutions that don’t involve chemicals. A traditional defense against bed bugs in eastern Europe is to spread kidney bean leaves on the floor and to the scientists’ surprise, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[302,80],"class_list":["post-38378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-creation","tag-evolution"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39832,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-feed-my-reptiles-live-insects\/","url_meta":{"origin":38378,"position":0},"title":"Is it wrong to feed my reptiles live insects?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was happy to find your answer: \"God used bugs to annoy the Egyptians.\" This eased my conscience a bit but, my question is this: I am feeding my reptiles and frogs live crickets and meal worms specifically bred as reptile food. Recently when I watch the crickets run\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24747,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-bad-to-kill-bugs\/","url_meta":{"origin":38378,"position":1},"title":"Is it bad to kill bugs?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: This is probably going to sound like a very strange question, but is it a sin to kill bugs?\u00a0 Normally I try to save all the bugs that I can, even the spiders and transport them outside so they'll be nice and safe and happy.\u00a0 My parents laugh at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19314,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/remember-to-magnify-his-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":38378,"position":2},"title":"Remember to Magnify His Work","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Job 36:24-33 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In outlining the sins of the people of the world, Paul noted that the Gentiles could be justly charged with sin - Romans 1:18-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No one has the excuse of not knowing that God exists. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He and even His nature can be seen in the things\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/GastricBroodingFrogWithYoung.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28566,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/evidence-of-god-information\/","url_meta":{"origin":38378,"position":3},"title":"Evidence of God: Information","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton When you look at some object, how do you know it is natural or man-made? What if you were walking through the woods and you saw a mark on a tree? It is dark from moss, like the other patches on the trunk, but you immediately\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Communication.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Communication.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Communication.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28465,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-leviticus-talk-about-four-legged-insects-when-insects-have-six-legs\/","url_meta":{"origin":38378,"position":4},"title":"Why does Leviticus talk about four-legged insects when insects have six legs?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Leviticus 11:20-23, it says that insects have four legs instead of the six that we have always learned in school. Does the Bible have a different way of counting the legs of insects? Answer: \"All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88823,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-look-behind-the-fig-leaves\/","url_meta":{"origin":38378,"position":5},"title":"A Look Behind the Fig Leaves","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Sam Dilbeck In recent years, many have claimed that society dictates what is modest. Their arguments go something like this: \"During the Victorian Age, it was considered immodest for a woman to reveal her ankle or wrists in the presence of a man. Moreover, in many Middle Eastern countries,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-Leaf-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}