Collateral Damage

 

Are we killing our pollinating bees and starving our birds?

Most of us with lawns and gardens fertilize them when needed – in spring and sometimes in summer – and treat our lawns and gardens for whatever bugs and pests seem to be a problem.

Here we have many summer residents who have lawn and garden services that maintain their grass and plant their flowers. These garden services also have a regular schedule of fertilizing and spraying – including ‘preventative sprayings’ – even when there are no problems such as spraying for harmful ticks or mosquitoes.

These constant pesticide applications and sprayings can cause collateral damage, the unforeseen consequences – no birds, no pollinating bees.

Any kind of pesticide can wipe out insects and caterpillars, but while killing off bugs and larvae wholesale, these products also kill the very food birds depend on for their survival as well as for feeding their young. Butterflies and pollinating bees can be killed in the repeated sprayings.

Of course there are alternatives: cancel ‘preventative’ sprayings if unnecessary; not buying plants that have been treated with neonicotinoids or using neonicotinoid products that kill off pollinators. Better to use alternative methods to destroy harmful larvae, insects and weeds that pinpoint your actual problems.

Interested?  You can use certain organic products found at your local hardware store that will not destroy helpful insects. And that’s not all. You can easily make your own insecticides and herbicides by simply putting in ‘home made’ and ‘weed killer’ or the name of bug or problem in your search engine. White vinegar with a little dish detergent will kill your weeds, for example. You will also save some major bucks.

Why not try these less harmful organic products or home remedies? You can have a beautiful lawn and garden without killing pollinating bees as well as other helpful insects and starving your birds.

Bill Baker

About Bill Baker

Bill's interest in a clean place to live is rooted in growing up in the country – a cornfield across the road and fields, sandstone cliffs and hundreds of acres of woods where he spent many hours.