Help Pollinators By Not Using Pesticides
Last but not least on how we can help pollinators, from bees to butterflies. we need to rethink how we use pesticides.
I saw my first Japanese beetle drowned in one of my bird baths earlier this week. Instead of using sprays toxic to bees and pheromone traps, which only attract more Japanese beetles, I use a coffee can with a few drops of dishwashing liquid in water to drown the bugs.
I will start knocking the bugs out of fruit trees early morning when the bugs are sluggish and hand pick all I can.
Make Your Own Bug Spray
I also make my own spray, a few drops of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle full of water. When I need to discourage a bug from my plants, I use this combination. If I need to ramp it up, I add a few drops of hot sauce and apply using gloves so the hot sauce doesn’t get on my hands.
Pesticides As Exception
That doesn’t mean there aren’t situations where it is appropriate to use pesticides but please consider other options first. Home gardeners continue to be the leading misusers of pesticides, one of the major causes of the continued bee population struggle.
If you have to use pesticides, also please read product labels first. The Environmental Protection Agency has revised their product labels to make it clear when a product is dangerous to specific pollinators.
By helping pollinators, we are not only helping our ecosystems but ensuring our varied food supply.