Pesticides and the Threat They Pose to Pollinators

Kristy Belaney

Conneaut, Ohio, USA 

                         

  Bee and Butterfly attracting plants are popping up at Lowes, Home Depot and other garden centers with eye catching tags and labels. These plants are easily accessible and usually already flowering when purchased so it is instant gratification for your money and yard. But the benefits may just end there.

  We have all heard about the massive decline in bee populations around the world and the negative effect this is having on not only bee keepers but on farmers as well. The following paragraph is quoted from The Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.

Downy Sunflower

“Bees are undoubtedly the most abundant pollinators of flowering plants in our environment. The service that bees and other pollinators provide allows nearly 70 percent of all flowering plants to reproduce; the fruits and seeds from insect pollinated plants account for over 30 percent of the foods and beverages that we consume. Beyond agriculture, pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems. Fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25 percent of all birds and of mammals ranging from red-backed voles to grizzly bears. However, many of our native bee pollinators are at risk and the status of many more is unknown. Habitat loss, alteration and fragmentation, pesticide use and introduced diseases all contribute to declines of bees.”

"Chances are you probably eat or drink something daily that would not be available to you had it not been for bees"

 

 

Native Bees Pollinate Cherry tomatoes

  So you see, even if you are not a farmer or bee keeper chances are you probably eat or drink something daily that would not be available to you had it not been for bees. Their fate will ultimately affect us all.Theories and speculation abound as to why the bees are dying in record numbers. But as continued research shows, a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids are quickly becoming a proven contributing factor in the decline of bees.

    

   If the word Neonicotinoid is foreign to you, don’t assume just because you have never heard it means you have never used them. Neonicotinoids are in just about every common insect control solution readily available at most retail stores. It is almost a sure bet you have one or more products containing them in your garage or storage shed right now. And even if you do not use these pesticides in your garden, if you have purchased any flowers or vegetables from Lowes, Home Depot or most any other greenhouse, private or chain, chances are your plants have been treated with neonicotinoids and this pesticide will remain inside the body of your plant and even contaminating the soil around it for an unspecified amount of time.

Neonicotinoids are Systemic

Smooth Blue Aster

   These pesticides are systemic, meaning they become part of the plant and its entire structure, making them more effective in their purpose but unfortunately also poisoning the nectar that bees and other pollinators ingest. Companies that make products containing neonicotinoids include Bayer Advanced, The Scotts Company, Syngenta and many others. Look out for ingredients like Imidacloprid, Clothianidin, Thiamethoxam, Dinotefuran and Acetamiprid and avoid using them whenever possible.

 

 

Keep Plant Pests Away Naturally

 

Egg plant with Marigolds

  Instead of reaching for these pesticides, keep plant pests away naturally by providing an environment pleasing to the natural predators of those pests by adding parsley, dill, caraway, cilantro, coriander, fennel, marigolds, dahlias, daisies, asters, cosmos, calendula, coreopsis, tansy, yarrow, zinnias and sunflowers to your landscapes and gardens. Wasps, flies, spiders and ladybugs are attracted to the plants in these families and will in turn keep down the populations of the insects doing the damage to your plants.

Locating Organically Raised Plants

 

 

   You can also grow your own plants and vegetables from untreated seed. It may take longer for the end result but it is less expensive than buying mature plants and you know exactly what has been used on the plant from the beginning. Not a patient person? There are organic nurseries online including Stargazer Perennials and Mountain Valley Growers who have a great variety of plants to choose from although the shipping will cost you. 

  Or you can be diligent in your search to find a grower near you who practices in organic methods. They are out there. Always ask your garden centers and nurseries if they or their suppliers use or have used neonicotinoids on their plants. If they do, ask for an organic plant selection to be considered in the future and buy elsewhere! If there is enough chatter and demand, they will supply it. 

Extensive Search Pays Off

  I contacted over a dozen businesses in the area. Some were able to answer if their plants had been treated, a few others did not know what was used on their plants and several places did not bother to respond. Fortunately my extensive search for pesticide free finally paid off when I discovered a lovely woman named Beth Coyne. Beth and her husband Marty are owners of Nodding Onion Gardens, a wildflower plant nursery in Columbia Station, Lorain County. They specialize in native plants, most of which are started from seed using organic principles. A couple days out of the month you have a chance to purchase their plants at the Frostville Farmers Market in North Olmsted.

Blue Loibelia and bee

  Yes it was a drive but Beth was so gracious to answer all of my questions and her passion for a healthier environment was so apparent I was more than happy to do business with her. I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone who wants to add some beauty to their world and also learn more on why native plants in particular are better choices when landscaping and gardening. Check out their webpage for plant inventory, contact information and sale dates. 

  So to the businessman who told me I would not be able to find anyone who didn’t use neonicotinoids on their plants and if they said they didn’t they would be lying….You were wrong and thankfully your words did not discourage me. Now I have healthy, beautiful plants that I can be proud of. 

  I would like to thank Bob, at McGregors Greenhouse in East Springfield Pennsylvania, Pat, at Stan’s Garden Center on Buffalo Rd. in Erie, Pennsylvania and Gracie at Gracie’s Greenhouse in Conneaut, Ohio. Although these businesses were not completely organic, they did have a small selection of plants and vegetables that had not been treated with neonicotinoids or other pesticides and were polite and helpful to me in my search. 

"If each of us found one or two things that meant something personally and chose to be a part of their solution, the world would slowly become a better place for generations to come."

Wingstem and pollinator

  In closing, the world is full of problems in need of solutions. Often times the things we create to help circumstances only trigger another problem to come into existence. To devote ones time and energy into them all would be overwhelming. But if each of us found one or two things that meant something personally and chose to be a part of their solution, the world would slowly become a better place for generations to come. 

 

  If you have a love for gardening, the environment and the small and mighty creatures that sustain us, perhaps rethink where your plants come from and what products you use to keep them healthy. Go to The Xerces Society website and read more about the science behind the use of neonicotinoid pesticides and other steps you can take to help.  

* With permission from Kristy Belaney, customer/ friend of NOG. This article was published in the Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio, USA on June 21, 2014. Thank you for the kind words Kristy.

Beth Coyne