LancasterFarming.com – Late summer and fall plantings are of key importance for birds and insects, says Judy Semroc, a conservation specialist with Ohio’s Cleveland Museum of Natural History, who recently presented a webinar as part of Butler County Penn State Extension’s fall garden seminar. Semroc said that some of the best plants, with high pollen-nectar...
New study reveals the importance of cities for pollinators and highlights how to attract bees and other insects to urban areas It is well documented that access to parks, gardens and forests is good for our mental health. One study, by Denmark’s University of Aarhus, found that children who grew up without regular access to green spaces were up to 55 per cent...
sebastien rosset | @metanephros The study indicates that, “With the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for use of both flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor, and with the growing concern regarding pollinator health, it is important to better understand any potential negative impacts (especially sub-lethal) of these pesticides on bees.” However,...
Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring, soft sedimentary rock that is crumbled into a fine white powder. Wondering how you can use DE in your garden? Well, as a natural method of pest control! DE works at killing insects because the microscopic particles are very sharp and as an insect crawls over it, it gets cut. DE also can stick to the insect causing...
MORGAN FREEMAN’S MISSISSIPPI RANCH IS NOW A SAFE HAVEN FOR BEES Famous as one of America’s favorite narrators, Morgan Freeman is hoping to tell a new story for the world’s declining honeybee population by giving them his 124-acre (50 hectares) ranch to live on. The 81-year-old actor took up beekeeping as a hobby in 2014 and converted his Mississippi...
WASHINGTON – The landmark Food Quality Protection Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to protect children’s health by applying an extra margin of safety to legal limits for pesticides in food. But an investigation by EWG, published this week in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, found that the EPA has failed to add the mandated children’s health...
Unless you have been living on Mars, you have probably seen the TV ads from law firms seeking cancer patients who have used the ubiquitous herbicide brand Roundup. Three recent high-profile cases in California have brought verdicts against Roundup’s maker, Monsanto, one with a jury award of $2 billion, later reduced to $86.7 million. To date, more than 18,000...
LOS ANGELES – A widely used agricultural pesticide that California environmental officials have said has been linked to brain damage in children will be banned after next year under an agreement reached with the manufacturer, state officials announced Wednesday. Under the deal, all California sales of chlorpyrifos will end on Feb. 6, 2020, and farmers will have...
GREENFIELD — Winter is coming and as the frost begins to linger, bees and butterflies are searching for somewhere to survive the freezing months. On Wednesday, gardener, photographer and pollinator advocate Larri Cochran will give a talk entitled “Fall Gardening for Pollinators: Helping Bees and Butterflies Survive Winter,” during which attendees will learn...
After a hearing a passionate debate among a panel of international scientists over which endangered species is the most important, the audience voted bees. The annual debate sponsored by Earthwatch took place at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The audience was asked if they had a trillion dollars to spend on the conservation of a single endangered species,...
Habitat gardens are purposeful, planned and planted areas that support our native flora and fauna ecosystems. These gardens follow a few steps that promote healthy life cycles for pollinators and create pockets or bridges that help connect the fragmentation of our natural areas. In all geographic areas, plant, animal and insect species evolved together over millennia....
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“National Weather Service meteorologists noticed something puzzling on their radar screens in Southern California on Tuesday evening — a big green blob. “It was very strange because it was a relatively clear day and we weren’t really expecting any rain or thunderstorms,” Casey Oswant, a NWS meteorologist in San Diego, tells NPR. “But...
Miami Beach Coast, Florida (Photo by Hoberman Collection/UIG via Getty Images) “Miami city commissioners voted to outlaw the use of all weedkillers containing glyphosate on all city-owned property Thursday. City employees and contractors will have to find more eco-friendly alternatives to use on city streets, sidewalks, and parks, and residents are strongly...
“Butterflies and moths have been around for millions of years. They used to be a common sight in gardens, but numbers have declined since the 1940s along with our other native wildlife species such as bees and hedgehogs. It will come as no surprise to hear this loss is due to destruction of natural habitats such as wildflower meadows, peat bogs and ancient woodlands...
The Environmental Protection Agency is pulling from the market a dozen products containing pesticides known to be toxic to a linchpin of the U.S. food system — the honeybee. The agency announced Monday it has canceled the registrations of 12 pest-killing products with compounds belonging to a class of chemicals known as neonicotinoids, as part of a legal settlement. For...
Scientists have already proven that mosquitoes choose their victims according to their body odor, and they are most fond of pregnant women and people with slightly higher body temperature. In addition, they also attract the smell of sweat, and some people simply have no luck with mosquitoes because they have a smell that draws them more intensely. But some strong...
1. Peppermint Castile Soap, via Rocky Hedge Farm – GET THE RECIPE! “There is a variety of things that can be done in a garden to help control the critters and insects that find the vegetable patch their tasty treat for the day. Companion planting, attracting birds and good insects, and even hand picking some of the bugs and placing them in a bucket of...
Sometimes it’s better to see a pest problem as the normal way nature enters and adapts to a particular niche in the environment created by things like availability of food, cover, and absence of predators. Animals don’t appear magically on the scene for no reason, they simply exploit available food resources and habitat. Once we understand this, we can learn...
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