Pollinators

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Protect Pollinators: Don’t Plant Poison Apples

🍊🥑🍋UPDATE!!! Pollinator-safe citrus and other fruit trees can be ordered (and shipped) to you directly from Four Winds Growers! By law, they have to spray NeoNics on all the trees they send to nurseries or garden centers, but NOT on trees they ship directly to your garden. They have a great selection, too.

🌳🦋🦜🐝🌼🍋💚

Metaphorically, that is. Pretty, healthy looking plants from your local nursery may have been treated with pesticides that have turned every part of them, including their nectar and pollen, into tasty poison that will either kill bees outright, interfere with their ability to fly, and/or inhibit their reproduction. And not just bees, these pesticides hurt butterflies and other pollinators and also travel up the food chain to song birds, bats, and other insectivores. As one article says, we are experiencing a “Second Silent Spring.”

A recent study from UC Riverside showed conclusively that NeoNicatonoids, widely-used insecticides introduced in the 1980s, are turning our landscape plants into poisoned apples. They may look lovely and grow well, but from their roots to their pollen, they are bad news for bees. Because of this, we will only be purchasing plants directly from growers that certify their plants are NeoNic free. I am also working with local nurseries to make sure that they are aware of this issue, and encouraging them to keep our neighborhood safe for pollinators.

The Los Angeles Times had a great article about this in their 8/19/21 issue.

And if you can’t get through their paywall, here’s a link to UCR’s coverage of this report, and another article about this in EcoWatch.

The Xerces Society has lots of great information about this issue, including safer alternatives. Here’s a link to their recommendations.

🌱💯% Neo-Nic Free, Bee Friendly Plant Sources 🎋🐝🌼🦋

You can purchase plants directly from these local growers or ask your local nursery to order from them for you. I will update this post with more Southern California plant growers as I continue my calls. Check the websites – these are not all open to the public, and those that are have limited hours.

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Citrus Health

Image Source: http://geodata.ucanr.edu/hlb_proximity/ 4/25/2020
4/25/2020 map of HLB infection of Citrus Trees in Los Angeles – areas in red are under (HLB) quarantine and residents in these zones are advised not to plant new citrus trees and to remove all existing citrus trees

Today’s LA Times features an article about this relatively new, untreatable bacterial disease, HLB, that kills citrus trees and is spread by an invasive psyllid. This article “Fight Bugs with Bugs” suggests protecting your trees by actively fighting ant colonies in your garden and also attracting parasitic wasps to your trees because these small wasps will kill the psyllid and thus stop the spread of the bacteria they carry. These are both great ideas, and much better than spraying toxic insecticides which will kill all pollinators, preventing pollination (and fruiting) and killing the wasps we need for protection from many pests. Alyssum, widely available and easy to grow, is suggested as a nectar source, and this will do. However, alyssum is also listed as an invasive plant in Southern California, so there are better options. Instead, try one of our many native or hybrid Salvia (Sage) options. These will stand up to the summer heat, bring lots of beneficial pollinators to your garden, and there are varieties that will be happy growing in sun or shade, under your tree canopy.

Resources + Sources

Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea) will grow well in sun or shade, attracting Hummingbird and other pollinators much of the year with its bright pink flower spikes.