S tre e t R oots • April 1 4-2 0 , 2 0 1 7
N ew s
Page 8
BUZZWORTHY
Oregonians widely use a pesticide know n to kill
bees. Could you be doing more in your backyard |
Plant a pollinator garden
to help our declining pollinator populations?
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p
-
■
You can help declining bee and butterfly species
by turning your backyard into a pollinator habitat
BY EMILY GREEN
STAFF W R ITER
BY EMILY GREEN
n June 2013, an insecticide containing
neonicotinoids caused a massive bumblebee
die-off at a Target in Wilsonville. The
chemical was sprayed to treat linden trees
covered with aphids, but the trees were
also filled with bumblebees
pollinating the blossoms.
The result was a parking lot |I S | |
covered with the little corpses of an
estimated 50,000 bumblebees.
Just a few days later, hundreds more died in
EASY BACKYARD BEEKEEPING
Hillsboro, and it was in an area where the
the home use product allows greater
You can be a backyard beekeeper with
same product containing neonicotinoids had
application rates for home use than for
minimal
effort
when
you
host
native
bees.
been sprayed, only it had been sprayed months
professional use,” said Lisa Arkin, executive
Page 10
earlier.
director of Beyond Toxics in Eugene.
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Her organization is behind a set of bills
investigat’ons determined neonicotinoids were
aimed at regulating neonicotinoids in Oregon.
ecosystems, ultimately leading to a decline in
the cause of death in both cases, but the
While one aimed at changing labeling
songbirds who survive on aquatic insects in
chemicals continue to be widely used in both
requirements is not moving forward, another
areas of the Midwest, said Aimée Code.
agricultural and residential settings across
Code has a master’s degree in environmental has a fighting chance.
Oregon.
Senate Bill 929 would make neonicotinoids
health and toxicology from Oregon State
In North America, more than half of all bee
a restricted-use pesticide, meaning only
University
and
is
the
pesticide
program
species are declining, with one in four species
licensed pesticide applicators could purchase
director at The Xerces Society. This Portland-
at an increasing risk of extinction, according to
and spray the chemicals. It’s modeled after a
based nonprofit is staffed with biologists and
report released earlier this year from the
bill that recently passed in Maryland, making it
horticulturists who agree that it is a clearly
Center for Biological Diversity.
the first state to ban consumer use of the
documented fact that legal applications of
While there are roughly 4,000 species of
pesticide.
neonicotinoids have caused bee kills.
native bees in North America, there are just
Farming and nursery lobbies oppose the
In the years following Wilsonville and
46 species of bumblebee - and in Oregon, six
bill, arguing that the science is not conclusive
Hillsboro bee die-offs, Oregon banned the use
of them are at risk of extinction, according to
and that because there are many complex
of neonicotinoids, but only on linden trees.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
causes of bee decline, neonicotinoids should
The city of Portland banned all use of the
Conservation.
not be singled out.
neonicotinoid chemical class on property it
Neonicotinoids are a class of chemical that
Jeff Stone, executive director of Oregon
manages, with very rare exceptions. It doesn’t
is systemic, meaning once a plant - or even a
Association of Nurseries, testified that the
purchase plants that have been treated with
seed - is treated, the toxins
agriculture industry relies on neonicotinoids to
the chemical either, said Mark Ross,
spread through the plant’s
control pests and that they are less harmful to
spokesperson
for
Portland
Parks
and
tissues and into the pollen
humans and mammals than other pesticides.
Recreation.
and nectar that attracts
He also pointed to research showing that when
But amateur gardeners can choose from an
pollinators such as bees and
used correctly, neonicotinoids are not harmful
array of products containing neonicotinoids at
butterflies.
to pollinators.
their
local
hardware
store,
grocery
store
or
Neonicotinoids also contain
Code said it’s important to look at the body
pharmacy, and if they aren’t careful, they can
nicotine, and a 2015 recent
of research as a whole, and at who funded the
kill the very insects they need to make their
study from researches in the
study.
garden grow.
United Kingdom found bees appear to
She pointed to one example of an industry
There are seven chemicals with different
be getting addicted. They observed bees
study of exposure during the summer that
names in the neonicotinoid class, and they can
—P
were seeking out plants treated with the
found no risk. But an independent study that
be found in dozens of pesticides manufactured
pesticide, even though it’s harmful to
followed bees into their winter
for home use, including many popular Bayer
them.
hibernation found a queen’s survival
and Ortho products. They are: Imidacloprid,
When the leaves of a plant that’s been
Clothianidin, Acetamiprid,
treated with neonicotinoids fall and decompose
Thiamethoxam, Dinotefuran,
in the earth, it contaminates the soil. The
Nitenpyram and Thiacloprid.
chemical is also water soluble and has been
“The label on
'
shown to have dramatic effects on aquatic
I
her house, and the area along her fence, about 6
to 8 inches, unplanted and free of any mulch or
other cover.
ecause many bee species native to Oregon
Bee educator Rebekah Golden suggests leaving
are solitary bees with small flying ranges,
an un-mowed, patchy area of yard with south or
your backyard could become a haven away
southeastern sun exposure in the morning, which
.from harmful pesticides if you provide continuing
“will help them get warm and flying in the
Ufaal resources, said Aimée Code, the pesticide
mornings.”
program director at The Xerces Society for
Don’t compact or till the soil in these areas
’invertebrate Conservation.
because there may be eggs that will develop into
“Recognizing there are hundreds of species out
larvae and pupa over the winter and through the
there, if you build a habitat, they will come. You
year, Code said. “They will only be adults for a
will see an amazing diversity of pollinators in your
couple of weeks.”
yard if you start putting in native plants,” she said.
It’s also important to provide pollinators with a
source of drinking water, which can be as easy as
Plotting your garden
keeping a saucer that’s lost its teacup full of
water,
Vollmer said. Garden Fever also has
Lori Vollmer, owner of Garden Fever in
pollinator baths made by a local potter that can
Northeast Portland, said the key to having a
be attached to the top of copper tubing.
pollinator-friendly garden is to stock it with plants
Just make sure the water source'is shallow and
that have overlapping blooms at different times of
has an incline that pollinators can iise to get close
year, making sure you have something in bloom
to the water without drowning, and maintain the
for pollinators to feed on throughout the seasons.
water level throughout the week.
“The hardest part is late winter,” Vollmer said,
When selecting your plants, note these
“but there are a lot of native plants here in the
important guidelines:
Northwest that bloom during that time - all the
■ Choose plant species that are native to your
Mahonias (such as the Oregon Grape), which are
region. Research shows that most native bees
also a favorite of the hummingbird as
prefer native flowers. For a comprehensive list of
an added bonus,” she said. Waterleaf
native plants and their blooming schedule, visit
will bloom in early spring, and it’s a
Xerces.org.
species that bumblebees like, she said,
■ Also make sure you plant species that are
“then you would go into the spring
right for the amount of sunlight your garden
blooming bulbs and shrubs.”
receives. A healthy plant won’t get infested, so
She said snowdrops and flowering currants
keep an eye on your plants throughout the
are good early spring choices, and then as you
season, and make sure they’re getting what they
move into summer and fall, there are many
need.
colorful options to choose from.
■ Do not use pesticides. If you do resort to
Herbs can also be a good addition, as long as
pest control, look for natural alternatives and
you allow a couple of them to flower, she said.
make sure you aren’t spraying pollinators directly.
Pollinators especially love dill, parsley and
Ask
your local nursery about nontoxic
mustards.
alternatives. Vollmer successfully rid her plants of
Vollmer also recommends planting in clumps,
aphids by simply knocking them off with hose
with 3-foot wide patches of the same plant
grouped together. This will help pollinators to see water - once they fall, they can’t get back up.
Golden, an educator at Bee Thinking, warns,
the flowers.
however,
that some concentrated plant
You will also want to leave some undisturbed
areas of dirt because many native bees nest in the compound-based pest control products can be
harmful to pollinators. She recommends
ground.
sprinkling
Vollmer said she usually leaves some
diatomaceous earth,
space between her garden
a very fine sand, in
and
,
j
areas where
aphids and
STAFF W R ITER
w ill
rate dropped when she had been exposed to
neonicotinoids during the summer.
“These studies done by industry wouldn’t be
looking at those subtle risks, but they are
there,” she said. “When you have an economic
incentive to not find risk, if you look at the
studies, you’re less likely to find risk. Look at
the independent stu d ie s, a n d you s e e harm.”
When looking at the bulk of the data, the
message, the science used and how
researchers evaluated risk, she said, there is a
growing body of science that demonstrates the
risks of neonicotinoids.
“We’re seeing significant concern for
pollinators and water
quality,” she said.
But regardless of
disagreements over the
science, both sides seem to
agree: When the application
instructions aren’t followed correctly,
neonicotinoids can kill bees.
With SB 929, however, licensed
pesticide applicators could still spray
neonicotinoids. The bill would not restrict
agricultural use of the chemical, only
residential use.
When nursery owner Lori Vollmer heard
about the bee massacre at the Target in
Wilsonville, she immediately pulled all pest
control products containing neonicotinoids
from the shelves of her store, Garden Fever.
Vollmer, who has been operating the
boutique nursery in Northeast Portland for 15
years, said it’s quite common for residential
See BEES, page 11
B
*
s
a m
I B ii
P H O T O B Y E M IL Y GREEN
You can fin d pollinator garden supplies at most
neighborhood nurseries. Pictured here, from Garden Fever in
Northeast Portland: native p la n t seeds from Native Ideals
and other pollinator favorites such as dill, cosmos and
milkweed; a mason bee home from local nonprofit Swarm
Portland; a pollinator bath; an d a book on how to p la n t a
bee-friendly garden from The Xerces Society.
crawling insects are found. But again, avoid bees
and their nesting areas when using it.
■ If buying plants that have already started
growing, check the label to make sure they have
not been treated with neonicotinoids.
■ Choose a variety of bloom colors. This will
attract a diversity of pollinators.
■ If you want to build a habitat for butterflies,
don’t forget about the plants that their larvae,
caterpillars, need to survive. For example,
Monarch butterflies will only lay eggs on
milkweed.
■ And remember: The key is to plant species
that bloom at different times of year so that
pollinators always have something to feed on.
■ Visit xerces.org for a wealth of information
on making nests for native bees, selecting the
right plants and more.
■ And finally, register your garden with the
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge at
millionpollinatorgardens.org.
Keeping a pollinator garden means you will
have visible insect activity in your garden.
“We really need to get away from seeing insect
activity in our yard as a negative thing,” Code
said. “Lots of our native bees actually use leaves
from plants to line their nests, so you might see a
plant that has a little hole cut out of it, and think
you have a pest, when in reality you have a native
bee that’s using your yard to create their nest. So
taking a step back and appreciating the insects in
our yard is really important.
“I know when I’m losing faith with the world,
and at this time when the news can be so
depressing, the best thing I can do is go out in
my yard and know that I’m creating habitat in my
own little area,” she said.