The peer-reviewed journal article is expected in 2017, but the results are clear.

Don't use the shit.

Neo-nicatinoid

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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

I also found that many bee friendly plants at the big box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Target) are treated with neonics. Buy from a nursery that you can trust.

good point^

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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

I'm trying to make my yard bug friendly. Funny thing is that catepillars were defoliating the passion flower. Mrs. Scombrid requested that I spray something to save the plants. I showed her that the vines were hosting Zebra Longwings and Gulf Frittelaries and then she decided that the caterpillars eating were cute because they reminded her of Templeton eating corn. So I just planted more vines. Then the wasps found the caterpillars and took care of that infestation. So the plants fed the caterpillars and the caterpillars fed the wasps and the caterpillars that didn't get eaten hatched out and gave us a yard full of butterflies. Then a red belly woodpecker found the wasp nest and wiped out those guys before I had to spray them to get them away from my front door. I'm adding pipe vine as a butterfly host plant soon.

And it turns out that running mimosa is a bee favorite as is the ever-bearing lemon that is blooming its heart out right now. Almost sounded like a swarm this morning before the sun even came up. Bees buzzing everywhere with legs all clumped full of pollen. The bees were working the purselane pretty heavy yesterday too.

Now to the point. Unless you are in commercial cultivation where your very livelihood depends on a flawless product then you really don't have any good reason spray chemicals in your landscape, especially pesticides. Most things will run their course. Aphids went nuts on a hibiscus. I manually blasted them with the hose every couple of days and that kept the infestation at a reasonable level. Then the ladybugs moved in. That hibiscus is putting out great blooms. I have the attitude that if a plant is too fussy to manage in the environment you select for it then it is unsuitable for the landscape. What is the point in having a garden landscape if it looks flawless but is as sterile as pavement?

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I suspect mosquito spraying is killing everything.  No zebras on the firebush, though a few wasps on the big orange bromeliads.

I've allowed some of the St. Augustine grass to die.  I use coffee grounds and horticultural oil or soap to kill off camellia scale.  The plant is finally healthy.  Coontie scale, just cut off infested leaves--the scale always shows up shortly before new flushes are due.  

Milkweeds seem to recover from foliage damage by butterfly larvae. 

 

Perfect!!!!^^^^^


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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.