Skip insecticides and herbicides

It will help birds and other wildlife, improve soil health, and encourage microorganisms and even beneficial fungi.

Avoid chemical fertilizers by leaving leaves, a natural fertilizer. Populations of insects and birds are declining.

Avoid scheduled Mosquito spraying

It can build resistance to pesticides in mosquitos. Instead:

• The North Shore Mosquito Abatement District will visit your property to confirm mosquitos are present and to help you find solutions. Usually they find that some mosquito-breeding water is on the property, as mosquitos don't fly far. Call for a visit: 847.446.9434
• Dump objects that catch water.
• Dump birdbaths weekly. (It interrupts mosquito development.)
• Rain gardens ABSORB standing water.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors, and concerned about mosquitos.
• Use mosquito repellent.

Avoid Neonicotinoids ('Neonics") in your garden

The most common pesticide in the US, they do not just kill target insects, but also pollinators and birds. They have been found in drinking water, soil, dust and vegetables.

• Common brands?  Bayer and Ortho products.
• Read the Labels.  Neonic most common active ingredients: Imidacloprid, Clothianidin, Thiamethoxam, Dinotefuran, Acetamiprid.
• Neonics are often applied to cultivars, trees and non-native plants to kill unwanted bugs and earthworms.
• Neonics are used for flea and tick treatments for pets.
• Learn to live with insect damage. Insect damage signifies that our plants are providing ecological services, acting as host plants to a range of insects and feeding birds.

Why are Neonics bad? ‍

They:

• Persist. A treated woody plant can remain toxic up to 6 years. Xerces Society.
• Poison the entire plant. Often used as a soil drench, neonics touching plant roots will make the whole plant toxic: pollen, seeds, foliage, etc.
• Are highly toxic. A single treated seed can kill a sparrow. American Bird Conservancy.
• Migrate. A treated plant can cause neighboring plants, and water to be toxic.  Studies have found neonics in drinking water. U.S. Geological Survey.
• Don't just kill targeted insects. Studies have found Neonics kill pollinators and other beneficial insects and birds, and deer fawns. The National Institutes of Health has called for more studies of human and other mammal impacts.

What about Herbicides?

In our backyards, avoid them.

• Hand pull small weeds.
• Smother weeds with cardboard, covered with compost and mulch. You can sow seeds on top of the cardboard, and keep them moist. Leave the cardboard and it should turn into mulch in @4 months, depending on moisture. The advantage is that this method does not disturb tree roots or soil and helps build soil.
• Smother with black plastic. This 'solarizes' your weeds, killing them. However, the plastic should be removed to plant.

In ecological restorations or to remove large non-native invasive trees (e.g., buckthorn), painting the cut trunk with Garlon can be the least disruptive and most effective means to eradicate the invasive. Beyond Pesticides' Pesticide Gateway provides abundant information by brand or chemical name.

What about Glyphosate? Farmers use 'Roundup Ready' genetically modified crops that allow them to spray Roundup (Glyphosate) across fields without ruining the crop. There are ecological consequences, and soil health, microorganism and wildlife can be casualties. In addition, Roundup Ready crops may be sprayed immediately before harvesting to 'ripen' grains, leaving the herbicide residue on the food crop. Glyphosate has been found in the milk and meat of cows, and in human urine. (Forbes). In addition, Roundup was originally developed as an antibiotic; the Society for Microbiology reports that Glyphosate (and Dicamba) "could make strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium less sensitive to antibiotics". (Forbes)

Avoiding pesticides and chemicals is one of the six items in the Pollinator Pledge.

Improve habitat for birds and pollinators when you Take the Pollinator Pledge.