Blog

  • Understanding Mosquito Sprays with The Xerces Society

    April 12: I just came across an online conversation, which included this resource from Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conversation. I found their answers to questions about the safety of organic oils and mosquito sprays helpful and succinct so I am sharing them here.

    April 17: The webinar, whose recording is available here, was fantastic, as expected.  Aaron Anderson talked about the research study in 2023, completed in three cities where mosquito sprays, are prevalent, including Decatur.

    He called Decatur a “rockstar” Bee City USA community, and acknowledged our “really wonderful work to reduce mosquito spraying in [our] district.” Congratulations, Beecatur and Peter Helfrich! 

    The study was able to gather data about types and levels of insecticides in sprayed yards that spray as well as in neighboring yards. They found high risk to pollinators in sprayed yards and some risk in others (up to 24 to 34 times, in two separate yards, the lethal dose of concentration for honey bees).

    He also addressed mosquito buckets and said that he would rather everyone dump water every 7-10 days to disrupt the eggs since it takes about a week for mosquito eggs/lavrvae to hatch. Bti, according to Aaron, kills several species of small flies so there is some risk to target insects/pollinators beyond mosquitos, but much less toxic to sprays, which harm all the pollinators in the yard, especially when companies include synergists, which I had never heard of, that help the chemical sprays persist and make them more harmful! 

     

  • A Bee-autiful Bucket

    Here is our first designed bucket after almost 9 months of experiments and prototypes. This one, with bee balm and butterfly (yes, bees would have been a more logical choice perhaps, but we wanted to try these two elements), integrates our natives plants and pollinators with representational force!

    We have more designs to share. But here is the preview, for now! Thanks, Nell!

  • Sprays & Buckets: Problem & Solution

    My family has had Beecatur’s sign stating that “MOSQUITO SPRAYING KILLS BEES” in our yard for a few years, since I took the Pollinator Pledge and started adding native plants. I am glad to have the B BUCKETS sign beside it now, announcing to the community a solution and alternative to abatement sprays — and opportunities for education. Together we can make progress on this challenge of controlling mosquitoes without toxic chemicals.

  • Agriculture Appreciation Week

    Agriculture Appreciation Week seems like the perfect time to get ourselves going since we can’t have successful agriculture without pollinators.

    And if you haven’t already, please call Gov. Kemp and ask him to veto Senate Bill 144 that the legislature has approved, which protects companies from disclosure of ingredients or responsibility for harm, including, as I understand it, several examples of chemicals banned in the countries of manufacture and on the market here. 

    While it seems unlikely to me that our agricultural state will stop this bill, it seems potentially harmful — for our farmers especially, but for all of us!

    Gov office phone 404-656-1776

    Be polite, and be clear; ask the staff person how they are or express some kindness. They are working hard answering phones, even if you don’t agree with their office’s positions.

    Here is a potential script:

    “This is _________ calling from __________ to register my concern and to ask Gov Kemp to veto Senate Bill 144.

    Please protect Georgia farmers and consumers by giving us access to accurate label information on herbicides/pesticides and ensuring the companies’ accountability for their products, some of which are already banned in their countries of production. I would appreciate it if you would share my message with Gov. Kemp. Thank you for your time and your efforts on behalf of Georgians.”

  • Restocking Day

    Intown Ace Hardware on Scott Blvd got more buckets today. They were down to only 1 this morning; and they posted our sign with instructions and a QR code to more details on our website. Thanks, Andy (and Decatur/Avondale friends)!

    B Buckets has restocked, too! 

    photo by Andy Jones
    photo by Andy Jones

  • Mosquito Buckets are OUT (and IN)

    Mosquito buckets are out in my yard; I have four, but I clearly need to add some more. And I need to remove some more invasives, again. I have a losing battle with Nandina, as you can see. 

    Intown Ace only had 1 only bucket a 2 lids left this afternoon. Thank you, Decatur neighbors! We are off to a good start. Let’s keep going.

    Intown Ace Hardware will have more buckets on Tuesday, as will B Buckets. 

    Let’s make this the year when mosquito buckets are the popular choice!

  • Native Plants, Growing with Dana

    After making buckets, I attended the lecture at Agnes Scott that Peter and I have co-organized: Growing with Dana, part of the Building on Dana project this year at the Dana Fine Arts Building, Agnes Scott College. 

    Allison Erickson, Urban Naturalist at City of Decatur and Mary Jane Leach of Beech Hollow Farms talked about how city initiatives are removing invasives and planting natives and also supporting residents to do the same. Beech Hollow opens this weekend at their shop on Clarendon Avenue in Avondale Estates. They are an incredible source of knowledge and native plants. 

  • Buckets!

    I have spent the last few months ordering different components and testing and researching design ideas to figure out a bucket that is 1) effective 2) minimal [design is everything to me, truth be told] 3) low cost 4) dog and squirrel and soccer ball proof (still crossing my fingers on this one).

    I made the first buckets of the season with a neighbor. Thanks, Molly, for your help and support!

    We are ready to assemble and deliver B-asic Buckets! And Intown Ace Hardware also has everything you need (they sourced hydroponic lids; please thank them — that took a lot of effort).

    Look for the model bucket and sign at the sign at 123 Jefferson Place! I aim to be the first street in Decatur completely covered by buckets!

  • Getting the Word Out

    This initiative is certainly a family affair. My son, who has grown up with education about and advocacy for reducing pesticides, is eager to help spread the word. He was excited to choose and install one of our signs; he selected the one with dog in honor of our pups.

    Among the reasons that we choose not to use pesticides and herbicides on our yard is the higher incidence of cancer in dogs that live in yards that spray (as much as 70% higher). Dogs are also at risk when they go on walks and sniff yards that have  sprayed with pesticides. Pre-emergents are the most toxic, in my understanding.

    If you are a parent and/or pet-loving human especially, please do your own research and understand the risks to people, pets, pollinators, and planet. Here are two good places to start: Non-Toxic Communities and Beyond Pesticides

     

  • Signs

    While this does not rise to the level of the conventional bucket list, today I realized on of my longterm goals when I picked up these signs, designed by Nell Ruby. Thanks, Nell!

    The are significant revisions of the pesticide warning signs that companies leave to warn residents to stay off lawns for hours after a chemical application, whether a pyrethroid pesticide, fogger sprayed on foundations and shrubs to kill or 2, 4-D pre-emergent herbicide, hose applied as a weedkiller on grass. 

    In my opinion, we should all be seeking alternatives and questioning the safety of these applications. The longterm health effects on humans for the former are unknown; in my understanding, the latter is one of two chemicals that made up Agent Orange, banned in some countries, still allowed here, and masked by the proprietary claims of many companies. 

    These small signs are big advocacy and resistance, hopefully unexpected, even subversive enough to draw attention — and to start conversation. Please ask questions. 

    And anticipate one sign per order of buckets; also available for order.