Category: community

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! 

 

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.”

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. 

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!