Tag: Bti

  • Pilot Bucket Project, City Schools of Decatur

    On Tuesday, August 19–just in time for World Mosquito Day and the beginning of our academic year–Nell and I installed mosquito buckets at Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary in the City Schools of Decatur, part of a pilot project we are doing in collaboration with Intown Ace Hardware. This is the second school in the system to have buckets. Andy at Intown Ace and I have both placed buckets at schools where we are parents; principal and parents at the first school, where buckets were added to the playground in June, report that they have made a big difference, even this year with all the heat and all the rain in Georgia. We are thrilled to be offering this pilot to protect our kids from mosquito bites, better for their general health, of course, and also their focus during the school day. We hope to add buckets to more schools in the system.

    If you are thinking that this is not the best time of year for bucket installation, you are right. There is evidence that the efficacy of such systems improves if the system start the year in place, which is our goal for spring 2026. This fall, we think, we can learn a lot from where they are placed on school grounds, which is always a bit of trial-and-error as you get to know the intricacies and nuances of particular properties.

    And this is a culture shift that we are leading, together, we think. It is my experience that Georgia residents who do not otherwise engage mosquito abatement companies or spray their yards sometimes choose to do so in August and September because the mosquito activity is still high (especially now) from the summer of heat and rain, and we are all a bit weary of having plans compromised by their persistence; and now concerns about mosquito-borne illnesses (like West Nile, which arrived in the Atlanta-area in July) are real.

    It is brave and bold to choose buckets; they are not the easy choice. There is much more chatter about chemical solutions, often presented as safer and less toxic than we think they are (always ask for Safety Data Sheets). They are not a quick fix; it seems that spraying makes people feel like they are resolving the challenge quickly, even if that’s not the case, as we explain on other pages on this website. Buckets, especially with Bti (if you are looking into buckets, again ask for Safety Data – all the ones we know of from companies in our area use a chemical larvicide; we’ve asked everyone we know of who advertises “non-toxic” buckets and ours are the only ones), are a longterm, effective, and safe solution, using scientific methods and knowledge and creative and critical thinking and, in our case, visual messaging, in text and image. For me, as educator and parent, this bucket project involves what I want to model and to teach: observation, reflection, patience, persistence, flexibility, risk, communication, at least.

    As those of us at B Buckets keep saying, Bti buckets are better for our pollinators, our people, our pets, and our planet. And we are always happy to explain that perspective, which comes from years of curiosities, conversations, reading, and, full disclosure, mom intuition and insistence.

    Thank you to Mr. Adams, Mr. Thomas, Ms. Jackson and the staff of FAve who have talked about and helped with installation — and have been willing to enter this partnership, a teaching and learning opportunity for us all!

    Nell Ruby, Principal Derrick Thomas, Katherine Smith
    Katherine Smith, Desha Jackson

    all photographs by Nell Ruby

  • Care-ful Decisions, Revised & Revisited

    (re)marking challenges & (re)moving In2Care buckets, summer 2024

    As we are becoming more visible in the Atlanta area–thank you, families!–I am getting more contacts and questions, including about different types of mosquito buckets. A few of our potential clients have, I think, opted for the mosquito buckets installed and serviced by several other local companies. These, to my knowledge, all come from the In2Care system, designed in the Netherlands.

    And I get it. My family had those in our yard for several years. They were, at the time, the best choice I could find. And some of the companies in Atlanta whose missions and values I admire and support use them. If you want to know who they are, reach out. I can recommend them.

    BUT I did not understand then that In2Care systems use a synthetic, chemical larvicide (pyriproxyfen), albeit in low doses, in combination with a fungus that causes it to adhere to female mosquitoes and be spread to other water sources. Ortho Home Defense “Mosquito Kill & Defense” is a new product, which uses the same technology: same chemical insecticide, different bucket design.

    Pyriproxyfen is a growth regulator and, in many ways, has the same effect as Bti, which is a biological agent. In2Care and Ortho systems are certainly better than abatement sprays, but their chemicals will still harm pollinators who venture into buckets. The Bti in B Buckets will not.

    When I had In2Care’s system and proprietary buckets in my yard (for a few years), we have ongoing issues with the buckets, especially in the final year. I designed B Buckets to reduce chemical controls and resolve functional challenges. The buckets were constantly toppled by squirrels (and the water spilled out, making the system ineffective); the lids stopped attaching, multiple times (the buckets were removed and reinstalled–new each time, so I thought–every fall/spring). When the buckets turned over and broke apart, they invited more squirrels and also my dogs. I stopped putting them inside my fence.

    So far, there have been no reports of any squirrels, dogs, or kids getting into or knocking over B Buckets.

    In this, our inaugural season, we have placed buckets in almost 70 yards so far in neighborhoods around Atlanta. We anticipate that we’ll start offering installation and service next spring, as we surmise that these options are leading some families to choose In2Care. And, as working parents, we get it. And we are trying to resolve this issue, too. We believe in B Buckets – safer for bees, butterflies & birds, and better for pollinators, pets, people & our planet.

    If you are reading this blog, and you would really like monthly service as an option in 2025-26, please reach out and let us know.

    *and thanks to Laura @nurture.native.nature for thoughts on these distinctions between buckets earlier in the summer

  • Record Deliveries

    This weekend has set a record for bucket orders & deliveries. We made & delivered 53 buckets to 10 families. They are now in Capitol View, Clarkston, Decatur/North Decatur, Druid Hills/North Druid Hills, East Lake, Kirkwood, Lake Clare, Medlock, Peachtree Hills, Tucker, and more. Thanks, Decatur/Atlanta!