Protection from Mosquitoes is More Important Than Ever

Considering the Zika news that seems to get a little more alarming every week, it is more important than ever to stay vigilant in your battle to keep your yard as mosquito free as possible. Eliminating standing water wherever possible is a good place to start. We’ve always tried to keep up with this task here at the nursery, but it is now an even higher priority. If you have not done so recently, we recommend that you take some time this weekend to ‘walk’ your entire property looking for trouble spots. Some you may be able to eliminate altogether. For others, there are some natural products that are very effective.

Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits are a safe way to kill mosquito larvae in those areas of standing water that you cannot eliminate. The active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis which is a bacterium that is deadly for mosquito larvae, but will not harm you, your children, your pets or the planet. Use the dunks or the bits in birdbaths, rain barrels, unused swimming pools, tree hollows, gutters, flower pots or anywhere else you have standing water from time to time. The dunks can be used whole or broken into smaller pieces. I scatter the bits in woodsy areas where there is a lot of leaf litter that can hold water for quite a while between rains.

Unfortunately you cannot often control standing water on properties surrounding your home. Mosquito Barrier is a great solution for this problem. It is a natural product that will keep mosquitoes out of your yard. At first glance, it seems a bit pricy; but it’s a concentrate, and a one quart bottle covers 1.25 acres. We also carry it in gallons. Still, if you’re on a budget like I am, you can stretch the product by using it only where you spend most of your time. I have used Mosquito Barrier around and on my back deck and from my front door to where I park my car (pretty much right in front of my front door – I live in a townhouse). That way I’m covered most of the time and a one quart bottle lasts me three or four months. One application lasts for two to three weeks and will even continue to work after it rains (if the product has time to dry thoroughly after application).

So now your yard is safe, but what do you do to protect yourself and your family when you go out into the world? You use repellents of course. Here at Native Nurseries we have sold natural repellents for years—no DEET for us—no siree Bob! Zika however, has us rethinking some choices. According to EWG (The Environmental Working Group – http://www.ewg.org/), ‘The risk of Zika infection is far more serious than side effects from repellent chemicals, provided you use products as directed.’ That does not mean we have to bite the bullet and go as far as using DEET. There are other choices. The active ingredient in Natrapel is Picaridin. EWG says, ‘Picaridin is not known to irritate skin and eyes, does not have a pungent odor like DEET and does not dissolve plastics. It evaporates from the skin more slowly than DEET or IR3535 and may repel bugs for longer periods. In efficacy testing it performs like DEET, appearing to repel a wide range of pests. The World Health Organization recommends Picaridin, along with DEET and IR3535, for protection against mosquitoes that carry diseases. Picaridin does not carry the same neurotoxicity concerns as DEET but has not been tested as much over the long term. Overall, EWG’s assessment is that Picaridin is a good DEET alternative with many of the same advantages and without the same disadvantages.’

Considering this and other information we’ve read and heard in recent weeks, we feel we owe it to our customers to discontinue selling natural essential oil type repellents. For those who intend to continue to use them, come see us—we just put the rest of our stock on sale. Be sure, however, to apply them generously and often. Today we are placing an order for Natrapel. Hopefully we’ll have some within a week. Lilly has been using this product, and she’s very impressed with its effectiveness. She also says it seems to keep the mosquitoes at more of a distance, that when she uses Natrapel, the mosquitoes do not buzz around her face.

Yes—Zika is sounding pretty scary; but the good news is that whether you and your family like to get your nature fix in your backyard or in the national forest, we have safe options that will help keep you protected. Come see us.

Grace Miller's Thoughts on Native Plantings for Wildlife

This is a letter from customer, friend and former employee Grace Miller to Donna on 6/20/16. It was written after reading a garden section from Tallahassee Democrat (June 17, 2015) which included 2 articles by Donna "Bring on the Birds: Native shrubs harbor bugs that provide primo protein for our feathered friends" and "Make a Splash with a Well-placed Birdbath". It also included an article entitled, "Coastal properties offer haven for birds" by Sheftall and Lovestrand.

“Dear Donna,

Was it coincidence or a well-planned cohesion which brought together this collection of writings that point out a long overdue way of approaching landscaping practices? Together with your articles and the contribution of Will Sheftall and Erik Lovestrand we must also add Jody’s preceding article on the use of “American” plants.

I have thought about the use of home landscaping to create oases of livability for birds and other wildlife, even before I became acquainted with Native Nurseries’ life work to promote this concept. In the 1960s I submitted a college paper on this subject. However, at the time, I had no concept of native plants versus non-native plants.

The world of native plants did not become revealed to me until the very early 1980s when I was fortunate to discover you, Donna, Jody and Native Nurseries. By the 1990s, under that guidance and influence, my home garden had become a copious collection of native plants - trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals. I took delight in all of them and so did the attendant wildlife, down to the tiniest insect. As I walked through my property I would be acutely aware of the birdsong and the hum of pollinating insects. The gardens were alive with a very special music, a synergistic symphony - Earth Music.

The concept of the use of native plants to host insects to host birds and other wildlife is a valid and valuable idea. It is, in my opinion, the basis for all life, this ecological linkage.

Sincerely,
”

— Grace Miller

In Appreciation of Moths

In our excitement over butterflies, we sometimes forget about the great diversity of other Lepidoptera - the moths that may frequent our yards and gardens. Some of my more interesting experiences with this order of insects have been with the raising of luna moths, cecropia moths, imperial moths and sphinx moths. 

Luna Moths mating.

Did you know that a mated female luna moth will lay approximately 150 eggs, usually high up on the leaves of sweetgum, hickory or pecan? Of those 150 caterpillars who hatch, only about 2 to 3 individuals live long enough to metamorphose into a moth and lay eggs. The other 147 or so become an important part of the food chain. Birds, spiders, wasps and others dine on their valuable protein.

Moth populations have suffered with habitat loss and through the use of pesticides. One thing that we can all do to help is to plant native plants, especially trees, in our yards, school grounds and parks. Why native? Each species of moth is adapted to break down and utilize the chemicals within the leaves of trees with which they have evolved. Luna moths need sweetgum or hickory, regal moths (hickory horn devil caterpillar) need hickory or walnut, rosy maple moths need maple trees and so on. I am not suggesting you plant a sweetgum, but now you can appreciate the one that is growing in your yard! But do plant native oak trees, sassafras, maples, birch, fringe tree, hickory........

Our yards and parks can be an important component of natural, healthy habitat to counteract loss of natural habitat, if we plant a diversity of native plants. We can also remove invasive plants that have invaded our urban and suburban green spaces and replace them with native species. This is such an important ecological issue that the last full week in July has been designated National Moth Week, this year July 23 - 31. It celebrates the beauty, life cycles and habitats of moths.

Visit nationalmothweek.org for more information. Please stop by Native Nurseries to pick up our information sheet, Moths and Their Larval Food Plants.