Re: [AB2006] Abridged summary of allstonbrighton2006@googlegroups.com - 4 updates in 4 topics
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Jean Powers
Jul 9, 2014, 3:02:55 PM7/9/14
to allstonbr...@googlegroups.com
Thanks for the article about Monarch Butterflies! Monarch Watch provides a lot of really helpful information and instructions for creating a Monarch Waystation. Our yard is too small, but my neighbor let me expand into his, and between the two of us we have the required plants.
-Jean On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 2:44 PM, <allstonbr...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/allstonbrighton2006/topics
- Oak Square Office Hours - CHANGE OF TIME - 3-5 PM [1 Update]
- Landscape Legacy of Chestnut Hill Reservoir Wednesday, July 16 from 6-7:30 pm. Please spread the word! [1 Update]
- Setting the Table for Migrating Monarch Butterflies - NYTimes.com [1 Update]
- ESOL Teacher Wanted for ABCD Allston Brighton [1 Update]
John Laadt <john....@boston.gov> Jul 09 11:02AM -0400
Hi all,
Due to a recently scheduled meeting, my office hours will only go until 5
PM today at the Faneuil Library. I apologize for the late notice.
Best,
John
--
John T. Laadt ...more
Eva Webster <evawe...@comcast.net> Jul 09 02:40AM -0400
FYI
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Brown, Maggi (DCR)" <maggi...@state.ma.us>
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 12:58:01 -0400
To: "'evawe...@comcast.net'" <evawe...@comcast.net>
Subject: Landscape ...more
Eva Webster <evawe...@comcast.net> Jul 09 02:27AM -0400
Very short article about helping Monarch Butterflies avoid extinction (some
comments are worth reading too):
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/setting-the-table-for-migrating ...more
kathryn...@gmail.com Jul 08 12:54PM -0700
Good Afternoon All,
The Action for Boston Community Development's Allston Brighton NOC office
is looking for a volunteer to run an ESOL course for a 6 week ESOL program
that would be followed ...more
Eva Webster
Jul 15, 2014, 5:37:06 AM7/15/14
to AllstonBrighton2006, Cleveland-Cir...@googlegroups.com
Hi, Jean — as a follow-up to your message several days ago... Since the plight of Monarch butterflies resonated with you, I thought that you and others may find this article (about catastrophic decline in bees population) interesting as well.
Bees and Colony Collapse - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/opinion/bees-and-colony-collapse.html?emc=edit_ee_20140715&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=31621101
This is not news, of course -- most people know about this — but we feel helpless to do anything about it, and some folks even continue to use pesticides in their yards/gardens, thus contributing to the problem.
This is so crazy – the loss of bees poses a huge danger to the food supply (and food prices down the road may go through the roof because of that, increasing the cost of living and affecting the entire economy) -- and yet, garden centers across the country continue selling pesticides and insecticides that are killing beneficial insects -- and people are foolishly buying them, usually just to have a perfect lawn.
We do have wild bees in our neighborhood, but they are having a hard time in the city. Wild bees anywhere need to be nurtured because if they survive and multiply, it could blunt the impact of commercial colonies dying out. All of us who have yards and gardens can help bees and other beneficial insects by planting native plants and NOT using any pesticides or other harmful chemicals. I haven’t used any in over 20 years, with no adverse effects -- so in my opinion all those poisons are also a waste of money. (Last year, I was rewarded by spotting a Praying Mantis in my yard.)
But I do have a dilemma this year: what to do about a yellow jackets’ nest? To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing beneficial about those guys, and it makes me nervous to have that nest under the roof overhang of my garage. Any advice would be appreciated.
Eva
On 7/9/14 3:02 PM, "Jean Powers" <jean....@gmail.com> wrote:
Bees and Colony Collapse - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/opinion/bees-and-colony-collapse.html?emc=edit_ee_20140715&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=31621101
This is not news, of course -- most people know about this — but we feel helpless to do anything about it, and some folks even continue to use pesticides in their yards/gardens, thus contributing to the problem.
This is so crazy – the loss of bees poses a huge danger to the food supply (and food prices down the road may go through the roof because of that, increasing the cost of living and affecting the entire economy) -- and yet, garden centers across the country continue selling pesticides and insecticides that are killing beneficial insects -- and people are foolishly buying them, usually just to have a perfect lawn.
We do have wild bees in our neighborhood, but they are having a hard time in the city. Wild bees anywhere need to be nurtured because if they survive and multiply, it could blunt the impact of commercial colonies dying out. All of us who have yards and gardens can help bees and other beneficial insects by planting native plants and NOT using any pesticides or other harmful chemicals. I haven’t used any in over 20 years, with no adverse effects -- so in my opinion all those poisons are also a waste of money. (Last year, I was rewarded by spotting a Praying Mantis in my yard.)
But I do have a dilemma this year: what to do about a yellow jackets’ nest? To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing beneficial about those guys, and it makes me nervous to have that nest under the roof overhang of my garage. Any advice would be appreciated.
Eva
On 7/9/14 3:02 PM, "Jean Powers" <jean....@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks for the article about Monarch Butterflies! Monarch Watch <http://www.monarchwatch.org/index.html> provides a lot of really helpful information and instructions for creating a Monarch Waystation. Our yard is too small, but my neighbor let me expand into his, and between the two of us we have the required plants.
-Jean
jean....@gmail.com
Jul 16, 2014, 9:40:24 PM7/16/14
to allstonbr...@googlegroups.com, Cleveland-Cir...@googlegroups.com
Dear Eva,
Thank you so much for bringing up the important issue of bee colony collapse. A recent Harvard study linked the use of neonicotinoid pesticides to bee disappearances. This class of pesticides is used commonly on crops, but also, alarmingly, on plants and seeds sold at large retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's. So it's important to ask about your plants if you're not buying from an organic or IPM (integrated pest management). The good news, however, is that honeybees are making a comeback in cities! Cities provide more biodiversity than the country or suburbs, where you may have all one type of crop or acres of manicured grass. City residents also use fewer pesticides, which leads to healthier bees. You can hear the founder of Best Bees, an urban beekeeping and research organization, discuss bees in the city here.
Another important thing to remember is that pesticides pollute our groundwater, rivers, and oceans. As you say, there's no real need for them and they do more harm than good.
As for your yellowjackets, I'd say to contact a pest control company that deals in "green" removal. They should be able to smoke the nest out and then remove it. Don't try to do it yourself, as yellowjackets are very aggressive!
And if you want more mantises, let me know. We have them all over our yard. They BITE! I relocated a bunch to the two Everett Street slopes last year and they left egg cases all over the place there. There should be lots of mantises creeping around, doing that weird creaky walk.
I don't want to clog up the google group with gardening talk-- I could go on FOREVER -- but if anyone wants to join our facebook group, check out Boston Area Gardeners (BAG).
Yours in dirt,
Jean
Thank you so much for bringing up the important issue of bee colony collapse. A recent Harvard study linked the use of neonicotinoid pesticides to bee disappearances. This class of pesticides is used commonly on crops, but also, alarmingly, on plants and seeds sold at large retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's. So it's important to ask about your plants if you're not buying from an organic or IPM (integrated pest management). The good news, however, is that honeybees are making a comeback in cities! Cities provide more biodiversity than the country or suburbs, where you may have all one type of crop or acres of manicured grass. City residents also use fewer pesticides, which leads to healthier bees. You can hear the founder of Best Bees, an urban beekeeping and research organization, discuss bees in the city here.
Another important thing to remember is that pesticides pollute our groundwater, rivers, and oceans. As you say, there's no real need for them and they do more harm than good.
As for your yellowjackets, I'd say to contact a pest control company that deals in "green" removal. They should be able to smoke the nest out and then remove it. Don't try to do it yourself, as yellowjackets are very aggressive!
And if you want more mantises, let me know. We have them all over our yard. They BITE! I relocated a bunch to the two Everett Street slopes last year and they left egg cases all over the place there. There should be lots of mantises creeping around, doing that weird creaky walk.
I don't want to clog up the google group with gardening talk-- I could go on FOREVER -- but if anyone wants to join our facebook group, check out Boston Area Gardeners (BAG).
Yours in dirt,
Jean
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