Backyard Pesticides and Insects
What is a Pesticide?
Pesticides are chemicals or biological agents used to kill, repel or control pests, such as weeds, insects, fungi or rodents. Pesticides are indiscriminate and include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides.
Seventy-eight million households use pesticides, with herbicides being the largest category. Over 90 million pounds of weed killer are applied to lawns and gardens each year to ‘protect’ or ‘manage’ problems that may arise in our gardens and/or yards.
Why Go Pesticide Free?
Lawn chemicals can pollute water, harm pollinators, birds, and wildlife, and have adverse effects on humans and pets. Chemicals are not required for a lush green lawn. Using pesticides to treat them will kill good organisms and insects that provide a natural balance in the soil and surrounding environment. For example, if you use an insecticide to treat a problem insect, the insecticide works indiscriminately and will kill ALL affected insects, including beneficial ones. Instead of using an insecticide, identify the insect and learn more about its habitat and how you can naturally deter it or draw beneficial insects to the yard to control it.
If you attract pollinators by planting native pollinator-friendly plants, make sure no pesticides are present on your lawn or garden that could harm them. You do not want to create a pollinator trap attracting pollinators to an area that will ultimately kill them because of insecticides used on the plants. Use Non-Chemical Alternatives to enhance the biodiversity of your yard, creating a balanced environment.
Organic pesticides are not necessarily safe for pollinators. Some can be relatively safe assuming proper usage and timing. However, many are not safe, and most haven't been tested yet for caterpillars, bees, and other pollinators.
The Critical Role of Insects in the Food Chain
Because insects are the sole food source for many amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, they are essential to the food chain for other species. Plants capturing solar energy to make food through photosynthesis provide food (energy) to insects, which then allows this energy to flow to the next level. For example, baby birds require soft-bodied insects and caterpillars for survival. Thus, a critical food chain is supported by the presence of insects.
In addition, insects cycle nutrients, disperse seeds, pollinate plants, maintain soil structure, improve fertility, and control population of other organisms,
all critical functions necessary for a healthy ecosystem. As insects decline many of these critical functions will be in danger of collapse.
When you go pesticide-free, you are creating a safe habitat for pollinators, birds, insects, wildlife, your soil, rivers and streams, your pets, your children, and you!
An American Robin with a caterpillar. Most birds rely on insects as their main food source.
How to Find out which Pesticides you should NOT be using in your Yard?
Protect Our Pollinators compiled a list of Lawn Chemicals Harmful to Pollinators: Do Not Buy or Let Your Lawn Care Professional Use These Products to help consumers know which chemicals are being used on their properties. The list is broken down by Chemical Name, Uses, and Trade Name.