Live Pesticide-Free As Much As You Can. Here's Why

If you have been taking a breather from soccer games here and there, you may have come across worrying news of bees taking a hard hit lately. The reason it is big news is because the little buzzing creatures are quite involved in helping us get the food we need the most: fruit and veggies. Bees pollinate approximately 75 percent of the insect crops, which makes them not only both fascinating and invaluable.

Evidence from many scientists that tried to figure out why bees are dying points to a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids, which, though intended for the bad bugs, end up decimating helpful creatures as well, such as bees, butterflies, earthworms and even some birds that eat them.

Neonicotinoids are widely used for conventional crops, but also around town on green spaces and around the home too. Together with other pesticides used for cosmetic and agricultural purposes, their presence is ubiquitous enough, both outside our homes and inside, to make us wonder how they affect us and whether we can reduce their use to when we really need them.

Because saving bees ultimately means saving ourselves and ensuring that we and our families live in a chemically-safer world, here are a few suggestions to get you inspired:

• Grow your food as much as you can using natural methods, making sure your balcony or garden have enough flowers to in order to attract beneficial bugs.
• Visit the farmer’s market for all that you need and cannot grow yourself. Encouraging local, organic farmers means health for you and the environment. Recent studies pointed out to a connection between proximity to chemically sprayed crops and higher numbers of children diagnosed with autism.
• Don’t use any pesticides on your lawn or in your garden, but rather adopt practices that support xeriscaping (cultivating what grows naturally in your area.) Not only will you have a low maintenance garden, but you will be pleasantly surprised to see how well everything grows. Plants have their own immune systems and chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides can make them vulnerable to diseases and bugs. Native plants are stronger by default because they are adapted to live in that area.
• When buying seeds for your garden, go for the heirloom, untreated ones. Systemic pesticides such as the above mentioned neonicotinoids can find their way into the future plant as they are environmentally persistent, rendering the soil slightly toxic to earthworms and other beneficial critters.
• Use compost, whether home-made (stay tuned for a future post, we will provide a few ideas on how to get started and why summer is a good time to do so) or bought from a local farm or through a fundraiser (Scouts and other organizations often raise money by providing good quality compost and well-aged manure.)

Like with many good things we can do for our health and the environment, every little bit counts. Why not start today and spread the word too, everyone will benefit from it, bees included!