#SAVETHESONGBIRDS: AVOID PESTICIDES!!
Wild Birds Unlimited has a long history of providing educational information, products and services that directly support local and migratory song bird populations. You can indeed make a difference locally and in your own backyard. There are seven simple actions anyone can take to help #SavetheSongBirds. This month we focus on avoiding pesticides.
The challenge:
More than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied in the United States each year. The continent's most widely used insecticides, called neonicotinoids or "neonics" are lethal to birds and to the insects that birds consume. Common weed killers used around homes, such as 2, 4-D and glyphosate (used in Roundup) can be toxic to wildlife, and glyphosate has been declared a probable human carcinogen.
The cause:
Pesticides that are toxic to birds can harm them directly through contact, or if they eat contaminated seeds or prey. Pesticides can also harm birds indirectly by reducing the number of available insects, which birds need to survive.
A healthy choice for you, your family, and birds:
Help wildlife by eliminating, or significantly reducing, the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and other pesticides. Non-chemical, organic gardening practices in your garden or landscape are always the best option for wildlife.
What do you do to control unwanted insects in your yard?
Do you know how many insects a Chickadee needs to feed their young while in the nest? A single pair of breeding Chickadees must find 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to rear one clutch of young! Insects are not the enemy in the garden. In fact, they can be key in keeping populations of pests down.
Creating a diversely planted garden that attracts an array of wildlife is a much better way to control pests than spraying toxic pesticides.
If you must resort to chemicals on tough cases, use the most targeted product that breaks down quickly in the environment, and always read and follow the labels exactly.
Visit Audubon.org for more information.