June 2021 Newsletter
Included in this issue:
Bits & Pieces
Bugs by Carol Adamthwaite
We had intended to include an article on Shoreline Restoration and one on Living With Wildlife in this months newsletter but decided the article on "Bugs" was more appropriate at this time.
This time of the year, many homeowners opt for broad spectrum pesticides to combat mosquitoes and garden insects not realizing the negative environmental impact not only on the beneficial insects and birds on their own property but on their neighbours as well.
One must remember that Pest Control companies that you hire to treat your yard are in business to sell their products and services not to educate you on environmental best practices.
Turtles on the Move
Remember to watch for our slow moving citizens this time of year and if necessary help them cross our busy roads safely in the direction they were originally headed.
The gravel shoulders of the road near swamps and marshes are favourite spots for the female to make a nest and bury their eggs. If you come to the rescue of a Snapping Turtle be cautious handling them. Don't pick them up by the sides or front of the shell as they have a long neck and can inflict serious bite damage to hands and fingers or pull them by the tail which is easily injured.
The best approach is to use either a plastic snow shovel which will lift the turtle completely off the pavement and allow you to quickly scoot it off the road or use an old tarp or blanket. Snappers can live over 100 years but don't mature for 15-20 years and each female only lays 25-75 eggs each year. Mortality rates for new hatchlings and juveniles are quite high and many nests are raided by skunks, raccoons or foxes resulting in the eggs never even getting a chance to hatch. The adult's main danger is from vehicle traffic or motor boat propellers.
If you are concerned about identifying "Snappers" there are lots of pictures online - but they are easy to identify because they are NOT pretty or cute and have a very prehistoric appearance.
Turtle saved on Echo Ridge Road
Hummingbirds
If you are feeding Hummingbirds remember to clean the feeders and change the sugar water solution often (4:1 water & white sugar only). Avoid letting the sugar solution become cloudy or milky looking because it may make them sick.
Butterflies, Bees and Dragonflies
We appear to have lots of bugs in the garden this year. We had some butterflies before all the snow had disappeared this spring and currently have Swallowtails, Fritillaries and perhaps a Monarch (seen at a distance). Pollinators include Bumblebees (big & small) honeybees, butterflies, moths, many types and sizes of flies and other assorted flying insects. Even saw some Hummingbird Moths hard at work. There were lots of Dragonflies busily zipping back and forth over the garden catching & eating mosquitoes. They each can eat about 100 per day!
Between the Dragonflies, Swallows and little Brown Bats they can put a substantial dent in your mosquito population.
Bugs
Most of us see bugs as a pain, literally and figuratively. Here in Almaguin it seems, at times, that it is one onslaught after the other.
In the spring Black Flies, the smallest of our biting insects, are the first to arrive. They are active all day, mainly during May and June. A few days of hot weather and dragonfly activity and they disappear to be replaced by mosquitoes. There are about 2500 species in the world with probably 82 in Canada. Of the 10 main groups in Canada only 5 are significant pests to humans. Mosquitoes are more tenacious and are generally more, active at dawn and dusk with the different types arriving and disappearing from June to September. As most people know it is only the females that bite and there are different types of mosquitoes at different times in the season.
July and August during the day are the months for deer and horse fly activity, with the little flies that bite your ankles when you are in the boat arriving in late summer. It may surprise you to learn that insect populations are declining mainly because of climate change, loss of biodiversity and habitat destruction.
In Dr. Sverdrup-Thygeson’s new book "Buzz, Sting, Bite:Why We Need Insects", the author who is a professor of conservation biology at the Norwegian University of Life Science makes a clear case for the importance of invertebrates in keeping nature in balance. She quotes Harvard Biologist E.O. Wilson who wrote in 1987 "if the invertebrates were to disappear, I doubt the human species could live more than a few months".
Bugs, What are they good for?
Biting and stinging insects give all invertebrates a bad name. However insect populations have a huge part in maintaining the balance of nature on the planet. According to Dr. Sverdrup-Thygeson, 90 % of plant production is left as waste on the ground. Many insects are part of the clean-up crew. They recycle dead plant and animal matter which replenishes the soil and cleans up the environment in the process.
Pollination is one of the most important contributions insects make to the world.
Dr. Sverdrup-Thygeson wrote that “The volume of agricultural production dependent on insect pollination has tripled over the last 50 years and an estimated 20,000 different species (not just bees) contribute to pollinating our food supply as well as other crops used for bio-fuels, natural fibres, medicines and construction materials."
Bugs are also important as a food source for other bugs as well as many other birds and animals. Insects in the larval stage or as adults are an important food source for freshwater fish. Birds, bats and many reptiles are insect eaters. Insects provide protein especially for nestlings. Worldwide, Dr. Sverdrup-Thygeson says birds eat an estimated 500 million metric tons... more than the weight of the entire world population annually! A study by US and Mexican researchers in Costa Rica (1976-2012), found that a decline in insects has led to a decline in insectivorous birds of 53% over 15 years.
Pictured below- one of the many good guys - the Spined Soldier Bug (just 10-12 mm) eats caterpillars, larvae and grubs. You don't want to kill him - he needs to be working for you!
Preserving wildlife habitat means keeping not only wetlands intact and undisturbed but also leaving dead trees and areas of ungroomed, naturalized land along streams, fields, and roadways in both urban and rural areas. This can help to maintain the balance of nature needed by these insects as well as all wild creatures.
Bugs- How do we live with them?
The best way to prevent being bitten by biting insects is by using a physical barrier. Wear light coloured, long sleeved clothing and, tuck your long pants in. Bug jackets are very effective. Bug tents and screened houses help for sitting outdoors. Close all unscreened windows and doors in the house. Bugs do not like smoke. A campfire or burning sage or rosemary, and citronella candles seem to have some effect. Some natural products are oil of lemon, eucalyptus oil, and soy bean oil.
A large fan used on an outdoor patio to create a breeze is another novel solution. Mosquitoes are not strong flyers and have difficulty hovering to land on you in a breeze. Commercial products are available but be sure to read labels carefully. Some products can be toxic especially to children and animals and kill indiscriminately both good and bad insects, and birds. Deet, a popular chemical product, is used topically as a repellent.
The recommended strength both for adults and children of different ages is regulated in Canada. It can damage some synthetic materials. The use of commercial area sprays often originally licensed for insect control on agricultural crops is questionable for residential areas - especially those near lakes & rivers. Often advertised for mosquito control they usually are lethal to beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies and possibly birds. At least one has a high toxicity for aquatic life, lasting more than 2 months in the water. Its use should be avoided near lakes, ponds and rivers. Most of these sprays must be applied according to strict guidelines and companies and their employees are expected to act responsibly. Oversight is difficult and often lacking.
Commercial products like calamine lotion and After Bite or home remedies like a paste of baking soda and apple cider vinegar or heat from a hot water bottle or "Seed Bag" warmed in a microwave applied to the area can relieve the itch if you do get bitten. When trying to decide on what methods to use to handle problems with bugs please realize that many pesticide companies rely on the "FUD" factor (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) to help sell their products.
"Protect Your family - Mosquitoes carry Zika and West Nile" are common ad headlines. Rather than just accepting their pitch - do some research on your own. To start - go to the Canadian Wildlife Federation website (cwffcf.org) and read up on Mosquitoes and Zika and West Nile and follow some of their links to Health Canada and other knowledgeable websites and come to your own conclusions. When you visit websites be skeptical about their information until you can verify that it is accurate. I think when you are finished you will have a totally different perspective on the problem.
Sources:
Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need insects, by Dr. Sverdrup-Thygeson
cwffcf.org look under resources - common animal fact sheet and then search for mosquitoes which are under the insect tab lots of interesting info on a number of different insects