Pesticides kill more than just insects

Numerous species give color, depth ad texture to a small space and provide habitat and nectar for polinators

January 13, 2022

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act regulates the registration and use of pesticides in the United States.

Last November, legislation was introduced to reform the core of this act. This bill, The Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2021 bans the most damaging and toxic pesticides scientifically known to cause significant harm to people and the environment.

Organophosphate insecticides, neonicotinoid insecticides and paraquat herbicides comprise the three most toxic agents. Organophosphates are linked to neurodevelopmental damage in children while neonicotinoids cause developmental heart and muscle defects and contribute to pollinator collapse. Exposure to paraquat, one of the most acutely toxic herbicides in the world, increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 200 to 600%.

Neonicotinoids, organophosphates and paraquat are already restricted or banned in the European Union and other countries; somehow, they are still used in Palm Beach.

The neonicotinoid Imidacloprid, sold under the name Merit, is applied all over the island to kill whitefly on ficus hedges. Merit causes irreversible nerve damage to any insect it contacts, and as a systemic, it travels through the plant’s roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits, making every part poisonous.

It is highly toxic to beneficial insects and pollinators and has been linked for decades to colony collapse disorder decimating our honeybee populations. It has leached into our lakes and groundwater, where it is toxic to fish and invertebrates, and we get to drink it. A listed carcinogen, it is hazardous to domestic animals and humans, linked to neurological and reproductive disorders.

Organophosphates used in Palm Beach include chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion. Chlorpyrifos, used in Sevin and Safari, was originally developed by the Nazis for chemical warfare. Post-war chemical companies reformulated these nerve agents into neurotoxic pesticides. For 65 years, chlorpyrifos has been sprayed as a pesticide on U.S. food crops, including apples, strawberries, citrus, wheat, soy, sweet potatoes, broccoli and corn.

After decades of studies proving its danger to children and pollinators, the EPA finally banned its use on food crops in August 2021. But Safari is still found on many of the “environmental” trucks besieging our island. It’s frightening to see the effects of these chemicals on pollinators. I watched monarch caterpillars in the process of forming chrysalis after their milkweed was sprayed with Essentria, considered a “mild pesticide” and widely used for mosquito control.

The day after the spay, the caterpillars were dead, reduced to shriveled cocoons hanging by black threads from the milkweed leaves. The neurologic damage to children is permanent as well — this doesn’t just go away after a few days.

A healthy chrysalis for a monarch butterfly

A monarch chrysalis after being sprayed with a pesticide

Toxic pesticides kill these caterpillars along with whiteflies they target

A zebra heliconias caterpillar also is at risk from pesticides

A health atala butterfly

An atala butterfly, killed by pesticides

Healthy atala caterpilar

Dead monarch caterpillars after being sprayed with pesticides

Let’s consider how we arrived at this “need” for chemical assistance in our gardens. By replacing our original diverse plant populations with only a few alien species, the resulting monocultures were unable to support the diverse insect predators needed to control the pests these monocultures attract. Without the restraint of natural enemies, the herbivorous insect populations exploded.

The preponderance of whitefly on ficus is a perfect example: it’s great for the pesticide industry but devastating to those of us who appreciate clean air and water. The simple solution is to incorporate numerous native species into our landscapes. One is hard-pressed to find a garden in Palm Beach that does not include green island ficus, podocarpus, schefflera or Jasmine minima. There is nothing wrong with using these plants, but we cannot use only these plants.

Self-sustaining, chemical-free gardens use a wide variety of native species to keep insect pests in check while supporting pollinators vital to birds and wildlife. These gardens are far more interesting, exciting and alive than their sterile counterparts. And contrary to popular opinion, they can be incredibly beautiful as well.

You don’t need to dig up everything in your landscape; adding just a few important native species will bring butterflies and songbirds. Nesting birds require hundreds of caterpillars to feed their young, so providing habitat for these insects is essential if we want songbirds to re-establish residency.

Here are some easy additions for any garden:

Firebush adds year-round color to the garden, and is a hardy native that resists heat, drought, disease and pests

* Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens) is one of Florida’s most colorful and productive native shrubs, with clusters of reddish-orange tubular flowers year-round. It can handle sun or shade but will have more flowers in the sun and the leaves will be tinged with red. Hummingbirds love the nectar, songbirds seek out the fleshy purple fruits, and the foliage hosts larvae of the Pluto sphinx and brown tersa sphinx moths.

This species is perfect for filling out a neglected corner or used in mass plantings as a screen. A fast grower, usually reaching 6-10 feet, it can be top pruned for added fullness. Resistant to heat, drought, pests and disease, this makes a great addition to any garden. Make sure you get the native Florida firebush, not the Mexican variety.

* Locust berry (Byrsonima lucida) is a large shrub or small tree with lovely pink and white blossoms turning yellow and deep pink with age. As a tree, wide-spreading branches provide shade and removing lower branches shows off the attractive trunk. The foliage is a glossy dark green, with lighter undersides, providing great cover for birds.

This does well in full sun or part shade and is drought- and pest-resistant. It is the larval host for Florida duskywing butterflies, and birds love the berries. Being listed as threatened in Florida makes it an even more valuable garden addition.

Red tipped cocoplum foliage

* Myrsine, marlberry, Jamaican caper, fiddlewood, fetterbush, cocoplum, bay cedar, teabush and wild coffee are a few more great hedge replacements. Thatch, buccaneer and silver palms are wonderful smaller palms for garden use. And there are so many beautiful native perennials providing color, seeds and nectar for birds and butterflies.

Bahama cassia

Visit Amelia’s SmartyPlants in Lake Worth Beach or Southern Native Nursery in Loxahatchee to get started. Balanced, healthy ecosystems can only exist through complex native diversity.

-Kim Frisbie

Original article on the Palm Beach Daily News is HERE.