Paramount Theatre
Birds, Bees, & Butterflies
RECEIVED Tue., March 22, 2022
Dear Editor.
As spring approaches, forgo spraying your lawn for mosquitoes to preserve our birds, bees and butterflies! Mosquitoes are annoying when enjoying the backyard, but treatment sprays kill almost all insects, including bees and butterflies. Killing off these insects reduces the food available to hungry birds trying to raise chicks. According to the National Wildlife Federation, “Most residential mosquito control companies use insecticides known as pyrethrins … these are broad-spectrum insecticides that are highly toxic to a wide variety of insects, not just mosquitoes.” As wilderness is ever reducing, your yard can be an important haven for nature. Mosquito treatments turn your yard into an ecological desert. Instead, put on some repellent, plant native flowers and enjoy the bees, butterflies and birds that will be attracted to your yard. As our city grows in the context of mass extinctions, the choices you make in your yard make a difference.
As spring approaches, forgo spraying your lawn for mosquitoes to preserve our birds, bees and butterflies! Mosquitoes are annoying when enjoying the backyard, but treatment sprays kill almost all insects, including bees and butterflies. Killing off these insects reduces the food available to hungry birds trying to raise chicks. According to the National Wildlife Federation, “Most residential mosquito control companies use insecticides known as pyrethrins … these are broad-spectrum insecticides that are highly toxic to a wide variety of insects, not just mosquitoes.” As wilderness is ever reducing, your yard can be an important haven for nature. Mosquito treatments turn your yard into an ecological desert. Instead, put on some repellent, plant native flowers and enjoy the bees, butterflies and birds that will be attracted to your yard. As our city grows in the context of mass extinctions, the choices you make in your yard make a difference.
Katharine Beisner
