pesticides and pollinators: policy, practice, and activism · oil, an insecticidal vegetable oil,...
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B A S E L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E
SAN FRANCISCO · PORTLAND · BASELANDSCAPE.COM
Pesticides and Pollinators: Policy, Practice, and Activism
Presenters Patricia Algara, ASLA, Principal BASE Landscape Architecture Sutter Wehmeier, PLA, LEED AP, Principal - BASE Landscape Architecture Chris A.Geiger, Ph.D. San Francisco Department of the Environment
Learning Objectives
I. Understand how systemic pesticides applied to horticultural plant material threaten larger ecosystems
II. Gain insight into city-based efforts regulate pesticide use and create pollinator friendly environments
III. Survey the field of international, domestic, and state-labeling requirements for plant material treated with neonicitinoids
IV. Learn tools and strategies for incorporating aesthetically pleasing, functional, and pollinator-friendly plant species into landscape designs
V. Learn techniques to source the right seeds/plants in your planting specs VI. Learn about the benefits of urban gardens for pollinators
Introduction
I. Why are pollinators and bees important? a) Around 80% of all flowering plants are pollinated by animals [1] b) Around 30% of all food relies on bee pollination c) The economic impact of bees
II. What are neonicotinoids a) Definition
III. How neonics harm bees a) Neonic regulation may be controversial, but the fact these chemicals are toxic to
bees is not. Bee mortality associated with neonics is most visible when they are improperly. However, bees are exposed directly to neonics in unexpected ways Additionally, sublethal doses can still have dramatic effects
b) Other systemic pesticides – including insecticides and some fungicides – can also kill bees. Most non-systemic pesticides, including many commonly used products, are quite lethal to bees too.
IV. What can we do? a) Policy b) Practice c) Activism
B A S E L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E
SAN FRANCISCO · PORTLAND · BASELANDSCAPE.COM
Policy, lessons learned from IPM in San Francisco - Chris Geiger PhD Policies to reduce pesticides
I. The good news: Properly designed landscapes, with the right plant species, the right seedling stock, and managed under an IPM program, will rarely if ever need insecticides or fungicides II. Control of nature vs. harmony with nature
d) Managed landscapes very controlled e) But can work with natural systems
III. Definition of IPM a) Decisionmaking system, not tools or products b) Prevention first, disruptive controls (chemicals) last c) Part of integrated pest management (IPM) is saving pesticides as a last resort –
and even then using products that will not kill pollinators or other Beneficial’s
IV. Ingredients of a successful IPM program a) Team effort – not top-down b) Creating corporate culture c) Lists – put boundaries on pesticide use d) Training – information instead of chemicals e) Challenging old ways of doing things f) Communication – with clients and management
V. Some ideas from the SF team a) Sheet mulching b) Covering the ground quickly c) Growing a healthy “crop” d) Avoiding water problems e) Challenging customers’ thresholds – ex. English daisies f) Watch out for the scope of work – some things take longer
Practice and considerations for Landscape Architects’s - Sutter Wehmeier, ASLA
I. Specifying safe plants: Nursery and horticultural perspective a) Prevalence of neonic usage in ornamental horticulture and different ways they
are applied to plant material b) Nursery crops are treated at much higher application rates than agricultural crops c) Importance of increased communication between landscape architects and
growers d) List of safe growers we compiled & what to ask growers when specifying plants e) How to leverage SITES and other green certification programs f) Different approaches toward specifications: contract grow, testing requirements,
required labeling, pre-approved grower lists, getting granular
B A S E L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E
SAN FRANCISCO · PORTLAND · BASELANDSCAPE.COM
Activism - Patricia Algara, ASLA I. Designing pollinator habitats
a) Importance of urban habitats for bees b) A haven from pesticides on agricultural land c) Variation in planting provides diverse forage in contrast to the massive mono-
cultures on agricultural land d) Gardens, but also urban/community agriculture - both of which can thrive without
pesticide use and typically contain highly varied, dense plantings II. Scale and case studies
a) Personal/Private Garden -The Algarden the practice of beekeeping b) City/Educational School Gardens - School gardens in SF, creating habitat and
education c) Civic/Public Space - Pollinator Boulevard, habitat and building community
III. Challenge a) Do it in your city, find a public space where it can be done b) Use he list of resources to help you
IV. Thank you!
BEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFE
Friendly PlantsSourcing Pollinator
“Neonicotinoids are not
only capable of killing bees outright by attacking their nervous system
s, but low
levels of exposure can im
pair foraging abilities and navigation; disrupt learning, com
munication and m
emory;
reduce fecundity and queen production; and suppress
the imm
une systems of bees,
making them
more vulnerable
to disease and pests. 1”
baselandscape.com
45 29th StreetSan Francisco, C
A 94110415.509.3728patricia@
baselandscape.com
HO
W TO
HELP
1. Learn about bees! Read primary
sources and analyze content for biases.
2. Start a garden! Use bee-safe plants and
provide a source of fresh water. U
rban habitats provide diverse forage and a haven from
agricultural pesticides.
3. Eat organic! Create dem
and for produce grow
n without chem
icals that harm bees.
4. Befriend a beekeeper! Buy honey from
your local apiarist.
5. Advocate for bees! Talk to your friends
and ask your representatives to support pollinator friendly legislation.
6. Talk to BASE! BASE can help you design and
select appropriate plants for your pollinator habitat.
Acetam
ipridClothianidinD
inotefuranIm
idacloprid
Nitenpyram
Nithiazine
ThiaclopridThiam
ethoxam
THE N
EON
ICOTIN
OID
S
Buying a pesticide? Check the active ingredients. The follow
ing chemicals are all neonics:
ClN
NN
HN
NO
2
Imidacloprid, the neonicotinoid pictured above, is the
most popular pesticide in the w
orld.
WH
AT A
RE “NEO
NICS”?
SAFE G
ROW
ERS:
RESOU
RCES
WH
AT CA
N I D
O?
Neonicotinoids, or “neonics”, are a class of neurotoxic
systemic insecticides that can persist for m
any years in soil and plants. �
is means they act on the brain
and nervous system and they are absorbed by the
plant and distributed throughout its tissues. Neonics
are extremely e�ective, easy to use, and less toxic to
humans than som
e previously used pesticides. �ese
qualities have made them
the most w
idely used of all classes of insecticides. 2
Vote with your w
allet! Request plants that have not been treated w
ith neonicotinoids. �e label
“pollinator friendly” often only means “pollinator
attractive”, and many so-labeled plants have tested
positive for neonics.
Friends of the Earthfoe.org
�e X
erces Society for Invertebrate C
onservationxerces.org
Pesticide Research Institute
pesticideresearch.com
Pollinator Stewardship
Council
pollinatorstewardship.org
Pesticide Action N
etwork
panna.org
North C
oast Gardening
northcoastgardening.com
GRO
WER
NEO
NIC PO
LICY
Berkeley Horticultural N
urseryberkeleyhort.com(510) 526-4704(Retail)
Cal Color Grow
erscalcolorgrow
ers.com(408) 778-0835(W
holesale)
None applied or sold in store. CA
Certified Organic plants, herbs,
vegatables, and any plants labeled bee-friendly are neonic-free.
Stopped using neonics at the end of 2014.
Central Coast Wilds
centralcoastwilds.com
(831) 459-0655(W
holesale)
No neonics use. O
rganic neem
oil, an insecticidal vegetable oil, is the only pesticide used.
Suncrest Nurseries, Inc.
suncrestnurseries.com(831) 728-2595(W
holesale)
Stopped using neonicotinoids as of July 1st, 2014.
Devil M
ountaindevilm
ountainnursery.com(925) 829-6006(W
holesale)
No neonics used.
REFERENCES
1. Brown T
J, Kegley SE, Archer L. (2013) G
ardeners Beware: Bee-Toxic
Pesticides Found in “Bee-Friendly” Plants sold at Garden C
enters Nation-
wide. Friends of the Earth-U
.S.
2. Jeschke P, Nauen R
, Schindler M, Elbert A. (2011) O
verview of the
Status and Global Strategy for N
eonicotinoids. Journals of Agricultural and Food C
hemistry 59: 2897–2908.
3. Gill R
J, Ram
os-Rodriguez O, R
aine NE. (2012) C
ombined pesticide
exposure severely a�ects individual- and colony-level traits in bees. Nature
491, 105-108.
4. Klein A et al. (2007) Im
portance of pollinators in changing landscapes for w
orld crops. Proc. R. Soc. B 274 303-313.
5. Lee KV
et al. (2015) A national survey of managed honey bee 2013–
2014 annual colony losses in the USA. Apidologie 46(3), 292–305.
We called several w
holesale and retail nurseries in N
orthern California to ask about their pest m
anagement strategies and rated them
according to how
confident we are that their plants are safe
for bees. See the full list on our website at http://
baselandscape.com/portfolio/bee-safe.
If you’re
wondering about a grow
er that isn’t listed, give them
a call!
Bay Natives
baynatives.com(415) 287-6755(Retail)
None applied in store.
Insecticidal soap and tobacco tea are the only pesticides used by Bay N
atives.
PROFESSIO
NA
LS- Specify plants that are not treated w
ith neonics.- Provide contractors w
ith a pre-approved list of safe grow
ers so it’s easy for them to �nd plants that
meet your speci�cations.
- Use only organic fertilizers in your designs.
- Adopt an integrated pest managem
ent strategy in your m
aintenance methodology.
GA
RDEN
ERS- C
all nurseries to ask about pest managem
ent strategies before you buy from
them.
- Don’t use neonics on your law
n or garden.- Rethink your relationship w
ith “weeds”. �
ey grow
so fast because they are well suited to the
conditions in your garden and they provide diverse forage for pollinators.
While there is som
e debate about the severity of neonics’ im
pact on bees under real �eld conditions, their toxicity to bees and the im
portance of bees to ecosystem
s and agriculture are uncontroversial. 3,4
Beekeepers have
been losing
an unsustainable
portion5 of their colonies every year since 2006, and
neonics are a strongly implicated culprit. Beekeepers
can breed honey bees to restore their numbers, but
native pollinators like bumblebees and butter�ies
have no such support.
None applied at retail level. That’s pretty good! N
eonics last a w
hile, so be sure to ask about their suppliers’ policies.
None applied at grow
er level. That’s great! This rating m
eans we don’t know
that what they use instead is safe.
None applied at grow
er level and only organic pesticides that are fairly harm
less to bees are used. That’s the best!
321
SAFE GROWERS:
GROWER NEONIC POLICY
We called several wholesale and retail nurseries in and around Northern California to ask about their pest management strategies and rated them according to how confident we are that their plants are safe for bees.
ee the full list on our website at http baselandscape.com portfolio bee safe. f you’re wondering about a grower that isn’t listed, give them a call
None applied at retail level. hat’s pretty good Neonics last a while, so be sure to ask about their suppliers’ policies.
None applied at grower level. hat’s great his rating means we don’t know that what they use instead is safe.
None applied at grower level and only organic pesticides that are fairly harmless to bees are used. hat’s the best
Bay Nativesbaynatives.com41 2
(Retail)
None applied in store. nsecticidal soap and tobacco tea are the only pesticides used by ay Natives.
Berkeley Horticultural Nurseryberkeleyhort.com
10 2 4 04(Retail)
None applied or sold in store. C Certified Organic plants, herbs, vegatables, and any plants labeled bee friendly are neonic free.
BJ’s Wholesale Clubb s.com
00 2 2 2(Retail)
ll vendors re uired to disclose neonic use in nursery or plant able products. ny vendors using neonics re uired to phase them out by 2014 or have a cautionary label applied to their products.
Blooming Nurserybloomingnursery.com
0 2 04(Wholesale)O
No neonics used.
Blooms Wholesale Nurserybloomswholesalenursery.com
0 0 0(Wholesale)
No neonics used.
Cal Color Growerscalcolorgrowers.com40 0
(Wholesale)
No neonics used as of end of 2014.
Cedarglen Floralcedarglen oral.com
0 0(Wholesale)O
No neonics used. No coated seeds purchased. ses beneficial insects and a balanced approach to control pests. Only O listed pesticides with low impact on beneficial insects used.
3
2
1
Cactus Junglecactus ungle.com
10 0(Retail)
No neonics used.
American Meadowsamericanmeadows.com
0Online eeds
No neonics used by merican eadows. ll neonic free products labeled on website. oal to be 100 neonic free by 201 .
GROWER NEONIC POLICY
Devil Mountaindevilmountainnursery.com
2 2 00(Wholesale)
No neonics used.
Horizon Herbshori onherbs.com
41 4 2(Wholesale + Retail)O
No neonics used. certified organic.
Lowe’slowes.com
4(Retail)
lan to phase out sale of products that contain neonics by 201 .
Mountain Valley Growersmountainvalleygrowers.com
2(Wholesale + Retail)
No neonics used. certified organic.
Native Sonsnativeson.com
0 4 1(Wholesale)
No neonics used.
Suncrest Nurseriessuncrestnurseries.com
0 1 1(Wholesale + Retail)
No neonics used.
Crimson Sage Nurserycrimson sage.com
0 2 0(Wholesale + Retail)
No neonics used. certified organic. elies on natural pest resistance of herbs and yearly introduction of ladybugs to control aphids.
High Ranch Nursery, Inc.hrnursery.com
1 2 2 1(Wholesale)
No neonics used. ythrins preferred.
Elkhorn Native Plant Nurseryelkhornnursery.com
1 120(Wholesale)
No pesticides used due to ad acency to lkhorn lough.
Intermountain Nurseryintermountainnursery.com
11(Wholesale + Retail)
No neonics used.
Prairie Moonprairiemoon.com
41 1Online eeds
No neonics used. No products containing neonics sold.
Central Coast Wildscentralcoastwilds.com
1 4 0(Wholesale)
No neonics use. Organic neem oil, an insecticidal vegetable oil, is the only pesticide used.
B A S E L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E
SAN FRANCISCO · PORTLAND · BASELANDSCAPE.COM
ASLA 2015 Pesticides and Pollinators: Policy, Practice, and Activism Patricia Algara, ASLA, Principal BASE Landscape Architecture Sutter Wehmeier, PLA, LEED AP, Principal - BASE Landscape Architecture Chris A.Geiger, Ph.D. San Francisco Department of the Environment Introduction
I. Why are pollinators and bees important? a) Around 80% of all flowering plants are pollinated by animals [1] b) Around 30% of all food relies on bee pollination c) The economic impact of bees
II. What are neonicotinoids a) Definition
III. How neonics harm bees a) Neonic regulation may be controversial, but the fact these chemicals are toxic to
bees is not. Bee mortality associated with neonics is most visible when they are improperly. However, bees are exposed directly to neonics in unexpected ways Additionally, sublethal doses can still have dramatic effects
b) Other systemic pesticides – including insecticides and some fungicides – can also kill bees. Most non-systemic pesticides, including many commonly used products, are quite lethal to bees too.
IV. What can we do? a) Policy b) Practice c) Activism
Policy, lessons learned from IPM in San Francisco - Chris Geiger PhD Policies to reduce pesticides
I. The good news: Properly designed landscapes, with the right plant species, the right seedling stock, and managed under an IPM program, will rarely if ever need insecticides or fungicides II. Control of nature vs. harmony with nature
d) Managed landscapes very controlled e) But can work with natural systems
III. Definition of IPM a) Decisionmaking system, not tools or products b) Prevention first, disruptive controls (chemicals) last c) Part of integrated pest management (IPM) is saving pesticides as a last resort –
and even then using products that will not kill pollinators or other Beneficial’s
IV. Ingredients of a successful IPM program a) Team effort – not top-down b) Creating corporate culture
B A S E L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E
SAN FRANCISCO · PORTLAND · BASELANDSCAPE.COM
c) Lists – put boundaries on pesticide use d) Training – information instead of chemicals e) Challenging old ways of doing things f) Communication – with clients and management
V. Some ideas from the SF team a) Sheet mulching b) Covering the ground quickly c) Growing a healthy “crop” d) Avoiding water problems e) Challenging customers’ thresholds – ex. English daisies f) Watch out for the scope of work – some things take longer
Practice and considerations for Landscape Architects’s - Sutter Wehmeier, ASLA
I. Specifying safe plants: Nursery and horticultural perspective a) Prevalence of neonic usage in ornamental horticulture and different ways they
are applied to plant material b) Nursery crops are treated at much higher application rates than agricultural crops c) Importance of increased communication between landscape architects and
growers d) List of safe growers we compiled & what to ask growers when specifying plants e) How to leverage SITES and other green certification programs f) Different approaches toward specifications: contract grow, testing requirements,
required labeling, pre-approved grower lists, getting granular
Activism - Patricia Algara, ASLA I. Designing pollinator habitats
a) Importance of urban habitats for bees b) A haven from pesticides on agricultural land c) Variation in planting provides diverse forage in contrast to the massive mono-
cultures on agricultural land d) Gardens, but also urban/community agriculture - both of which can thrive without
pesticide use and typically contain highly varied, dense plantings II. Scale and case studies
a) Personal/Private Garden -The Algarden the practice of beekeeping b) City/Educational School Gardens - School gardens in SF, creating habitat and
education c) Civic/Public Space - Pollinator Boulevard, habitat and building community
III. Challenge a) Do it in your city, find a public space where it can be done b) Use he list of resources to help you
IV. Thank you!