What Are Neonicotinoids? And How To Safely Garden

Since I took a couple horticulture classes a few years ago, gardening has become a type of therapy for me and a great money saving tool. As food prices sky rocket and climate change, pollution and food safety issues have arisen we have all started questioning where our food comes from. Those of us who have a natural inclination for the hobby have realized we have the power in our very hands to take control of our food source. I have many friends and family with their own vegetable gardens, farms, and some with their own bees!

You might think that bees are a silly/scary thing to farm for the obvious reasons but they are, of course, essential to the production of our food. You might also be familiar with what has been coined Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which has severely reduced colonies of feral and farmed bees crucial to the pollination of crops. This disorder has been documented numerous times throughout history and have been attributed to various causes such as adverse weather or viruses but in 2006-2007, the decline of colonies was plummeting more dramatically than ever seen before. At first CCD was blamed on GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) namely the "terminator seed" but nothing conclusive was found. The newest bad guy in this story is a common and highly effective insecticide ingredient called a neonicotinoid which functions on insects much like nicotine does on humans. It's largely been seen to negatively affect bees ability to forage for nectar, remember the location of flowers or their home hive. In lab tests the correlation was deafening and extreme but reports from farms in Australia and Canada (to name a few), which are regular users of neonics, have not been affected so dramatically. So while the cause of this mystery disease initially seemed clear, the jury is still out to find experimental proof that more closely resembles the real world situation. 

While this is satisfy enough for some, for others of you, this might still be unsettling. What is the cause of CCD? While neonics might not be the single cause of CCD does that mean they aren't completely harmless? At this point, I leave the decision to you! For those of you still wary, you might be more at ease moving towards a more organic type of gardening which means avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.This is easier said than done but here are 3 things to start with on your mission to organic guru:

1.   Pesticides - The object of organic gardening is to simulate nature so try incorporating more natural mechanisms for pest control. Examples include: using natural predators such as ladybugs for aphids and whiteflies, use a small vaccuum to remove both adults and larvae of the pest, or use an insecticidal soap which is non toxic and leaves no residue. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to safe and effective pest control, check out this link for more help and apply which ever tools best fit your type of garden. The best pest control comes from understanding what insects are pests and which are beneficial and their life cycle. There are only about 15 pests you really need to look out for so with some study and practice it should become easier. If insecticides are still an option for you but you'd like to avoid neonicotinoids then look for these ingredients on bottles before purchase.

• Acetamiprid
• Clothianidin
• Dinotefuran
• Imidacloprid
• Nitenpyram
• Thiocloprid
• Thiamethoxam

2.  Fertilizers - There are numerous organic fertilizers such as bone meal, kelp meal and agricultural lime. The type to use is all based on your unique soil composition but there are many mixes that will give you a well rounded diet for your plants. If you'd like to get very scientific with your gardening you can order soil tests and figure out what combination you need to maximize your garden output. There is also of course composting of various sorts which can be explored depending on how serious you want to get and how much space in your yard you have. 

3.  Seeds - When you see organic seeds it means they have not been genetically modified in anyway and come from organically produced plants and have no residue from synthetic chemicals. They are just as robust and productive as non-organic seeds but can come at a higher cost. Shop around and find the right price for your budget. The great thing about seeds is they have a pretty long shelf life so buy in bulk if you need to and store them properly to get the most bang out of your buck. 

So there it is! Hopefully I've provided some answers (or great links to start looking for the answers you want) about neonics and an easy start to organic gardening. It can be pricey and a bit more time consuming but it might be worth your piece of mind, at the least. 

Happy Gardening!

Until Next Time...Get Involved by Getting Informed :)