Recently, we got involved with a really cool project that one of our customers is working on. Kay a Dayton area home owner had several trees fall down in her backyard. When these trees were removed it left a giant area of open dirt that was a perfect spot for weeds to take over. Any time you have open dirt you’re just asking for weeds in these areas so Kay had a plan. She’s working with the help of the Global Neighbor (manufacturers of the NatureZap DE) team to create a natural habitat that produces a safe area for bees, butterfly’s, crows and other wildlife nearby. She looks at it as a way of “giving back”.
One of Kay’s motivating factors is the growing concern over the decline in the honey bee population that has been much discussed in the media lately. Honey Bees are responsible for pollinating a significant majority of the world’s food.
With the increased use of commercial chemicals for pesticides, bees have started to disappearing at an alarming rate. This mysterious mass death of honeybee populations has been referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Neonicotinoid pesticides weaken the bee’s immune system and cause disorientation, damaging the bee’s ability to find its way back to the hive. Other toxic pesticides, such as glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, also contribute to CCD. This can be read further about in this study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology
Knowing this one of Kay’s main goals is to keep her bee/wildlife sanctuary area a chemical free zone allowing. Along with keeping it chemical free she will be working on creating good soil biology and planting plants that encourage these animals to populate the area.
We asked what the neighbors thought and she said they are excited with several of them offering to make changes in their gardening habits as well!
We plan to follow this story as the project goes from an open space to a developed natural habitat that can be enjoyed right in Kay’s backyard. We are also excited that Kay has chosen NatureZap DE to be part of this project. Keeping the area chemical free and cutting down on time spent weeding with a busy work schedule. Stay tune for more details and pictures as this project gets underway!