4 ms·
I can empathize with NIMBYism if someone is trying to build a coal mine upstream of you, but for native plants and animals? Frankly these are the sentiments tha
by yummypaint 5y ago
I can empathize with NIMBYism if someone is trying to build a coal mine upstream of you, but for native plants and animals? Frankly these are the sentiments that take away my faith in the future of our species.
We are in the midst of a global ecological collapse driven by human activity. You could consider being a better neighbor to all the other complex life on the planet.
- giantg2 5y agoThe mosquito issue mentioned in the parent is valid in many areas. After all, they kill more humans than any other animal. The good news is that there are biological controls like BTI that are effective.
- i_haz_rabies 5y agoPart of the reason mosquitos get so out of control is because we've killed off all the bats, birds, and predatory insects that keep them in check.
- losvedir 5y agoWhat explains the pervasive malaria that used to be in this country then?
- 35fbe7d3d5b9 5y agoMalaria isn't in the country because in the late 40s the US Public Health Service sprayed the interiors of five million southern homes with DDT, drained wetlands, and carpet bombed counties with pesticides. They did that until the mosquito population dropped enough that the transmission cycle was broken. There are still tons of mosquitoes able to carry malaria in the US. They haven't been killed off - heck, my cat caught one in the laundry room a few days ago! But humans are the only relevant reservoir for malaria, so as long as we use good public health techniques like screening individuals from endemic areas, it's possible to let the US remain malaria free.
- giantg2 5y agoBut we don't really screen travellers. It seems Zika and chikenguya are on the verge of becoming established in areas of FL and TX. Those have animal hosts too. Seems like it won't be long until it's all over (thanks again global travel).
- yummypaint 5y agoChanging the species of plants growing in a yard has no impact on mosquitoes. I don't know why these things are being conflated. Mosquitoes need standing water to breed. Usually they come from old containers people leave out that fill up with rain, or gutters not being cleaned. Mosquitoes are the result of the lack of property maintenance, not the presence of native plants.
- losvedir 5y agoThis hasn't been my experience. Once I let my lawn get quite tall (grass that was maybe 4-5 inches), and I had crazy mosquitoes. When I finally mowed that grass, they came up in swarms. I then learned, and have kept it short since then and voila, no mosquitoes.
- giantg2 5y agoThey were talking about their yard getting out of control one year. The height of the vegetation can create an environment for mosquitoes and ticks to thrive.
- jahewson 5y agoIt’s far more likely that the plants and animals moving in are invasive, not native. In my garden in California anything native is the exception.