3 ms·

I've been researching how to make my yard more insect friendly, and a couple themes have crept up: 1. Don't mow your lawn, or mow less of it less frequently. B

I've been researching how to make my yard more insect friendly, and a couple themes have crept up: 1. Don't mow your lawn, or mow less of it less frequently. Bugs need tall grasses, and tall grasses hold moisture, attract other bugs (ie prey). They flower and help pollinators. Mowed lawns are like a desert for them. 2. Change outdoor lights to be motion activated, instead of always on. Light pollution interferes with all kinds of bugs, given their attraction, and some bugs like fireflies use light for their own purposes 3. Don't spray insecticides or treat your lawn 4. Turn over part of your garden to wildflowers and native plants, let it get a little overgrown in that boundary. Even a few square meters can make a difference 5. Try to learn to tolerate / love insects more. They're closest thing we have to aliens to interact with! There's of course exceptions (ticks, mosquitos...), but so many of them are beneficial. And I wish we had vaccines for malaria, lyme, etc so we had to stress about insect caused maladies :(

actually_a_dog 5y ago
Great points. FYI, at least in NorCal, native plants are typically much hardier than regular grass and other plants used for landscaping. In other words, they're well adapted to periodic drought conditions, so, you probably won't have to water them at all.
yellow_lead 5y ago
Although it's restricted by HOA in many areas, one alternative is also to not have a lawn. Grow native species, food, anything that homogeneous non-native grass.
ocdtrekkie 5y ago
Bear in mind, in many suburban neighborhoods, you will get fined for not mowing your lawn, and then the city will mow your lawn, and charge you for doing it.
Miraste 5y ago
Fascinatingly, we do have a vaccine for Lyme disease but no one manufactures it because of a poorly-informed media frenzy. Further reading: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/

actually_a_dog 5y ago

Great points. FYI, at least in NorCal, native plants are typically much hardier than regular grass and other plants used for landscaping. In other words, they're well adapted to periodic drought conditions, so, you probably won't have to water them at all.

yellow_lead 5y ago

Although it's restricted by HOA in many areas, one alternative is also to not have a lawn. Grow native species, food, anything that homogeneous non-native grass.

ocdtrekkie 5y ago

Bear in mind, in many suburban neighborhoods, you will get fined for not mowing your lawn, and then the city will mow your lawn, and charge you for doing it.

Miraste 5y ago

Fascinatingly, we do have a vaccine for Lyme disease but no one manufactures it because of a poorly-informed media frenzy. Further reading: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/