It appears that we humans just can’t get along with our earthly neighbours — the birds, bees, trees and animals. Instead of having a “live and let live” attitude, we seem bent on stamping out other species. So we’re inviting you to renew your appreciation for all things natural.
MORE LOVE, LESS POISON
“Humans consider themselves apart from wildlife and the environment instead of part of it, and whenever there’s a conflict, the wildlife or insect is destroyed rather than being tolerated as part of a bigger system,” says Tim Snow of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) Wildlife Conflict Prevention Group.
“I see a general intolerance of bugs and insects in gardens. They get blasted with pesticides just so flowers, which are often alien to South Africa, can look pretty. The poisoned insects are eaten by birds and other insects, which get poisoned in turn.”
Many of us use pesticides irresponsibly, without even reading the instructions. “Our own health may be affected when we ignore the precautions. Pesticides are poisons. It’s important to know what they are, what the target organism is, and how much of the pesticide is required,” says Snow. It’s even more important to establish whether the pesticide is really needed at all.
THE BEAUTY OF BEASTS
Birds bring beauty and song to gardens, help with seed dispersal and many are also insectivorous and keep pest numbers under control. A pair of nesting barn owls with a series of young will consume an astonishing 7000 rodents a year. Now that’s pest control!
Here are some other beneficial guests:
Frogs and toads: They eat anything from termites and mosquitoes to cockroaches and caterpillars.
Butterflies and bees: They gather pollen and nectar from flowering plants, and in so doing pollinate them.
Barbets and owls: They’re rodent and insect controllers. (Owl boxes are available from the EWT:
www.ewt.org.za)
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