Protecting Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

During the last decade of writing about protecting wildlife, I’ve focused on wolves, coyotes, and bison, my favorite Yellowstone neighbors. But recently I found myself in a situation where I had to decide whether to protect—or harm—birds, bees, and butterflies.

The story begins a few weeks ago when Mary and I walked through our yard, checking to see how each of the deciduous trees and shrubs was awakening from a long winter sleep and producing spring’s new buds and leaves. We also checked the conifers for color and new growth. These plants are important to us; we have a history—and relationship—with them.  

We bought our house in Gardiner, Montana, at Yellowstone’s north gate seven years ago. The first thing we did was have a wooden fence built that would keep wandering elk and bison from grazing on our quarter of an acre. Then we began planting. Gardiner sits at 5,400 feet of elevation and receives less than twelve inches of precipitation a year. We looked for plants that could prosper in those conditions. We also looked for native plants. But most importantly, we looked for plants that would attract and nourish birds, bees, and butterflies.

Seven years later we’re pleased with the result. When birds return, butterflies emerge, and bees buzz about, many come to our yard. We love watching them. We want to keep our trees and shrubs healthy so that these visitors stay healthy. 

So when we discovered a three-year-old aspen that looked unhealthy, we stopped to inspect. The coloring of the bark was morphing from white to tan. There were cracks in the trunk seeping sap. There were pin-sized holes. There was a herd of miniscule black insects climbing up the trunk. We looked at the other aspen in the yard and saw some of the same critters and cracks. We worried what this might mean.

Mary contacted a local knowledgeable resource. She emailed photographs of the cracks, the holes, the insects. She asked for identification and treatment recommendations. The resource came through quickly and wrote that the critters were called oyster scale. The cracks and holes were started by a boring insect and worsened by birds seeking a meal of borers.

In terms of treatment, the resource wrote that if we didn’t have a lot of oyster scales we could simply rub the insects off with the rough side of a typical dishwashing sponge. But if we had a lot of scales and also wanted to be rid of the borers, we should use a systemic insecticide that contains Imidacloprid or Dinotefuran.

Mary and I were relieved that there was something we could do, but before we applied a substance with ingredients that we couldn’t even pronounce, we researched systemic insecticides. What we found concerned us. Imidacloprid and Dinotefuran are neonicotinoids, AKA neonics.

While neonics are effective at killing insects, their deadly impact doesn’t stop there. Since neonics are systemic, when applied to a tree or shrub, the plant takes the chemical into its system. This means that the chemical will appear in the plant’s roots and branches, leaves and flowers, pollen and nectar. And that’s deadly: when bees and butterflies come for pollen or nectar, they also get a deadly shot of neonics. Furthermore, the borers living in the aspen ingest the neonics. When birds come to dine on the borers, the birds can get a harmful and possibly fatal dose of neonics. 

We found that neonics are widely used and an international challenge. Governments in Canada and the European Union have banned or limited their use. In the US, where neonics were introduced in 1994, their use has been somewhat limited, but they are still our nation’s most widely used insecticide. And our country’s honeybees and native bumblebees in particular are disappearing because of that widespread use. And yet, a knowledgeable person recommended we use neonics without at least mentioning that they can be dangerous for birds, bees, and butterflies. 

We decided to search for a less deadly alternative. We looked and looked and found a couple of options. We chose a product that is designed for organic gardening and has mineral oil as its main ingredient. When we spray it onto the minuscule oyster scale they die, but it doesn’t harm birds, bees, and butterflies. This product may not be effective against the boring insects and we’ll keep watching the trees to see if we need to do something more to keep them alive and well. 

Time will tell how this product and our approach works. We may lose some aspen but we don’t want to save the trees at the cost of killing birds and bees and butterflies. We didn’t create a haven for these wild ones just to draw them in and inadvertently kill them.

To Learn More About Protecting from Neonics

Here's an easy-to-use list from the Center for Food Safety of products containing neonics.

Here’s a report on neonics from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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I write and photograph to protect wildlife and preserve wild lands.

My bestselling In the Temple of Wolves; its sequel, Deep into Yellowstone; and its prequel, The Wilds of Aging are available signed. My books are also available on Amazon unsigned or as eBook or audiobook.

Photo Credit:

Photos and collage by Rick Lamplugh