As expected, my recommendation last week to not feed seed to birds in the summer elicited quite some listener reaction.
Longtime WTOP listener Tim writes: “I haven’t heard that much misinformation in one place since Trump’s last speech! I just want to say, as respectfully as possible, that you are a NUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
As I learned to say in management class, Thanks for the feedback, Tim!
But seriously, spilled seed really does attract and feed the mice that carry the so-called deer ticks that infect humans and pets with Lyme and other diseases. Heck, spilled seed also feeds the deer that are the second-most common carrier of diseased ticks.
Experts really do fear that feeding seed can prevent the baby birds that are now being reared from learning how to find food in the wild.
And birds that are fed seed won’t eat your bad bugs the way wild birds do.
Bird baths, however, are another story. Fresh water is scarce in the summer and supplying lots of that water, freshened up every couple of days, is a true boon to birds.
And bird baths have no negative consequences.
Maybe McGrath isn’t ‘for the birds’ after all!
Barnaby in Vienna writes: “I think you’re dead on regarding not feeding birds during the summer, especially migratory songbirds that are nesting in our area. Alternate suggestion for bird lovers: Hummingbird feeders — they support both those beautiful tiny birds and local pollinators. Just remember, no red dye in the feeder!
“Even better suggestion: dig up that ‘show’ garden and replace it with native wildflowers that will naturally feed the birds, bees and everything in between.”
Great advice Barnaby!
I’ll add that hummingbirds do flock to the color red, so make sure that the feeder itself is red, not the food inside. For even more hummer attraction, tie red bows and ribbons around the feeder.
These flowers are natural birdbaths!
Barnaby in Vienna, Virginia, also has a specific suggestion for people who want to see birds without the dangers of spilled seed: Cup plants, Silphium perfoliatum.
Cup plants are native flowering perennials that Barnaby writes, “are my greatest pollinator attraction. I can typically see more than two dozen varieties of native bees and honey bees around them every day. They’re also a great hummingbird and butterfly draw.
“Every morning, as their name suggests, the plants catch dew in their cups. Then purple and gold finches come visit to drink from them all day. They are not tame plants, however; mine are 10 feet tall and spread easily. But if you’re looking to create a summer hedge row or have a sunny patch in your yard that is sitting empty, these plants are native wonders!”
As am I, Barnaby; as am I …
Whitefly worries
Theresa in Great Falls, Virginia, has a bad problem: A “devastating whitefly infestation that has taken over my garden. I think they overwintered on two large hibiscus I brought inside last year and emerged just as I took the potted plants back outside. I started spraying with Neem Oil every three days, but that only slowed them down a bit and they spread to my coneflowers, roses, celosia, cannas and more.
“Some sites recommend using a systemic insecticide, but that would also kill bees and hummingbirds, so I really don’t want to go there. I’m sorry to bother you but I thought you might have some options I have not explored.”
No bother at all, Theresa — that’s why I’m here!
First step: Yellow sticky traps!
What do Green Lantern and whiteflies have in common?
Both are powerless over the color yellow!
Theresa’s “devastating whitefly infestation” is not unusual — you never see just one whitefly. They breed like … well, whiteflies!
The result is a veritable cloud of insects launching into the air every time the affected plants are disturbed.
Luckily, as our headline more than suggests, whiteflies are fatally attracted to the color yellow and professional growers use yellow sticky traps to combat them in greenhouses, where they are often a huge problem and second only to aphids.
On a large scale like an outdoor garden, make big traps from large pieces of cardboard or plastic. Paint them bright lemon yellow and then cover them with a sticky insect-catching adhesive product like Tangle-Trap or Tanglefoot, which is widely available at garden centers in both spray and brush-on versions.
These traps are so effective that you will probably need to replace them during the season — when all you can see is white and there are no more spots of yellow.
You can also have someone rustle up the plants to get the pests airborne while you suck them up into a canister vacuum cleaner.
Don’t laugh! Giant vacuums were being used for pest control on Texas farms just a few years after home vacuum cleaners were patented! Just be sure to seal the nozzle with duct tape the second you turn the machine off.
