Summer is upon us, and with that we are more in touch with the insect world. While we may have a repulsive primal reaction, insect species are crucial to the web of life that supports us: insects pollinate the flora around us, they feed birds, and predate on other insects to maintain a balanced ecosystem. Insecticides kill all species, beneficial insects alike. Choose more targeted strategies when you encounter imbalance in your environment: nourish your soil, companion plant to repel, spray insecticidal soaps, use mechanical methods like a fan on your porch to blow away mosquitoes. 

Conventional mosquito pesticides harm children, pollinators and beneficial insects, and poison our landscape, but recent testing has found some insecticides are even more poisonous – they are contaminated with PFAS 'forever chemicals'. Use our effective strategies to beat mosquitoes, from our infographics below and keep your fummer bite-free. And, if yours is one of the 2,100 communities in Maryland's mosquito spraying program, you can opt-out for your property and learn alternatives to manage mosquitos that are safe from pesticides.

Speaking of PFAS, there is movement in several states, including in Maryland, to address PFAS pollution, but we need to stop PFAS at its sources in manufacturing, and especially in pesticides which are applied by the tens of millions of pounds in our state, year after year. 

Among the trending news in this edition, honeybees had their second deadliest year on record in 2022. Be kind to pollinators and "Go organic!" in your yard and with your purchasing power.

We have a timely and special request. To continue to address the issue of PFAS in pesticides, we must provide more testing data to the 2023 legislated PFAS in Pesticides Study Group that was the outcome of the 2023 effort to ban PFAS in pesticides. We will use a globally renowned laboratory to test a number of pesticides used in Maryland to further identify the percent of PFAS-free vs. PFAS-containing pesticides. We honestly are not budgeted for this unexpected, yet needed effort, in preparation for promoting passage of a 2024 bill banning the sales and use of PFAS-containing pesticides. We need to raise at least $12,000 to initiate this effort and are requesting your assistance. Please consider making a donation this month, so we can launch this effort.