Post AkOPNDhbO2auYVUtMG by Archergal@wandering.shop
(DIR) More posts by Archergal@wandering.shop
(DIR) Post #AkN7E7vlU1nliSfzea by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-27T23:58:39Z
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We need to IDK bribe? Intimidate? Somehow stop suburban people from all hiring lawn and “terminex” care because there are whole deserts without insects for miles. Not a grasshopper, bee or ant in sight. Nothing but crabgrass. There has to be a better way! There are no fireflies at night… no crickets singing. And worst of all no ants. A yard without ants is a place of sadness. It’s just this kind of default thing people do— not thinking about the implications.
(DIR) Post #AkN7NWYtH6ueiLSSRM by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T00:00:13Z
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I’m with 500m of the ocean, a fresh water swamp, and a forest and there is less insect diversity than central park!
(DIR) Post #AkN7pVyP3ZE8ztjpaK by floatybirb@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T00:05:23Z
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@futurebird there seems to be a slowly growing movement against lawns that advocates replacing the boring crab grass with native plants that attract native pollinators and presumably cool bugs. anyway, I think that's a good trend and people should do that more.
(DIR) Post #AkN7rVUDpylQ4CZTl2 by indigoparadox@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T00:05:35Z
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@futurebird I'm allergic to outdoors things so I just... don't go outdoors. I suppose wiping out all life in a specified radius is another way of dealing with it, I guess.As is the case with folks who can't bear to live in cities, the problem is the ones who want to be closest to nature "except for this part so let's get rid of it." 😔
(DIR) Post #AkN7t9ozMHyvS94VHs by albertcardona@mathstodon.xyz
2024-07-28T00:05:52Z
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@futurebird Like living in a spaceship and ripping out the air conditioning because it bothers you. What could possibly go wrong.
(DIR) Post #AkN7yaxps0IX5AnpMe by joelvanderwerf@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T00:07:02Z
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@futurebird Make it a competition? The yard (or block) with the most invertebrates gets a prize, like a neat shrub or tree (with installation costs covered).
(DIR) Post #AkN80Tuh3UItnJETD6 by maco@wandering.shop
2024-07-28T00:07:12Z
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@futurebird my state and county have each banned large categories of pesticides to protect pollinators. Using the law is an option.
(DIR) Post #AkN88EhBWEIeuhbyQy by albertcardona@mathstodon.xyz
2024-07-28T00:08:46Z
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@futurebird There is a patch of wild plants, 5x7 meters or so, in front of the National History Museum at Harvard. Later tonight I’ll upload to iNaturalist what I found there. The rest were lawns and hosted nothing at all. If only all institutions and households left on such small patch for nature to thrive.
(DIR) Post #AkN8Am04fDhEmkemAq by pamela6591@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T00:08:59Z
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@futurebird The thing is, pesticides simply do not work in the garden.They seem to kill pests, but there are going to be a few that survive. And those few will pass that trait on to the next generation. So by the end of the growing season, they're back, stronger than ever.I took one of my neighbors by the scruff of the neck when he sprayed that shit too close to the fence. I gave him a very good dressing down. My garden is living proof organic techniques work. And my neighbors know it.
(DIR) Post #AkN9B9eWpAlA62KBbU by EverydayMoggie@sfba.social
2024-07-28T00:20:32Z
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When I used to live in the suburbs we did have insects, lots of ants, butterflies, bees, etc. Unfortunately the most numerous insects there were termites.@futurebird
(DIR) Post #AkNBHVYGW7vtf1YIu8 by deepmud@mas.to
2024-07-28T00:44:05Z
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@futurebird intolerance of insects is one of the ways were destroying the planet.
(DIR) Post #AkNDiiwB3cWMu1qHFg by Threadbane@newsie.social
2024-07-28T01:11:05Z
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@futurebird Not only no insects but almost no birds because they've killed everything that a lot of species of birds eat, the grubs, the worms, the bugs and seeded "weeds". Plus, they add cancer risks for their families and can send neighbors with asthma to the emergency room when the wind is right. Horrific.
(DIR) Post #AkNEmLVGE7idKrXjiS by gettingcomputey@beige.party
2024-07-28T01:23:16Z
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@futurebird Every night when I hear the crickets chirping, after not hearing that for a while, it makes me so happy.
(DIR) Post #AkNFCbFcIeXBhmkEM4 by sabik@rants.au
2024-07-28T01:27:59Z
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@futurebird HOA take-over?
(DIR) Post #AkNFVzoFDSRNNGBrCy by ClimateJenny@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T00:15:57Z
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@maco @futurebird Good for your state and county! I’m interested in knowing what they did, so I could use it as an example for my state and local officials.
(DIR) Post #AkNFW0k1kcf4GTE0H2 by maco@wandering.shop
2024-07-28T00:50:49Z
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@ClimateJenny @futurebird Maryland’s ban on using or selling neonicotinoids: https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Documents/PollinatorProtectionActFactSheet.pdfMaryland’s ban on chlorpyrifos about protecting people, not pollinators, but I’m including it https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/blog-post/national-farmworkers-awareness-week-blog-dangerous-pesticide-chlorpyrifos-banned-in-maryland/A ban on PFAS is in-progress https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maryland-bill-ban-pfas-forever-chemicals-pesticides/60191307Montgomery County bans synthetic pesticides on yards, playgrounds, etc: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/property-care/lawns/law/allowed-pesticides.html
(DIR) Post #AkNGrOv79LSBI0ArKa by cobweb@corteximplant.com
2024-07-28T01:46:36Z
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@futurebird in my neighborhood you can tell who does this by walking down the street at night right now. Every once in a while there’s a yard that doesn’t have any fireflies. It’s so sad I want to cry every time
(DIR) Post #AkNI2F5Y8z83w7mxZg by KnittingMittens@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T01:59:46Z
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@futurebird Regulate? All of the above? Also sorry I've been all the insects to myself. I've been restoring my house's lawn to native plants for the past two years and all the bees, butterflies, lightning bugs, etc are all at my place. It works!
(DIR) Post #AkNJSCaGB8lteT5z0a by arisummerland@mstdn.social
2024-07-28T02:15:39Z
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@futurebird I was trying to convince a friend of mine to study the ants that were coming into their bathroom and figure out where they were coming in the house, then distract them away. I told them a story about feeding ants in my home one year over winter next to the potted plant that they had nested in and I had brought inside. They were a joy to watch, and they moved out when spring came. But I like (most) insects so... 🤷🏽
(DIR) Post #AkNJvy5EegodMomGwK by skippy442@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T02:21:00Z
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@futurebird sheeple will do that
(DIR) Post #AkNKatLx9Cd4ZL6wim by CoolerPseudonym@wandering.shop
2024-07-28T02:28:25Z
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@futurebird This has to be banned. It’s terrifying
(DIR) Post #AkNL6GVn5tBRN5flaa by carstenfranke@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T02:34:02Z
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@futurebird I guy from a "pest control" company rang out door a few days ago... Said all or neighbor's were using them and if I wanted to hire them to spray for ants around the house. Told him to take a look, "we are turning this into a prairie, we want the ants here..."
(DIR) Post #AkNNjuKx9t5e5adNJY by Jackiemauro@fosstodon.org
2024-07-28T03:03:40Z
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@futurebird what?! Don’t they know if they send their kids out into a backyard full of roly polies and ants and if you’re super lucky a salamander or two, those kids will be happy and leave them alone for at least an hour??
(DIR) Post #AkNNyXlvKwaURtEDmC by barrygoldman1@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T03:06:17Z
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@futurebird central park has a LOT of tree species. plus because of humans, a LOT of food.i was surprised once when i lived in nyc for 2 yrs and hadn't been out for a while finally going to harriman state park and was so surprised how SILENT it was, so much less wildlife then nyc. cuz nyc is FULL of food!
(DIR) Post #AkNRRXjgqjFmb6hexk by ShiitakeToast@beige.party
2024-07-28T03:45:10Z
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@futurebird A lot of areas require a lawn by law. And there are people who guard those laws zealously lest some dirty hippies try to bring a little difference to the neighborhood. I wish I were trafficking in stereotypes, but this was my grandmother (who also went to town meetings to prevent jews and catholics from getting building permits).
(DIR) Post #AkNSS6XlXFY6VPxPPs by Brett_E_Carlock@mastodon.online
2024-07-28T03:56:29Z
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@futurebirdMy fucking apartment sprays TruGreen every two weeks and not only does it fuck the grass, it completely decimates all insect life. You see _nothing_ flying nor crawling until right about the next application. Birds and squirrels flee for days, too. It becomes an absolute tomb and it is terrifying. Management doesn't budge on it. I can not wait to leave and make a NWF-listed lawn.
(DIR) Post #AkNTEolKQypTY1Wsq0 by ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org
2024-07-28T04:05:16Z
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@futurebird My neighbors on both sides do this. Their yards are deserted of all living things. One neighbor won't go out during the day because I think she's afraid of insects.
(DIR) Post #AkNUj6Y2yI7LLpK4Y4 by Laplantgenetics@spore.social
2024-07-28T04:21:57Z
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@futurebird My neighbors keep outdoor cats to try to rid the neighborhood of wildlife such as birds in addition to copious use of pest control companies, leaf blowers to remove all organic matter, and 24/7 bug zappers. We have enough grasshoppers, bees, ants, crickets, woodlice, slugs & more to share, much to their obvious dislike. They also dislike fruit (such as avocados) from being too close to the fence in case it falls into their yard and poisons their dog.
(DIR) Post #AkNUpfuoOF9wmI6V2O by Homoevolutis1@lonestar.chat
2024-07-28T04:23:10Z
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@futurebird so true.
(DIR) Post #AkNW6RoeAGDPvUmXUu by smellsofbikes@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T04:37:22Z
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@futurebird Did you read that crazy article about how diclofenac killed 98% of the vultures in India, and the subsequent huge increase in rotting livestock has led to half a million excess deaths over the last decade?Not thinking about the implications.
(DIR) Post #AkNkxTFIye8v4FQdQu by royvangrunsven@mstdn.social
2024-07-28T07:23:49Z
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@futurebird No, it should be banned and those companies shouldn't exist (like in most countries).
(DIR) Post #AkNzu4LiaHSmIPGRqi by waltwooton@spartanburg.social
2024-07-28T10:11:14Z
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@futurebird The challenge is that we have to apply various products, each aimed at exterminating a different life form. What we want is Nature-B-Gone; apply it once and your front lawn will look like Mars.
(DIR) Post #AkO0RrrNWebJPHBoYa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T10:17:25Z
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@waltwooton “Apply direct to the head”
(DIR) Post #AkO6fXCNjvtp6duiTQ by albertcardona@mathstodon.xyz
2024-07-28T09:06:20Z
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@futurebird As promised: in this tiny patch of rewilded land, across the main entrance to Harvard’s Natural History Museum, I found 8 species of wasp and 4 of bees, plus hoverflies, flies, true bugs, ants and a dragonfly. And butterflies that I couldn’t photograph.Compare with the surrounding lawn deserts.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=42.37864070649608&nelng=-71.11562494157167&on=2024-07-27&place_id=any&swlat=42.37827613415456&swlng=-71.11610773919435&user_id=albertcardona#iNaturalist #rewilding #entomology
(DIR) Post #AkO7IP39yEVD7w8Ngu by aaron@hilltown.studio
2024-07-28T11:34:07Z
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@futurebird So much this. I have a lawn, which came with the house I bought. I'm planning to integrate microclover, which attracts pollinators, and I otherwise have and keep lots of different kinds of flowering plants around, including the whole patch of wildflowers I planted. The only pest service I use is for termites.
(DIR) Post #AkO8i06TRZ9tEwSDMu by dnavinci@genomic.social
2024-07-28T11:48:37Z
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@floatybirbI've been in suburbia just long enough to start spotting HOA Karens who force this poison and monoculture on the rest of the neighborhood for 35 dollars a month.There's legally no way to remove your home from an HOA either. The best you can do is make the meetings uncomfortable enough that no one wants to attend and the organization slowly becomes defunct.My point is that few individuals are actively making that decision@futurebird
(DIR) Post #AkO9AhpKTT5axE7els by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T11:55:11Z
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@dnavinci @floatybirb I have been horrified on multiple occasions when at some party in a yard I pick up an ant or other insect and the homeowner assures me that they “have this place sprayed” in response. Um I was going to compliment you on the cute little ecosystem you have next to this flower bed. Likewise there are the times when I have pointed at an insect to show it to everyone and some kills it in response. This has given me a kind of PTSD.
(DIR) Post #AkO9UBukplCXlrx2wK by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T11:58:41Z
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@dnavinci @floatybirb “if you see a bug that’s a problem”This mentality needs to go. I try to be patient and not to “weird” about it. I talk about the insect and it’s role in the ecosystem, highlighting how it’s a part of something delightful and just ignore the stuff about “spraying”I’m not asking anyone to live in a pile of bugs— just IDK learn their names first maybe?
(DIR) Post #AkO9nlnzcH88aS7mwi by jens@social.finkhaeuser.de
2024-07-28T12:02:11Z
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@futurebird @dnavinci @floatybirb Well, I don't know if you mean this in particular, but my personal boundary is the house wall.They can more or less do whatever outside, but I don't like them inside.Though I'd love to learn about the most humane ways of telling them about this boundary. Most advice you can find is either to give up, or choose the nuclear option.
(DIR) Post #AkOAced63U3n6II8UC by jens@social.finkhaeuser.de
2024-07-28T12:06:45Z
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@futurebird @dnavinci @floatybirb Like, the most useful advice I've seen is to try and plant things in a way that attracts honey bees and wasps, as a way of keeping less desirable insects like mosquitoes at bay. I'm not sure how well that works.And practical suggestions here are thin.
(DIR) Post #AkOAcfTut6JLk70Joe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T12:11:22Z
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@jens @dnavinci @floatybirb Because human dwellings are temperature controlled they attract a different collection of creatures than the outdoors. There are four key factors:1. water2. temperature 3. food4. shelter If a human home has pests all four are present and stable. Altering any one of these can be a means of control. Water is by far the most important followed by temperature.
(DIR) Post #AkOArmXsuFEZzl4Daa by mensrea@freeradical.zone
2024-07-28T12:14:04Z
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@futurebird there's an increasingly common trend around here of people paving their entire property. from boundary to boundary, not a single square cm of soil open to the air
(DIR) Post #AkOAzLab0r4ghywVQe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T12:15:31Z
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@jens @dnavinci @floatybirb “how are they getting moisture? can I prevent this?”Most of the time cutting of their water supply will stop the population growth. And the kind of issues that allow water often otherwise harm the structural integrity of homes anyway. If you have a hose is it leaking? Is a closet mysteriously damp? why? can you correct that?A very dry food sparse space will have few pests.
(DIR) Post #AkOB2H1oQXONQo4ITo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T12:16:04Z
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@mensrea wtf
(DIR) Post #AkOBM4DblMtDUi1XiS by irizoris@hcommons.social
2024-07-28T12:19:35Z
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@futurebird @jens @dnavinci @floatybirb This book should be required reading for house dwellers: Rob Dunn: Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live.https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rob-dunn/never-home-alone/9781541645745/?lens=basic-books
(DIR) Post #AkOBO72gEebqpat6oa by jens@social.finkhaeuser.de
2024-07-28T12:19:41Z
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@futurebird @dnavinci @floatybirb That's what I aim for anyway, so thank you - it is very helpful already.
(DIR) Post #AkOBPfYZOh9yAIXvqi by dnavinci@genomic.social
2024-07-28T12:19:55Z
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@futurebirdExcellent advice.Re: "hey look a cool bug" <someone kills it> I expect this behavior from 5-7 year olds. Adults need to be able to identify biting/stinging insects (which would be the only excuse)@jens @floatybirb
(DIR) Post #AkOBzRztHuuWXKO4My by mensrea@freeradical.zone
2024-07-28T12:26:43Z
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@futurebird indeed
(DIR) Post #AkOE2qDnsWtQRbdhZY by MardraS@mas.to
2024-07-28T12:49:44Z
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@futurebird I was watching the ants on the sidewalk and crawling up a long green stalk of something. I don’t love ants. But you do, I told them you said “Hi” - so they’re staying I guess.
(DIR) Post #AkOJFasQjyyyOAXgyu by cshlan@dawdling.net
2024-07-28T13:48:03Z
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@futurebirdOur fight has been with roaches (long ago now). When you have trouble with roaches it's easy to get frustrated because you *do* keep your house clean and they still *don't* go away. The water thing was a revelation to me. I learned they can eat the adhesives holding things together in your walls. They're not there because you left a crumb on the counter. Making sure all leaks were fixed and all holes were sealed up made the biggest difference. @jens @dnavinci @floatybirb
(DIR) Post #AkON15QJHrT8bFj9Yu by qkslvrwolf@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T14:30:13Z
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@futurebird we love our healthy indoor ecosystem. We literally have decided not to get an official cleaning service as a once a year treat because we know they'd kill our spider friends in the corners.
(DIR) Post #AkOPNDhbO2auYVUtMG by Archergal@wandering.shop
2024-07-28T14:56:25Z
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@futurebird I hope it’s ok to get rid of fire ants tho??
(DIR) Post #AkOR3NyZgBOwXH6dPM by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T15:15:31Z
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@Archergal One can try! It is worthwhile to learn what fire ants love and make those things scarce. They love disturbed soil in direct sunlight best of all. They are messy nest builders, and can’t be bothered with packed soil or perennial beds— but freshly “edged” beds? plugged crabgrass? hot sunny yards with sprinklers? those are all fire ant heaven.
(DIR) Post #AkOXfImc2Byt9vyRkW by DuvetGecko@dice.camp
2024-07-28T16:29:37Z
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@futurebird @dnavinci @floatybirb What the heck? I'll leave the area if it's a spider, but my back yard is currently home to ants and what I think are miner bees. It makes it more interesting to watch them scurrying around when we are sat out there.
(DIR) Post #AkOYGkXfn1iry0qIq0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-28T16:36:21Z
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@3PlayerPolitics aw that’s a queen Lasius sp. It’s her big day!
(DIR) Post #AkOZ8rUUAfeh9g9dA0 by KennyPark@mastodon.scot
2024-07-28T16:46:06Z
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@futurebird Do you recognise these ones (from twelve years ago 😳)?https://youtu.be/255yI8223gg?si=8jyZVBaE-i6kZ2kB
(DIR) Post #AkObBxjVcPpZIBmtay by kynyc@mas.to
2024-07-28T17:09:03Z
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@3PlayerPolitics you could start a colony with her you know.
(DIR) Post #AkObMM4hyFRRgQev32 by Archergal@wandering.shop
2024-07-28T17:10:58Z
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@futurebird Our mostly show up on the edge of the driveway these days. And yes, the driveway gets edged by the lawn folk. Hmm…
(DIR) Post #AkOc25l11tQxEnLjeq by kritischelezer@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T17:18:33Z
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@futurebird I saw a couple of ants today on our table outside at my moms nursing home. Thought of you. I hope they like chocolate and icecream 🤞
(DIR) Post #AkOfgGgc7B8MZy8jB2 by anarchiv@todon.nl
2024-07-28T17:59:23Z
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@futurebird I've even seen snakes turned into minced meat by robot lawnmowers.
(DIR) Post #AkOmjotM5yJDDIjxLc by wtrmt@mastodon.social
2024-07-28T19:18:24Z
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@futurebird the winter here has been so mild that today I saw the first flowering plum. It was full of bees, bumblebees and other insects 🐝
(DIR) Post #AlYaOJvOpDzn1MnDcW by pamelanred@mstdn.party
2024-09-01T10:39:22Z
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@futurebird also spiders. I’m a big spider advocate and most people have no idea how important they are.
(DIR) Post #AlYaeYtQwPlU4scMrY by jerzone@techhub.social
2024-09-01T10:42:18Z
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@futurebird I’d never thought about people doing this until one of my namesakes in the US used the wrong email address for his monthly pest control account. Like a subscription to not have bugs, who does that?
(DIR) Post #AlYb6StEr1XpZFpdk8 by tuban_muzuru@ohai.social
2024-09-01T10:47:21Z
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@futurebird ... I still hear crickets and frogs/toads out here. I'm modifying a pond design from its original faux-Japanese beginnings to a long pump-and-filter arrangement, with several meters of rounded river rock on a shallow standard pond liner and underlayment, tapering down to a meter-deep pool, then pumped back to the headwater again.Designed for birds and amphibians.