Remember when you used to have to wash squashed bugs off your windshield? Particularly on road trips. Before self-service gas stations, you remember when the guy who filled your tank also washed your windshield?

When was the last time you had bugs squashed on your windshield or headlights?
Maybe they have all been blown away. Insect populations are in decline.

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● A 2017 report from Germany stated that over the past 30 years, flying insects had declined by more than 75% in 60 of the country’s PROTECTED areas.

● A 2019 report from the United Kingdom warned that insects are dying out 8x faster than larger animals, with 40% of the roughly one million known insect species facing extinction.

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Many scientists say we are on the verge of an insect armageddon.

Wiping out the insect population would have a domino effect on the entire environmental structure as we know it. The main causes of insect decline include habitat loss, fragmentation of native sources for food and habitat, and the overuse of pesticides. To that I would add, the use of leaf blowers - both gas-powered and battery-powered.

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Gas-powered leaf blowers with two-cycle engines are highly polluting and disproportionately high in production of greenhouse gasses. They are also noisy with dangerously high decibel levels. The air and noise pollution impacts are obvious, but it is the 200mph blast of air from the blower that destroys insects and their habitat. That hurricane-force wind also depletes top soil.

For comparison, a Category 5 hurricane has winds of 157mph or higher.

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Let’s consider the mighty oak tree - which, by the way, is host plant to over 500 varieties of insects and birds. Removing the leaves under an oak tree destroys critical shelter and habitat for one or more life cycle states of moths, butterflies, bumble bees, fireflies, lacewings and beetles. Many of the moths and butterflies that feed on oak trees must complete their life cycles in the duff and leaf litter near or beneath the tree or below ground. Leaf litter provides food and shelter to toads, frogs, salamanders, and turtles.

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Seventy percent of the world’s 20,000 bee species actually live largely solitary lives and lay eggs in underground nests which are destroyed by the powerful wind blasted by leaf blowers. And all that insect life in the leaf litter provides food for the baby

birds nesting in the oak tree every spring.

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So what are we supposed to do?

Leaf blowers are illegal, banned or restricted in certain towns and cities in the states of California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Vermont, as well as Washington DC. Germany, the United Kingdom and parts of Canada also ban or restrict use of gas-powered blowers. Banning blowers sounds pretty drastic, especially since we didn’t know this was a “thing” until about a minute ago. So, let’s look at some baby steps we can take that will have a big impact

on our environment. FYI, the most successful bans started with neighbor recruiting neighbor!

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● Baby Step #1 - Awareness

Now that you know the dirty truth about leaf blowers, you will see and hear them everywhere. Whole platoons of landscape workers with giant blowers strapped to their backs ready to annihilate every bit of leaf and litter in sight. Hopefully this new

awareness will inspire you to make changes in your own yard and educate others.

● Baby Step #2 - Buy a New Blower

Switching to a battery-powered blower reduces air and noise pollution, but not the destructive impact of the high velocity air produced. The average battery-powered blower produces 150mph air, equivalent to a high Category 4 hurricane. Some

battery-powered models offer different wind speed settings.

● Baby Step #3 - Reduce Frequency and Change Timing

Instead of blowing twice a week, blow once a week. Blow leaves early in the morning or late in the day when pollinators are less active. Only blow the leaves when they’re dry, which will minimize the use of the leaf blower. Use blowers for large jobs, not daily “tidying up.” Remember rakes and brooms?

● Baby Step #4 - Adopt the 70-30 Rule

Instead of blowing the entire yard, set a goal of leaving the leaves in a designated area or areas that comprise approximately 70% of your property and only blow the leaves on 30% of your property. Remember, 70-30 is a goal. Fifty-fifty would be better than nothing. Leaving all the leaves is not practical when you live in a temperate rainforest.

 

So what are some best practices?

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● Stay Safe - Places where you walk the most are prime candidates for leaf removal. This includes your driveway, sidewalks, steps and most other non-grassy areas. The reason for this is simple: the leaves won’t break down properly when they don’t have a connection with the soil. Instead, they’ll get slimy and become a slip-and-fall hazard.

● Be Considerate - Don’t use a leaf blower before 8am or after 5pm. Limit use time to less than an hour.

● Cues to Care - Make sure the edges of your planting beds, driveways and walkways are well-defined and free of leaves while retaining the leaves on other areas of your property. This signals that your landscape is cared for and it shows elements of neatness, intentionality and care. Consider hanging a pollinator habitat sign to let others know that your yard isn’t “messy,” it’s a safe place for pollinators to forage and nest