What started as a small, bright idea among three friends ended up being a beautiful community project that will be enjoyed for generations to come. Together with the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, our Bug Squad planted 191 native pollinator plants in a space of 1000 square feet at Camp Greene Wood in Naperville, Illinois this spring. On May 18th, around 150 girls and helpful family members all pitched in to plant the most gorgeous blooming plants. This is what our successful pollinator garden planting day looked like:
Why would a pest company fund a garden to attract bugs?
The Bug Squad and Rose Pest Solutions are not anti-bug. We respect the role insects play in our world, and their importance in our ecosystem. Pollinators like the honey bee are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat. It’s important that younger generations learn where our food comes from so we can work together to promote the success of certain species. And it’s important to hire pest management professionals who are conscious of our helpful pollinators, too.
Planting a native pollinator garden was a project close to our hearts. It beautifully aligned with our dedication to environmental stewardship and the crucial mission of preserving biodiversity. Native pollinator gardens play a vital role in supporting local birds, bees, butterflies, and nighttime pollinators like moths, bats and beetles, too. These creatures are not only mesmerizing to observe but are also fundamental to the health of our environment and food supply. It will be great to create educational programs using this huge garden once it is in full luscious bloom. Not to mention, all the peace it will bring to anyone who sits on one of the benches in the garden.
This was a proactive step in addressing the decline of pollinator populations right in our own area. Across the globe, pollinators face threats from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and disease. By establishing a native pollinator garden, we are actively mitigating these threats by offering a sustainable food source for these vulnerable species. Encouraging the growth of native plants helps us improve the natural balance of our community. This garden will make cozy homes for all sorts of critters to thrive together.
How did you decide what to plant?
We put this dream into action. And fast. In fact, we checked out the space last fall so we would have enough time to strategize and design. This is what the 1000 sq ft space looked like at that time:
The space was a former scout’s Gold Award project. We wanted to honor her intention and put some TLC into it, bringing it back to a beautiful oasis for all to enjoy.
Our friend Seth Harper, the Horticulturalist for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, curates a gorgeous collection of pollinator plants every spring for our annual Plants for Pollinators sale. So naturally, he was our go-to for expert insights. Between his years of wisdom and the helpful staff and tools provided by Midwest Groundcovers in St. Charles, we had the best resources you could ever ask for. Want to learn about planting native pollinator plants in your own yard? Check out the Plants for Pollinators Brochure that we put together with our friends at the Nature Museum.
In true Girl Scout project fashion, our Bug Girl Janelle Iaccino, who was a scout through grade 6, had researched over 100 species of blooming plants. Soil type, water conditions, the amount of sunlight they could handle and how large they would grow to be were all factored into her design. Then the scissors and glue came out.
The rest of this plan came together as if by Mother Nature’s blessing intervened.
The Bug Girl recruits pollinator lovers on WGN
Our friends at WGN, Tonya and Amy from Daytime Chicago, invited Janelle to talk about the pollinator garden project. Just as the periodic cicadas began emerging in DuPage County, we had over 100 registrations fill up the week leading up to planting day.
When does an insect become a pest?
Insects all have their place in this world. But when they find their way inside our homes or businesses, it’s a little too close for comfort sometimes. In some cases, it’s mandatory to have a pest-free facility for sanitation purposes. Fore example, a carpenter ant, with their big mandibles and strength in numbers, are incredible decomposers for forest life. They clean up after trees have fallen. We built our houses on land that was once forest where many ants lived. Those carpenter ants won’t be able to tell that your wooden deck is different from a tree. They can do massive structural damage and indicate deeper issues, like leaks, on a property. Therefore, there are prescription solutions formulated for carpenter ants that will knock them back while not harming other things.
Our philosophy as environmental stewards is to take each scenario as its own case. Part of hiring a professionally trained pest management professional means you get the scientific expertise to get to the root of an issue and push pest pressures back into nature where they belong. A professional ensures that there is no chemical overuse or misuse where other wildlife, families and pets might be present.
If I have a butterfly garden, I can’t get a pest service, can I?
You can absolutely hire a professional to take care of an invasive pest while raising butterflies. How? Well, for starters, pest control isn’t what you might have seen in movies or remember from decades ago. Oftentimes, the cleaning products under your kitchen sink are much more harmful than what a professional might prescribe to restore that human versus nature balance we love so much. The key is in the consultation. So, ask questions. Make sure you know what products are being used and how. Where and how a product for mosquito control is applied will make every difference in giving you peace of mind to raise pollinators in your yard while ridding an invasive species from your home.
Who is The Bug Squad?
The Bug Squad is Rose’s Marketing Team. Janelle, Anna and Ravin love sharing the fun and fascinating world of insects with all walks of life. And they’re not all bug lovers necessarily either!! By breaking fear barriers with fun education, fostering biodiversity in our communities, promoting environmental awareness, and providing a sanctuary for pollinators, we’re contributing our passion for environmental science to inspire generations to come. We’re committed to protecting your health and homes, and to protecting the vital role insects play on our planet.
