Have you ever had a staring contest with a snake and won?
If so, you were staring at a legless lizard, and not a snake!
Both animals are beneficials. A beneficial is an organism such as bacteria, ladybug or any
other animal that feed on or parasitize the pests around the house, yard and garden. A pest
is an organism that's unwanted because it's doing damage.
So although many people do not prefer creepy crawlies like snakes, lizards and insects
around their home, removing them costs! By preserving the beneficial flora and fauna of
the yard, people can save money, effort and the environment. According to Angie’s List
data, the national average cost for interior and exterior pest treatment is $145 and $214
per treatment, respectively. Treat every 2 or 3 months and that run’s the average
homeowner $580-$1,284 per year. The national average price for termite treatment alone
is $1,535. Assuming that one spends only $1500/year on pest control, that is
approximately $120,000 in an 80 year lifespan. Pesticides are harmful for all that come in
contact with them including children, pets, and the environment. Over 78 million
American households
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/facts&figures.php#1) used some type
of pesticide at a cost of $12.5 billion in 2007.
(http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/pestsales/07pestsales/sales2007.htm#2_1).
Here is how the beneficials bring in the green:
Pesticides, and their associated costs, can be avoided by just changing choices. For
example, In the garden, aphids are considered pests that harm crops or ornamentals.
Instead of running out and buying poison to apply around the yard, choose a different
path, choose beneficials. Those aphids are eaten by beneficials such as ladybugs (really
called ladybird beetles) or parasitized by little non-stinging wasps known generally as
parasitoid wasps. These little wasps lay their eggs in the aphids and cause them to
mummify as the wasp larvae consume them from the inside out, a pretty cool learning
experience for children. Anyway, for about $11.00 a homeowner can control aphids with
1500 ladybird beetles , or for a little more, the wasps. (http://www.arbicoorganics.com/category/beneficial-insects-organisms) Or if one waits long enough, the
beneficial insects will show up on their own, they have a good sense of smell for their
pesty prey. Does the dog have fleas? Control those with parasitic nematodes. This is a
green, environmental and family friendly option. In contrast to treating the yard with
pesticides that kill non-target organisms too, for the same price, or less, the yard can be
treated using beneficial nematodes that only target fleas
(http://www.fleabusters.com/home/products) and other pests. Once the beneficials are
established in the yard, they tend to hang around for a while, their populations busting
and booming with the pest availability.
So what of the snakes and lizards? The first thing to understand is that snakes and lizards
are not out to ‘get’ people. Most bites from them occur because people are trying to
capture or kill them. The best way to avoid getting bitten, is to give them their space,
respect them for the benefits they bring.
Florida has 50 species of snake (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/flsnakes/venomous-snakes), only 6 of which are venomous and only 4 of those live in
South Florida. Learn how to identify the venomous and you will most likely find that the
non-venomous ones are encountered more frequently.
(http://myfwc.com/media/1321792/Guide_to_venomous_snakes_in_FL.pdf).
According to a University of Florida publication on snakes
(http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw260) “killing or attempting to kill snakes around your home
greatly increases your chances of being bitten, and will not prevent other snakes from
entering your yard. This may actually prove counterproductive, especially if you kill nonvenomous snakes, some of which eat venomous snakes (not to mention helping to control
rodent populations that could attract more snakes!)” Snakes control rat, mouse,
cockroach, Cuban frog and pesty insect populations. Americans can save over $100
million dollars in rat control alone
(http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/1999/01/environmental-and-economic-costsassociated-non-indigenous-species), by allowing wildlife, such as snakes, that eat rats, to
remain in the yard. Tired of the Cuban Tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) croaking
outside the window at night? Allow the non-venomous black racer snakes (Coluber
constrictor priapus) to live around the yard. Black racers, are called that for a reason, the
second they see a person, they race away. They also make a quick meal of the invasive
Cuban tree frog and other household pests. Once the invasives decline thanks to our
friendly neighborhood reptiles, Florida’s native ant-eateras can come in and eat the ants
and termites. Yes, we have ant-eaters in South Florida, they are known as the
Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis carolinensis), a cute little native frog that
prefers more nature-scaped or restored yards near water. If waiting for amphibians to
show up at the house to feed upon ants and termites is not an option, beneficial
nematodes can be purchased online to come to the rescue fast until the native wildlife can
move back in.
Lizards too are beneficial, take the loser of
the staring contest for example, the legless
glass lizard (Ophisaurus spp.) depicted here.
There are 4 species of glass lizards in
Florida, all of which are completely
harmless and although they look similar to
snakes, they blink! More importantly, they
eat insects, snails, grasshoppers, crickets,
spiders and baby rodents.
Even some mammals are considered
beneficial, such as the Opossum, North America’s only marsupial! Don’t panic, they do
not carry rabies and they eat cockroaches, other insects, snakes, snails, slugs, mice, rats,
and the fallen fruits and spilled garbage that attract many other undesirable pests. Bats
too eat the pesty mosquito and other flying nocturnal insects. Build a bat box to attract
these beneficials or leave a few dead fronds on that Sable Palm, the Florida state tree, to
give the bats a place to roost. You take care of them and they will take care of you.
The moral of the story is, a little tolerance, change in perception and nature-scaping can
bring a big payout when it comes to pest control.
To learn more, become a volunteer with Youth Environmental Alliance, visit
www.YEAfrog.org, or become a Florida Master Naturalist by registering online at
www.masternaturalist.org.