Clifford D. Mickle

Clifford D. Mickle, 96, formerly of Tidioute, PA, died Monday, June 6, 2022 in Moon Township, PA at his residence. Cliff was born October 28, 1925 in Garland, Pennsylvania, the son of the late Earnest and Leona Mickle. While serving in the United States Army during World War II, Cliff was injured and awarded the Purple Heart.

Gardeners who suffer from hay fever are well aware of the sneezing, sore eyes and sinus pain that can occur in flower beds, under trees or just mowing the lawn when pollen levels are high.

But there are steps they can take to at least alleviate symptoms, says Jackie Herald, an award-winning garden designer who creates outdoor spaces for people with allergies and other conditions and works with Allergy UK.

“We shouldn’t just design gardens to be beautiful,” she says. “They have to work with the people who are going to benefit.”

She offers the following tips to help gardeners relieve their hay fever symptoms.

UNDERSTAND YOUR TRIGGERS

“It’s really important to understand what triggers your hay fever. In general, if you suffer from hay fever, react to pollen in late winter and spring, this suggests that you are allergic to tree pollen. Come summer, when the grasses bloom, that suggests your hay fever is triggered by grass pollen.” Some 85% of people with hay fever are allergic to grass pollen, she notes.

WEAR A HAT

“Wear a hat with a brim, which can protect you from pollen falling around your nose.”

CHOOSE YOUR GARDENING TIME CAREFULLY

“Avoid times of day when pollen is likely to rise, such as early in the day as the day heats up, and again in the early evening.”

WATCH THE WEATHER

“Keep an eye on the weather forecast as the pollen level is now regularly released with the forecast. It tends to be associated with warm sunny days.”

AVOID CERTAIN PLANTS

“Avoid plants that have pollen on the surface. Conversely, opt for plants with trumpet or bell-shaped flowers that beneficial insects like bees actually need to find because pollen tends to be hidden inside. indoors, such as foxgloves and bellflowers.

“Generally, for biodiversity and your own health, favor insect-pollinated plants over wind-pollinated ones. A typical wind-pollinated plant to avoid would be silver birch, with its catkins.” People with hay fever should avoid highly fragrant plants that can trigger symptoms, she adds.

“Some lilies and the bottle brush plant may be the ones to avoid. Some plants have male and female flowers on one plant. Other species have separate male and female flowers. Prioritize female plants as they do not generate no pollen. If you plant hollies, plant more females than males, otherwise opt for a self-pollinating hermaphrodite.”

Other plants to place away from the house include privet hedges, wisteria floribunda, juniper and white daisy.

Opt instead for…

Plants such as Escallonia ‘Iveyi’, whitebeam, Clematis armandii, dianthus and rosemary are less likely to bother allergy sufferers, she says. Catnip is low in pollen but beneficial for insects, while snapdragons and eryngium are also low in allergy.

POSITION YOUR PLANTS CAREFULLY

“Don’t put the most allergenic tree in a place where you’re going to have a nice garden bench under it to sit on or near a front door. When you open the door and walk into the house, you can rub against, say, an olive tree that’s allergenic, so your pollen gets inside.

“If you have pollen in your hair, on your clothes, or on your carpet, it stays for centuries and amplifies the impact you felt of being with pollen outdoors.”

Hay fever is worse in urban environments, Herald says, where pollen becomes more allergenic when combined with pollutants and held airborne by hard surfaces. So, in urban spaces, use soft landscaping such as well-mowed lawns and swales (a shady spot, or a sunken or marshy spot) and place your plants away from doorways, walkways, and patios.

Choose flowers pollinated by insects

“Generally, pollen carried by beneficial insects tends to be heavier and stickier than the very light pollen of wind-pollinated plants.”

CONSIDER SOME STERILE PLANTS

Many hybrid plants, with double flowers, are sterile, she points out. “The sterile plants are perfect for allergy sufferers. There are some sterile grasses and, of course, bamboos, as well as some trees and shrubs.

“If you go for a double flower rather than a single, it’s less likely to cause problems, but at the same time making a totally barren garden would be so sad because we have a responsibility to support and encourage our biodiversity. Personally , I would avoid a completely sterile garden but I could include sterile plants.”

AVOID CERTAIN ACTIVITIES

“One job you might want to have someone else do is mow the lawn. But if someone else mows the lawn regularly, it removes the grass blooms, which is helpful for any person with grass-triggered allergies.

“Some people are allergic to various molds. Some of the molds that exist in compost can be a problem, so turning a compost pile or mulching can be an activity to avoid.

“The bottom line is that you need to know what you’re allergic to. The best way to manage what you do, where and when you spend time is to avoid the trigger.”

By David Coyle, Ph.D.

David Coyle, Ph.D.

Much attention has been paid recently to pollinators, particularly native pollinators – which include bees, wasps, flies, beetles and several other organisms – but also species used for commercial purposes. Yes, I’m talking about European honey bees, (Apis mellifera). Their colonies are often moved over great distances and are essential for producing many food crops. Whether they like it or not, European bees are a critical spoke in the agricultural wheel.

Unfortunately, as with any commercial species, there are pest issues. Varroa dust mites and colony collapse syndrome are probably the two problems most people know about, but a new article published in March in the open-access journal Journal of Integrated Pest Management profiles another pest: the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida).

Small hive beetles can cause millions of dollars in damage to honeybee hives each year, say paper authors Morgan Roth of Virginia Tech, James Wilson, Ph.D., and Aaron Gross, Ph.D. Native to sub-Saharan Africa (and first observed in Florida in 1998), this invasive species feeds on the eggs and larvae of honey bees as well as honeycomb and pollen. Larval droppings lead to increased growth of a fungus which causes fermentation and creates a slimy substance in the hive. A single female beetle can lay up to 2,000 eggs, so populations can increase very quickly.

Small hive beetles (Aethina tumida), the larva shown here, can cause millions of dollars in damage to bee hives each year. Native to sub-Saharan Africa and first observed in Florida in 1998, this invasive species feeds on the eggs and larvae of honey bees as well as honeycomb and pollen. Larval droppings lead to increased growth of a fungus which causes fermentation and creates a slimy substance in the hive. (Photo by Morgan Roth, Virginia Cooperative Extension)

Shown at left is a bee (Apis mellifera) comb infested with small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) larvae and exhibiting an advanced stage of larval feeding damage. On the right, a comb displays a layer of mud due to A. tumida feeding of the larvae. (Image originally published in Roth et al 2022, Journal of Integrated Pest Management)

Even though adult honey bees try to defend their hive, these beetles have evolved in several different ways to avoid attack. They run, hide and fall from wherever they are, and they even pull their legs under their body like a turtle. Sometimes adult beetles even trick adult honey bees into feeding them by touching their mandibles with their antennae!

Managing small hive beetles is not easy, as both adult and larval beetles cause damage, and the life cycle is split between inside and outside the hive. (The larvae leave the hive to pupate in the surrounding soil.) Also, there is no established economic threshold, so treatment tends to be done whenever the beekeeper deems it necessary. Several methods of treatment are used, including cultivation methods (eg, managing hive moisture, treating surrounding soil with diatomaceous earth or lime), maintaining sanitation apiary, trapping adult beetles in the hive, chemical control methods and biological control (e.g. release of predatory nematodes to target beetle pupae). Recently, scientists have also tested the use of RNA interference techniques as a management method.

The last thing we need is another invasive species wreaking havoc on our agricultural system, and in this case, we still have a lot to learn about managing small hive beetles. However, the good news is that effective management options exist to help protect this important agricultural asset.

David Coyle, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University. Twitter/Instagram/TikTok: @drdavecoyle. Email: [email protected].

Related

In April, music, travel and experiences company Pollen raised $150 million in a Series C round.

The company has made a number of redundancies this month, according to social media posts by former employees, which indicate the London-based company has laid off more than 150 staff in the UK and in the United States.

Founded in 2014 by brothers Callum and Liam Negus-Fancey, the company made two impressive UK hires in 2021, appointing Zeon Richards as head of hip-hop partnerships and Christine Osazuwa as chief strategy officer for Pollen Presents.

According to a post on LinkedIn, Osazuwa is one of the executives to leave the company.

MBW reached out to Pollen for a statement on the reported layoffs, and its co-founder and CEO Callum Negus-Fancey told us that, “as part of the closing of our Series C round, we have agreed to a new plan. with our investors where we will continue to deliver strong growth while bringing the business to profitability faster through greater focus and reducing our costs by 15%.”

He added that “we have gone through a thorough process and there are no more changes planned.”

Pollen runs two offerings: Pollen Presents, which curates experiences for customers through travel, music and more; and Pollen+, which partners with promoters and music festivals to offer customers who book through its platforms benefits at events.

The company says it uses data and customer insights to create experiences exclusive to its platform, and also partners with “the world’s biggest music festivals and brands” to sell their experiences.

The company has created exclusive travel experiences featuring artists like J Balvin, Justin Bieber and Duran Duran.

Pollen announced its Series C in April, having already raised over $100 million in venture capital funding.

Investors in the company include Kindred, Northzone, Sienna Capital, Backed and Draper Spirit.

“As part of the closing of our Series C funding round, we have agreed to a new plan with our investors in which we will continue to deliver strong growth while bringing the business to profitability more quickly through a greater concentration and a reduction of our costs by 15%.

Negus-Fancey, Pollen

In a statement provided to MBW, Pollen Co-Founder and CEO Callum Negus-Fancey said, “In the current macro environment, investors want to see growth-stage tech companies follow a clear path to profitability. .

“As part of the closing of our Series C funding round, we have agreed to a new plan with our investors in which we will continue to deliver strong growth while bringing the business to profitability more quickly through a greater concentration and a reduction of our costs by 15%.

“It’s not unique to Pollen. It’s a trend happening in the tech industry as companies adjust their strategies in order to adapt to these new market realities. We went through a thorough process and it no more changes planned.The music industry around the world

Have you ever seen two different flowers and wished there was one in a fusion of the two? Luckily for you, it’s actually possible – and it’s a lot easier to do than you might think. The process is called “cross-pollination,” and you don’t even need a lot of space to do it.