Germany, summer without pesticides

Nearly one-third of Germany’s territory is covered by forests. That summer, before I walked into the forest in Germany for the first time, the forest in my mind had many similar adjectives: lush branches, lush trees, green mountains...

But when I left After walking through forests of all sizes, and through many cities embraced by forests and forests nestled against cities, I discovered that German forests actually have a very down-to-earth side: original, unmodified, and full of pests, so be careful Being stung.

Authentic and unmodified

It doesn’t matter if the tree is dead or broken by lightning, just lie there quietly, on the path or in the water...

The tree is covered with all kinds of vines, it doesn’t matter, you can climb them in any shape you like...

The tree is full of white storks making nests, it doesn’t matter, you can do whatever is convenient for you...

In summer, in the lush forest, if you look around, you will see endless rotten trees and branches wrapped under the green, and huge tree trunks uprooted and lying on the ground like sculptures. It is enough to just look at those roots. It reminds people of the momentum of those trees back then, but it also makes people wonder: What have they experienced?

There are many pests. Be careful of being stung.

The plants and animals living in Germany are happy. Protecting the habitats of vegetation, insects and animals is seen as as important as eating and sleeping. Because pesticides are not used easily, pests will also overrun. However, pesticides are also the last talisman of last resort, because although pesticides eliminate pests, they will also kill innocent beneficial insects, birds and animals. Pesticides also It can change the relationship between pests and natural enemies and parasites and lead to the proliferation of new species.

Based on the principle that it is better to let go of millions of pests than to kill one beneficial insect, large tracts of forest were chewed into bare poles. In 2019, I went to the Harz Mountains, a mountain range in central Germany, where there are deep mountains and old forests. The legendary Walpurgis Night, also known as the Witches Carnival (on the night of April 30th every year), takes place in the Harz Mountains. The highest point is held on Broken Hill. However, the deep mountains and old forests in my memory have turned into a large barren land, which is very sad. The ones responsible are the small silverfish family.

Oak poisonous caterpillars

Small beetles are natural enemies of trees, and some pests can also cause varying degrees of harm to humans. The poisonous oak caterpillar is one of them. Wherever there are oak trees, there are these caterpillars. The Germans love oak trees and plant oak trees everywhere. Even the streets and alleys of the city and the woods are full of oak trees. When the oak trees grow in abundance, the caterpillars will overrun. This kind of caterpillar has poisonous bristles on its body. If you accidentally touch it, your skin will be itchy, red and swollen, and you will even have asthma. You will be unable to live and work normally for several weeks.

Last summer, my husband took our children to class. He passed an oak tree and was pricked by a caterpillar that suddenly fell down. The result was tragic. I went to the hospital every day to have a bottle hanging, and every time I came to the hospital, I would get a syringe hanging next to it. Sitting there were several men who had been "kissed" by poisonous caterpillars. The patients complained to each other, gnashing their teeth in hatred of the little caterpillars but helpless. Now, the child's father avoids oak trees wherever he goes. Once bitten by a snake, he is afraid of well ropes for ten years.

Ticks

After talking about the abominable poisonous oak caterpillars, let’s talk about the ticks that make Germans terrified. In midsummer, wherever there are grass and woods, there are these little vampires. When they bite, they will burrow their entire heads into the flesh and suck them. Being bitten by ticks may cause tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease and other diseases, with disastrous consequences.

There are several German mothers around me who vaccinate their children against tick-borne encephalitis every year before midsummer. Some parents even carry anti-tick spray or tweezers when they go out. Once bitten, the tick can be grasped with tweezers and the entire body pulled out. Pulling out a tick is also a delicate and laborious technical task. You must not pull it hard, otherwise the body may be pulled off, but the head and mouthparts will remain in the body, which will pose a threat to further infection. If you really can't pull it properly, you must seek help from a doctor immediately to prevent the wound from worsening as soon as possible.

In short, ticks are a highly dangerous existence.

Even so, there are still no pesticides in the grass and woods?

In the summer without pesticides,

all kinds of insects, birds and small animals are free in the world.

Nature is their warm home.

The Germans dote on the little creatures in nature and provide them with food and shelter. If the little animals make a home in a certain tree, there may be a warm reminder sign one day: Here If there are animals in your home, don't disturb them.

There is no shortage of wild swans and wild ducks in the forest. When they see passers-by, they gather eagerly for food, and often fight over stuttering.

Squirrels, foxes and wild boars are also often found in the forest, but they are very shy. When they meet passers-by, they treat them like A, B, C and D, and continue to do whatever they have to do. Once, I was blocked by a wild boar on a trail. In fact, it just happened to find something to eat when passing by, but the trail was very narrow and it was very fat, so it almost blocked the road. I stood five meters away from it. There was no turning back on the trail. There was a wild boar in front of me. After we were in a stalemate for more than ten minutes (actually I was watching it), I finally mustered up the courage and sprinted away tremblingly. In the past, when I ran 15 meters away and looked back, I saw that the wild boar was minding its own food and did not move at all, but I was scared to death.

Inspired by the Swedish environmental protection girl, every Friday, High school and college students across Germany went on strike to hold "Fridays for Future" environmental rallies, calling on the government to pay attention to environmental issues such as climate change.

Although the school strikes and street demonstrations are very controversial, the increasingly serious global environmental and climate problems have indeed prompted more and more young people to join the fight for the future: the forest area is rapidly decreasing, Wild species are seriously threatened, with 12% of the world's birds and a quarter of mammals on the verge of extinction; 450 billion tons of wastewater and sewage flow into rivers, lakes and seas every year, and overfishing has led to the depletion of one-third of fish resources . The clean space and natural resources left for human survival are becoming increasingly limited.

How far can humans go?

Thinking of this, summer without pesticides doesn’t feel so scary anymore.