Honeysuckle is a controversial plant. While North America has native species, invasive honeysuckles are a real problem. They out-compete native plants and provide a less nutritious food source for wildlife. More recently, scientists have discovered another problem: Non-native honeysuckles might increase your yard’s mosquito population. Why Is Bush Honeysuckle Bad? While the U.S. has native honeysuckles—attractive flowering vines that pollinators love—non-native bush honeysuckles have become much more widespread. The most common are Tatarian, Morrow’s, Amur, and Bell’s. Non-native bush honeysuckles are bad to have around mostly because they crowd out native species that are better for wildlife. They leaf out earlier and block light to incoming native plants. Birds eat the berries of bush honeysuckle, but they are essentially junk food and don’t provide adequate nutrition. Another reason to remove any invasive honeysuckle from your property is that they attract and support disease-carrying mosquitoes. What Attracts Mosquitoes? Mosquitoes carry many […]
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