The Yellow Dust is Arriving!

As if we didn’t have enough to worry about it is about to be pollen season.  Here at the Delaware Beaches all of us know about the dreaded yellow dust.  It permeates everything.  Covering cars, driveways, porches, decks, patios, it is everywhere.  Most locals here would love to open the windows up and air out the house after being closed up all winter but we know better.  If you are brave enough to open the windows you will quickly find the inside of the house has a thin layer of the dreaded yellow dust.

Many newcomers to our area are surprised to find this yellow dust everywhere in the spring.  It has caused lots of curious banter on social media with the question what is it?  Well basically it is nature doing it’s thing.  The Delaware beaches are populated with millions of conifers that explode in the spring time with their reproductive dust.  Some days driving down rt. 1 from Bethany to Dewey Beach you can see clouds of the dust billowing from the black pines that line the road.  It is especially bad from the fresh pond entrance to the Indian River Inlet.  The pollen comes from the male pine trees and it is released into the air to pollinate the female pine cones in the area.  This pollination while annoying is vital to the survival of the pine trees.

It is everywhere in the Spring.  It is more of an annoyance to everyone than it is harmful to you.  Most of the allergy sufferers will experience hay fever like symptoms from the spring time pollen.  Symptoms include itchy eyes, bags under your eyes, runny nose, and coughing.  In some cases it may cause asthma and in rare cases it can trigger an anaphylactic reaction.  If you do experience this you should get it treated immediately.  If you are experiencing some really bad symptoms of allergy you should consult an allergist.  All in all though it is more of a nuisance than a medical problem.

With a dry spring we usually see the pollen build up on our cars, driveways, porches and patios.  While it is mostly harmless to surfaces it can sometimes if left on for long periods of time damage paint.  Napa auto has some tips for keeping the pollen from damaging your cars.  If you find it clinging to your decks and patios it is advisable to periodically wash it off to keep finished surfaces clean and vibrant.

Hopefully this year we will see some rain spread out through the spring pollen season and it will keep the dreaded yellow dust to a minimum!  Wishing you a safe and happy spring!