PLANT A BEE GARDEN

One way to help is to plant a pollinator garden to provide forage for honey bees and native pollinators. We have many local nurseries selling neonicotinoid-free plants to help get you started:

• Watson’s Greenhouse and Nursery, Puyallup

• Vassey Nursery, Puyallup

• Todd’s Nursery and Landscaping, Puyallup

• Windmill Gardens, Sumner

• Portland Ave. Nursery, Tacoma

• Rosedale Gardens, Gig Harbor
   

MAKE YOUR YARD A BEE OASIS

You don’t have to be a beekeeper to help honey bees and native pollinators. You can simply change a few habits around your yard. A well manicured lawn of rich green grass, beauty bark, and a few flowers may look nice to you, but from a bee’s perspective it is a desert with little food or nutrition.

• Add more native plants that thrive in our area.  Native plants will be more hardy and require less maintenance.

• Plant more fruits, vegetables, and herbs. In addition to giving you food, they provide pollen and nectar.

• Diversify your plants to bloom at different times of the year. Provide a source of nectar and pollen all season long.

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MANAGE YOUR PESTICIDE USE

It may be hard if not impossible to completely avoid pesticides.  There are some pests that do quite a bit of damage to our gardens.  But we can be smarter about how we use pesticides.

• Avoid “broad spectrum” pesticides. These will indiscriminately kill everything they come into contact with.

• Use targeted pesticides. If you feel you absolutely have to use a pesticide, use one the selectively focuses on your specific problem you are trying to solve.

• Apply pesticides wisely. It’s best to apply them in the early morning or late evening when bees and other beneficial insects are not active so they can avoid getting hit with direct exposure.

• Use natural predators. The best way to eliminate pests is to encourage or introduce natural predators.  One example is the lady bug that will eat aphids, mites, white flies, and scale insects.

Go for balance in your garden. A healthy garden will have an entire ecosystem of critters that keep things under control.

What chemicals are specifically bad for bees?  Read more from the Xerces Society, a leading nonprofit organization focused on conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.

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 BUY LOCAL HONEY

Help take care of the bees by directly supporting those who dedicate their time and work to the art of beekeeping. Check out your local farmers market or any of the vendors below to purchase honey and/or honey products.

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PARTICIPATE IN THE GREAT SUNFLOWER COUNT PROJECT

1. Plant lemon queen sunflower seeds. Please check to make sure that the seeds did not receive a neonicotinoid seed treatment. One way to do this is to buy an organic seed. If not organic, check to make sure the seeds weren’t treated with pesticides.

2. Submit at least 3 pollinator counts of at least 5 minutes duration to the Great Sunflower Count website. Having more than one count at your site will ensure the most accurate estimate of pollinator service at your site.

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