When it comes to pesticides (especially insecticides), what is good at killing a pest insect is usually pretty good at killing a beneficial insect. Therefore proper pesticide usage needs to account for protecting bees and other pollinators. Here are some helpful and important resources to account for pollinating insects in areas where pesticides are necessary to be used.
Pesticide safety for bees
- Pesticide Environmental Stewardship--Pollinator Protection (Dr. Wayne Buhler, Department of Horticulture, NC State University)
- NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control and Pesticides - Pollinators Homepage (excellent information for homeowners, pesticide applicators, beekeepers, and others)
- Advancing Communication, Cooperation and Collaboration in Agriculture (FieldWatch is a non-profit company with an online mapping registry that promotes communication between producers of specialty and row crops, beekeepers, seed companies and pesticide applicators in support of ongoing stewardship activities)
- How to reduce bee poisoning from pesticides (Oregon State University publication for free PDF download)
Garden maintenance
- To provide nesting habitat for stem nesting bees, trim stems back to 18 - 24 in. in their first winter (after first frost but before last frost). You'll continue to trim new growth on the plant each year, but you should only trim each stem one time.
- See this fact sheet and this video for more details.
