Thursday, June 2, 2016

Care about bees?

They've done more studies about what pollen domestic honeybees pick up - and yes, they forage in your back yard a lot.

The common wisdom says you should plant things bees like - but you should also be careful what insecticides you use, especially if you do have a "pollinator garden." You don't want to attract the ladies just to poison them, after all.

Don't use neonicotinoids and buy plants from nurseries that do not use neonicotinoids/neonics (which can stay IN the plant you bought - this also goes if you're buying milkweed for monarchs). This is a 2013 list of products that contain neonicotinoids - http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/pesticide_list_final_59620.pdf

(And that may not be comprehensive. It's probably better to avoid commercial insecticides altogether and go for traditional remedies such as soap or diatomaceous earth).

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