Green guy: It's easy to be bee-friendly

Just a few weeks ago on a fine July Saturday afternoon, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Oldenburg’s “Bee Friendly Day.” The event, centered around capturing the importance of pollinators in our local region, hosted a variety of pollinator-themed activities with something for everyone. For the garden buffs and flower advocates, I gave a short presentation on behalf of the Carlton SWCD and highlighted a little bit about our pollinators and how we can invite them into our landscape. No surprise, there is an abundance of information available and lots that could be shared. But for the sake of this column, I’ll keep it to five key hitters on how you can make your garden, flower bed, or whatever managed-space-of-soil you tend better suited to bees and the like.

1. Do not use pesticides of any kind: This is the golden rule when it comes to being friendly to bees, butterflies or any other kind of pollinator. Pesticides operate to keep insects away from your plants but that means keeping much needed “friendlies” away too. As such, the use of most pesticide-branded substances, regardless if they’re organic or naturally based, is harmful to pollinators. Yes, this includes products such as neem oil, boric acid, and diatomaceous earth. Avoid the “-cides.”

2. Provide more than just flowers: Pollinators visit flowers for food, which we otherwise call pollen and nectar. But a buffet alone won’t support their ability to live. As such, aim to provide a safe dwelling and resting space by leaving bare spaces of soil, dead wood, leaf overhangs, plant debris, and other habitat-related amenities.

3. Minimize “clean-up”: Home for the bulk of our pollinators lies in the stuff we tend to clean out come spring or fall. Leave it in place to supply the housing they need, or hide cut stems and plant litter somewhere nearby, but just out of sight, to maintain places they can dwell.

4. Use native plants: No surprise, but the plants that originally existed with our pollinators are the greatest resource to them. They feature colors, shapes, and blooms that are most easily and readily recognized. They are best adapted to the conditions of our region, so there is little fear for their long-term well-being.

5. Aim for continuous blooms and clusters: A final point to make is that we want to have blooms all season. Not only is it prettier that way, it also provides food and resources the entire time they are active. For good measure, clump the same plants together to make large, easily recognized food banks to minimize travel between flowers.

You now have the building blocks for making a pollinator-friendly space. A tailored list of more information on pollinators and best practices can be found through a resource list we made at qrgo.page.link/b6611, or feel free to reach out to our office for more information.

There’s no reason to think your actions in your yard or space are too small to make a difference. A small oasis is an oasis nonetheless.

Chris Gass is a Minnesota GreenCorps member with the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District with a focus on environmental topics and stewardship, particularly in cities and towns.