MSU Extension Gardening in Michigan

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  Creating and maintaining pollinator friendly habitat

  Published on May 1, 2019
  Many types of insects feed on pollen and nectar, although two types of pollinators receive the most attention: bees and butterflies.

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  Potential impact of mosquito and nuisance insect sprays on pollinators

  Published on May 1, 2019
  Fogging or spraying for mosquitoes or biting flies around the yard and garden with an insecticide can be very harmful to pollinators.

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  How to control invasive pests while protecting pollinators and other beneficial insects

  Published on May 1, 2019
  Pesticides should never be applied unless they are necessary to maintain plant health.

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  Flowers throughout the year

  Published on May 1, 2019
  The best habitats for bees have flowering plants rich in nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Survey your yard and garden to see when flowers are abundant and when they are scarce.

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  Protecting pollinators during home lawn grub control

  Published on May 1, 2019
  The most widely used insecticides for grub infestations of lawns are neonicotinoid insecticides, which are toxic to pollinators if they are sprayed over flowers.

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  Do not spray pollinator-attractive plants with insecticides when open flowers are present

  Published on May 1, 2019
  It is clear to most people that insecticides sprayed onto open flowers can be highly toxic to bees, even if they are sprayed early in the morning or at night when bees are not present.

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  Introduction to protecting and increasing pollinators in your landscape

  Published on May 1, 2019
  Most of the fruit and vegetables we eat would not exist if we did not have honey bees and native bees to pollinate the flowers they developed from.

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  Selection, planting and care of trees and shrubs to avoid the need for pesticides

  Published on May 1, 2019
  The best way to minimize pollinator exposure to pesticides is to create and maintain healthy landscapes with plants that rarely require a pesticide application.

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  Landscape plants and wildflowers attractive to butterflies for nectar feeding

  Published on May 1, 2019
  Many of the flowering plants attractive to bees will also be visited by butterflies. However, butterflies are attracted to flowers almost entirely for feeding on nectar.

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  Biological control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for protecting pollinators

  Published on May 1, 2019
  For the past 30 years or more, most tree care professionals and many informed property owners have been managing destructive insects by minimizing pesticide use and encouraging predators and parasitoids that naturally keep pests under control.