Resources for beginners and those wishing to help pollinators
January 2, 2020
Your donations not only support our own research; we redirect a substantial proportion of donations to Scientific Beekeeping to organizations who we see making the most impact towards helping pollinators – notably those who work with farmers and landowners, or preserve critical habitat.
| The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. – Robert Swan; historian, explorer, and activist | |
| Ecdysis Foundation https://www.ecdysis.bio/ | Founded by Dr. Jon Lundgren, grower-focused research to transform agriculture with regenerative principles |
| https://www.beeandbutterflyfund.org/ | Founded by Pete Berthelson, supplying pollinator and wildlife friendly seed mixes to landowners. |
| Pollinator Partnership https://www.pollinator.org/ | Since 1997 promoting pollinator habitat and bee-friendly farming. |
| Nature Conservancy https://preserve.nature.org/ | Conserves habitat worldwide, with attention to pollinators |
| Wild Farm Alliance www.wildfarmalliance.org | Works with farmers to achieve viable agriculture while protecting and restoring wildlife. |
| https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/ | Helping communities to establish pesticide-free corridors of native plants |
| Your local Land Trust | Community action to preserve habitat. |
Planting Pollinator Gardens
Thanks to Girl Scout Jenna Miller for suggesting that I add this information.
If one wants to help “save the bees,” you don’t need to become a beekeeper. Perhaps the best way is to plant and maintain pollinator-friendly pasture, which will benefit not only honey bees, but also other pollinators and wildlife in general. What you should plant depends upon your ecoregion, and the amount of long-term care that you wish to spend on the garden.
In general, pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs provide the most resources and require little maintenance. Otherwise, planting native flowering plants (including groundcovers) will benefit native pollinators. There are also non-native ornamental and landscape flowers that may be attractive.
It helps pollinators to plant forage plants in blocks, so that they don’t have to fly far between blossoms. And of course, avoid applying most insecticides.
I can’t list planting guides for all ecoregions, but recommend that you check with Xerces Society and regional universities.
Xerces regional pollinator plant lists: https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists
Pollinator Partnership has a great guide for California at https://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/SierranStepperx7FINAL.pdf
Also for California: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8498.pdf
Northeast: https://pollinator.cals.cornell.edu/resources/planting-pollinator-habitat/
Midwest: https://www.beeandbutterflyfund.org/
Beginner’s texts:
Here’s a list of resources for the beginner that I feel are both readable and informative.
Of course, I’d start with one of my own: https://scientificbeekeeping.com/first-year-care-for-your-nuc/
First Lessons in Beekeeping, Dadant
The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro & Alfonse Avitabile
Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, 2nd Edition. Malcolm T. Sanford, Richard E. Bonney
Beekeeping Basics This used to be a freebie from Penn State.Homegrown Honey Bees by Alethea Morrison
Beekeeping for Dummies. Howland Blackiston
Honey Bee Hobbyist by Norm Gary—good overall understanding, rather than how-to-do-it.
Beautiful prose: A Book of Bees, Hubble. This is the book to share with your family to help them understand your passion.
Let me know if there are others that I should add to the above list!
References
The Biology of the Honey Bee, Winston. As the title says — relatively short and to the point reference book, nicely written by an expert.
The next two are the go-to textbooks:
The Hive and the Honey Bee, Dadant
ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, Root