- Plant pollinator friendly native plants! Bees love a lot of the plants that you do. Check out regional planting guides at www.pollinator.org/guides (and there are apps!)
- Garden organically: Every neighborhood has hundreds of people making thousands of choices about chemicals
that end up in rivers and streams…and consumers are among the least careful. Keep your garden safe and simple for
you, your family, and the bees! - Speak up for all bees at home! Every day, community covenants and neighborhood associations make decisions that eliminate bee habitat and green activities. Put in a good word for pollinators and their human partners!
- Encourage your community to plant trees: In many ecosystems, trees are a major contributor to pollinator
forage. A single tree can have hundreds of thousands of flowers! Trees also provide habitat, clean the air, filter ground
water, and cool summer days. - Support national honey bee research: Two of the most important research centers for honey bee health are
nearby! USDA has a world-famous Bee Lab in Beltsville, and the University of Maryland has the Bee Informed Partnership! Contribute at www.beeinformed.org! - Resist restrictions on beekeeping: Even big cities like New York and DC make room for beekeeping, but
sometimes condos and HOAs restrict it. Let leaders know you like bees! - Shop at farmers markets: Buy local honey and the local fruits and veggies that rely on honey bee and native
bee pollination! Healthy local farms are healthy homes for bees. - Learn about beekeeping: The work of the bee and the beekeeper changes from time to time and place to
place! Learn more about this green miracle by finding a link to your local bee club on the back of this flyer! - Get to know native pollinators: Honey bees are new arrivals! There are more than 400 beautiful native bee
species in our area. Check out the USGS Patuxent Native Bee Lab, https://tinyurl.com/8zz87buw
10.Take a moment to see the bees! You won’t see our busy, beautiful bees unless you stop to smell the flowers! The next time you pass a blooming garden, pause and watch for just a few seconds, and soon you will see the
lovely, lively pollinators you are helping to protect!
Useful Resources
Local Clubs: The best place to find a good class and the support you need to do bees right exactly
where you live:
+ DC Beekeepers Alliance: www.dcbeekeepers.org
+ Bowie-Upper Marlboro Beekeepers (PG): www. bumbabees.com
+ Northern VA Beekeepers: www.novabees.org
+ Montgomery County Beekeepers: https://montgomerycountybeekeepers.com
+ Maryland State Beekeepers: www.mdbeekeepers.org
+ Virginia State Beekeepers: https://www.virginiabeekeepers.org
Native pollinator info: More than 2,000 species of native bees have been identified in the US,
and many are in danger!
- USGS Patuxent Native Bee Lab: https://tinyurl.com/8zz87buw
- Pollinator Partnership: https://pollinator.org
- USDA: https://www.usda.gov/pollinators
- Xerces Society: https://xerces.org
- Native plant info:
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: https://www.wildflower.org
- Maryland Plant Atlas: https://www.marylandplantatlas.org/index.php
- National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder
- NOVA Native Plant List: https://georgefisher.com/flowers/
- Good books:
- The Beekeepers Handbook, Diane Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile
- The Backyard Beekeeper, Kim Flottum
- Bee Basics: An Introduction to our Native Bees, Beatriz Moissett and
- Stephen Buchmann