Did you know that pollinators have a whole week once a year to themselves? National Pollinator Week started in 2007 in the US when the senate unanimously approved a measure to introduce it. I’ve collected a number of things you can do this week (or really throughout the year) to support your local pollinators, including honeybees.
Top 5 Ways to Support Pollinators During National Pollinator Week
1. Leave a patch of clover
While mowing, I moved our mower deck up to 4″ and was able to keep these pretty clover flowers. Not only do they look great, pollinators love to visit clover. This is a very small thing you can do to help feed the pollinators during Pollinator Week and the remainder of the summer.
2. Stop using pesticides
There are many natural ways to get rid of and prevent bugs from getting into your home. You don’t have to live with the bugs during Pollinator Week, check out some tips from PlanetNatural.com on how to prevent bugs in the yard and your home. We’ve personally used Boric Acid Powder and had success.
3. Stop using weed killer/lawn treatment products
I personally don’t understand why people want a pure green lawn. I also don’t understand why people use weed and feed products that cause grass to grow more quickly and then you have mow the lawn a few times a week instead of once a week. Vast green lawns look like deserts to me, just like the acres of almond trees in California; they are not beautiful, they are manufactured and unnatural. In the spring, I love to see the first color come from our grass where wild violets grow. Dandelions only come into a yard for one week in spring and one week in fall, and if you keep your yard mowed, it will look fine and the weeds shouldn’t take over. In summer, I look forward to the wild strawberries and clover that grows everywhere. Our chickens are very happy in our yard; they get to peck at all the little plants that fertilizer would destroy. Doesn’t this chicken look super happy in our unfertilized lawn?
4. Add pollinator friendly plants to your yard
I saw this graphic on Twitter a couple of weeks ago and really loved it! Thank you Farmer Bea @HelpingBees for sharing this image. There are many common herbs, perennials and annuals that you may already have in your yard that pollinators like honeybees will love. If you are updating your landscaping this summer or love to garden, why not celebrate Pollinator Week by planting a few of these?
5. Make a pollinator rest stop
I originally saw this idea on Twitter as well. Thank you to Kitchen Garden @JaponicaCottage for posting this photo! I love the idea of creating a pollinator pit stop for Pollinator Week.
Especially in the heat of the summer, pollinators like honeybees can get easily exhausted. People make rest stops like this one by drilling holes into dowel rods, arranging them in a frame and hanging them in their yard.
It’s also a good idea to provide water for pollinators too by putting a small bird bath with a float in it so they can hydrate and rest in your yard before flying home. We have a half a brick in the center of our bird bath so our honeybees don’t drown in the water. This bird bath was bought at Menards for under $20 and is about 8″ circumference.
That is all for our National Pollinator Week Tips, hope some of these help you to attract and keep pollinators safe in your yard.
