06/23/2026
Pollinator Week 2026: Tuesday—Cultivating An Organic Safe Haven for Pollinators 🌄
As Doug Tallamy, PhD, entomologist, conservationist, and professor at the University of Delaware, says: "Welcome bugs into your yard. You might just save the world." 🐝
With pollinators responsible for over 80% of the world’s flowering plants, it’s no wonder we are fighting to protect them. Pollinators are important members of land ecosystems; therefore, how we manage these ecosystems and landscapes plays a critical role in long-term pollinator health.
The expansion of urban, suburban, and agricultural areas reduces pollinator habitat and access to food, while intensive chemical use harms these beneficial organisms. Pesticide applications expose bees, birds, butterflies, and more to acute and sublethal levels of pesticides, which can result in reproductive abnormalities, impaired foraging, and death.
🦋 Please see our brief introduction to pollinators here! https://ow.ly/8ijO50ZfVRV
🥗 If you want to grow your own vegetables/fruits to eat or flowers for pollinators, ensure a pesticide-free garden by planting organic seeds and plants! https://ow.ly/IaW450ZfVRX
Synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides lead to undesirable conditions that restrict water and air movement in the soil. High nitrogen fertilizers can disrupt nutrient balance, accelerate turf growth, increase the need for mowing, and contribute to thatch buildup.
🌱 See Spring Into Action for why going organic is beneficial for not only pollinators but all other organisms as well: https://ow.ly/YLAV50ZfVRY
🌎 View the recordings from the 42nd National Forum, where the speakers talk about their research and practical experience in identifying practices that embrace nature... teaching us about the value of bats, birds, and beavers in productive agricultural and land management systems! https://ow.ly/RbLB50ZfVRZ
***What can we do?***
🛣️ Encourage your community to develop an integrated roadside vegetation management program for roadsides and rights-of-way! https://ow.ly/CFpR50ZfVRR
Cut, girdle, mow, or use grazing animals whenever possible as a mechanical means to eradicate unwanted vegetation. Establish a roadside wildflower program that plants native flower and grass species, especially those that are attractive to bees and other pollinators. Avoid pesticides for roadside management so as not to create ecological traps that harm pollinators.
***What else can we do?***
🐞 Order a Pesticide-Free Zone sign to showcase your organic yard or garden! https://ow.ly/nA3q50ZfVS3
🐞 Share photos of pollinators on social media with the hashtags or —then submit them to Beyond Pesticides’ Art of Life page! https://ow.ly/nin450ZfVRS
🔗 More links and resources are available on our webpage! Happy Pollinator Week 2026: https://ow.ly/3xFL50ZfVRW
