Valuable tools for pollinator conservation from passionate people

Bee City USA regularly adds links to resources to help raise awareness and enhance habitats. Resources range from books to movies, websites, brochures and curriculum.
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On this page

>  Plant selection 
>  Federal initiatives
>  ​Pollinator identification
>  Native pollinator habitats
>  Pesticides & pollinators
>  Urban beekeeping in the news
>  Honeybees and Beekeeping info
>  Documentaries

Plant selection guidance

• The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation--Fact Sheets/Plant Guides
• 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, by the Xerces Society
• Audubon Society Native Plant Finder
• National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder 
• USDA Plants Database
• The Pollinator Partnership's planting guides for ecoregions across America as well as free phone app: www.pollinator.org
• Bees, An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide, by Heather Holm
• Bringing Nature Home: A Case for Native Gardening 
• Pollinator-Friendly Seeds and Nursery Directory from Beyond Pesticides
• Recommended Native Pollinator Friendly [Wildflower] Planting List for the Greater Asheville, NC, Area ​(Updated 6/2/17)   Sortable Excel file
• Recommended Native Pollinator Friendly [Trees, Shrubs & Vines] Planting List for Greater Asheville, NC, Area (Updated 6/2/17)  Sortable Excel file
  
• To create a list that is native to your area, follow the instructions at "Create Habitat"

Federal initiatives

• National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators
• Presidential Memorandum--Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators
• Fact Sheet: The Economic Challenge Posed by Declining Pollinator Populations
• Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators [in Designed Landscapes created by the Council on Environmental Quality and the General Services Administration
• U S Fish & Wildlife Service Save the Monarchs site​

Pollinator identification

This beautiful poster from the Pollinator Partnership and the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign illustrates some of the 3600 species of native bees in the United States. Click here for a full description of each bee and flower shown on the poster. 

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• Attracting Native Pollinators, Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies, The Xerces Society Guide
• The Bees in Your Backyard, by Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia J.Messinger Carrill
• For help identifying pollinators through photographs, go to Bug Guide.net
• USDA's basic introduction to distinguishing pollinators from other insects   
• Butterflies and Moths of North America (Bamona)
• Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States A 104-page guide by the USDA Forest Service and the Pollinator Partnership 
• Bumble Bees of the Western United States 
• Bees: A Natural History and Bees of the World, by Christopher O'Toole
• Bees, An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide, by Heather Holm
• Common Bee Pollinators of Oregon Crops, Oregon Department of Agriculture

Native pollinator habitats

• Bring Back the Pollinators, The Xerces Society
• Resources for Creating Roadside Habitat from Xerces Society
• US Fish & Wildlife Service , especially booklet: Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden
• Roadside Best Management Practices that Benefit Pollinators, Federal Highway Administration
• Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden in Pittsboro, NC (Click on Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden link). 
• Pollinator Pathways in Seattle
• Penn State University’s Center for Pollinator Research, Master Gardener “Pollinator Friendly Garden Certification Program” 
• Pollination Wunder Station and Other Installations In "Resonating Bodies" Exhibit, Toronto (2008)
• Roadside Best Management Practices that Benefit Pollinators, Federal Highway Administration

​Monarch Habitat Resources

• Monarch Joint Venture
• Monarch Conservation,  The Xerces Society
• Monarch Watch--education outreach, butterfly tagging and waystation program ; to purchase a monarch way-station seed kit, go to shop.monarchwatch.org.
• Monarch Joint Venture & US Fish & Wildlife Service Webinar Series on monarch biology, monitoring and conservation.
• Journey North (A citizen science initiative to document sightings of monarchs at each stage of their migration and life cycle, as well as hummingbirds.)
• Planting Tropical Milkweed Where It Is a Non-Native Is Killing Monarch Butterflies

Phenology

• ​​Nature's Notebook: Phenology Visualization Tool

Vertical Divider

Journey North map of monarch spring & fall migrations

Pesticides & pollinators

• Xerces Society 's annotated bibliography about pesticide impacts on pollinators & other beneficial insects
• Xerces Society database on impacts of pesticides on invertebrates (insects)
• Spokane, WA, bans neonicotinoid use on city-owned property
• Takoma Park, MD, passes first municipal pesticide ban in US
• Shorewood , Minnesota, passes "Bee-Safe" policy 
• State Preemption Laws--A Beyond Pesticides Factsheet that explains only 9 states allow municipalities toenact pesticide bans locally (However, all municipalities have the right to ban or limit pesticide use on their own property.)
• NAPPC Brochure: "Solving Your Pest Problems Without Harming Pollinators"
• USDA Agroforestry Notes 35: Pesticide Considerations for Native Bees in Agroforestry
• Ontario, Canada bans cosmetic pesticide use
• National Pesticide Information Center,  800-858-7378
• Pesticide-free Yellow Jacket Wasp Extermination and video
• Least toxic integrated pest management (Northeast IPM, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Beyond Pesticides)

Pesticide-free parks programs

• Durango, CO
• Carrboro, NC Least Toxic Integrated Management Policy
• Gardening for Butterflies in the DC/Virginia Area

Urban beekeeping in the news

• Beekeeping Ordinance--A Good Model from Madison, Wisconsin 
• Chicago Honey Coop 
• Abuzz about beekeeping in Los Angeles, July 14, 2012. 
• Angry buzz rises among neighbors of beekeepers, June 22, 2011, USA Today. 
• Urban beekeeping at Waldorf-Astoria New York, July 24, 2012. 
• Critical buzz: Thousands of volunteers count bees to help scientists save them 
• North Carolina State Beekeeper Association’s Best Practices for Urban Beekeepers
• HoneyLove Urban Beekeepers and HoneyLove Flash Mob Waggle Dance (Los Angeles, CA)
• BeeAndGarden.com, A resource to help save the honey bees and our environment! 
• Hives for Humanity--A community building program through beekeeping in Vancouver, Canada
• Minneapolis-Based, the Beez Kneez community program for beekeeping education, honey production & delivery on bikes

General information
​about honeybees & beekeeping

• ​The Guide to Beekeeping for Adults and Kids
• Beekeeping Guide for All Ages--A Potpourri of resources for wannabe beekeepers
• The Center for Honeybee Research offers annual conferences to learn about the latest research regarding natural beekeeping. 
• Holy Bee Press 
• The American Bee Journal​

Documentaries & You Tube videos about
​bees & other pollinators

• The hidden beauty of pollination- by Louie Schwartzberg, Documentary clip of DisneyNature movie, Wings of Life
• Nature: Silence of the Bees (PBS Documentary, 2008)
• Whole Foods Share the Buzz You Tube video
• Why Bees Are Disappearing: Marla Spivak's Ted Talk
• A Ghost in the Making: Searching for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, by Clay Bolt
• The Solitary Bees 
• What’s Killing Our Bees, BBC Documentary
• Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home
• People, Plants and Pollinators  (Pollinators of East Africa) from NatGEO LIVE
• How Do Bees Make Honey? (PBS production)
• [Buzz Pollination] This Vibrating Bumblebee Unlocks a Flower's Hidden Treasure | Deep Look
• Pollinators Under Pressure, and How to Help Them