Residential areas provide important food and shelter for many of our threatened and endangered pollinators, which are in decline around the world. Making your home pollinator-friendly is straightforward and rewarding. By establishing pollinator habitat in your home garden, schools, parks or other community spaces, you become an active part of helping to protect and restore at-risk species.
Before you plant, get set for success
Know your native plants
Native plants are adapted to the environmental conditions in which they evolved. When grown in the same region that they live in naturally, they are often less likely to suffer from pests (and typical weather) than many ornamentals. If you’re unfamiliar with what plants to choose for your garden, be sure to check out our regional Pollinator Friendly Native Plant Lists.
Right plant, right place
Healthy plants are better at defending themselves against pests. Place different plants in areas that match the conditions they prefer, such as sun vs. shade, wet soil vs. dry soil. Contact your local extension agency for more information on how to understand your soil, then refer to our Native Plant Lists to find the right match. If you are using a planter on your porch or balcony, you can choose a potting soil that matches the plants you’d like to grow, or use sand, perlite, pebbles, and other mix-ins to adjust the soil you already have.
Find a pollinator-friendly nursery
When buying plants for your pollinator garden, it’s important to ask the plant nursery about its pesticide practices. Unfortunately, many plants that are labeled as “pollinator friendly” are treated with pesticides that can be toxic to bees and other beneficial insects. Xerces manages a Native Plant, Seed and Services Directory and the Milkweed Finder to help you find native plants and services in your area. Our Buying Bee-Safe Nursery Plants guide is also available to help you.
Manage pests without pesticides
Get the facts about pesticides
A home garden truly can thrive without pesticides, and this is one of the most important ways to protect pollinators and beneficial insects in your garden. There are a lot of myths and misinformation about pesticides on the internet, so get real answers with our guide to 8 commonly asked questions about pesticides.
Talk to your landscaping company
If you use a landscaping company, talk to them about their practices and let them know you prefer non-chemical weed and pest management.
Check your fertilizer
Sometimes insecticides are mixed in with fertilizers with the intention of performing two tasks at the same time. Be sure to read labels carefully and ensure that any fertilizer purchases — especially for turf — don’t contain added insecticide. Organic fertilizers are best, and if you’re not familiar with their uses and efficacy, you can reach out to your local extension agency for more information and guidance.
Choose lower-risk treatments
If you decide to use a pesticide, choose the most targeted, reduced-risk product available. Always start with organic options (although don’t assume organic pesticides are not toxic to pollinators), and avoid multi-use products marketed for disease, insects, and/or weed control, as these combination products can be very toxic to beneficial insects. Some lower-toxicity options for home garden use include insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, and kaolin clay.
Time your application
Importantly, avoid application of any insecticides anywhere near where bees are present! To prevent residual contact, avoid any applications when plants are in bloom (including flowering weeds).
Weed wisely
Embrace your wild side
Consider leaving part of your yard a bit more “wild” or unmanaged, especially any beds with native plants. These unmanaged areas tend to provide more food and nesting habitat for pollinators.
Remove invasive species
It’s important to distinguish between unwanted plants that are nonetheless native to your region, and plants that truly are invasive, which are best to completely remove. Check the National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) or reach out to your local extension agency to identify invasive plants.
Stop weeds before they start
Instead of using herbicides, weed by hand or with hand tools — ball weeders and multi-purpose weeding knives give you great control over what you remove — and time your weeding for early in the plant’s growth cycle to prevent it from going to seed. If you mulch, be aware that heavy mulch can block access to the soil for ground-nesting bees. Use organic and untreated mulches rather than colored or rubber mulch.
For more ideas on effective weed management without herbicides, check out our guide on Organic Site Preparation for Wildflower Establishment.
A nibbled garden is a healthy garden
Worry often sets in when insect populations are visible in our gardens, yet the vast majority of insects are not pests. While a chomping caterpillar can quickly devour a juicy leaf, that caterpillar will one day turn into a beautiful butterfly or moth. All insects, even aphids, play an important role in the food web, transforming plant tissues into a protein rich snack for other animals.
The signs of these insects in our gardens — a few holes in a leaf, a yellow or brown stem — often indicate a thriving micro ecosystem with a diverse array of organisms. Infestations rarely kill garden plants, and if you’ve got “pests” present, their predators are likely nearby too, helping to keep their populations in check. If you are concerned with pest damage or are unsure of the cause, your local extension agency is a great resource for this as well.
Add the habitat features that pollinators need to thrive
Using native plants and avoiding pesticides are the foundations of a healthy garden habitat, but there’s more you can do to make it a thriving home for wildlife. There are several small features you can add to your garden to provide what pollinators need to rest, nest, and survive the winter.
A small log, rock pile, or stack of twigs and branches near your plants provide shelter, and a place for many bugs to nest and reproduce. Use our guides to providing fallen plant materials and making rocky habitats, but remember to also leave a patch of bare soil for ground-nesting bees. Add a water source — it can be as simple as a small dish — to keep your pollinators healthy and hydrated.
Enjoy your pollinator refuge!
So you’ve got your native plant list dialed in, you’ve incorporated many features that support overwintering pollinators and other invertebrates, you’ve fully embraced alternatives to chemical pest and weed management. You’re a pollinator gardening champ! But there is one more critter to consider… you!
If you’re at all like me, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the urgency and spread of social and environmental issues our global community is faced with. Your garden — or a friend’s garden, your balcony of potted plants, or your neighborhood green space — can offer respite from these stresses. Don’t forget to carve out time and space for yourself to take some deep breaths, feel your feet on the earth, and observe the insects and other animals sharing that moment with you. They are all incredibly resilient, and we are too.
More pollinator garden resources
- Learn what you can do to Bring Back the Pollinators across North America
- Celebrate your new pollinator garden with one of our Pollinator Habitat, Pesticide Free, or Leave the Leaves yard signs
- Sign our Pollinator Protection Pledge and put your new habitat on the map!
- Read articles on protecting pollinators and providing habitat in small spaces from the fall 2024 edition of Wings magazine
- Identify how to improve your existing space with our Habitat Assessment Guide for Pollinators in Yards, Gardens, and Parks
- Find even more information and advice at our Pollinator Conservation Resource Center
