Chemical sprays:

"Why aren't my bees nesting?" is one of the most common questions we receive from our bee raisers. 

Various factors could be at play in this scenario. Bees are wild animals, after all, and we can't (and shouldn't) expect them to nest in our bee house just because we'd like them to. However, it could very likely be due to the bees' sensitivity to pesticides and lawn treatments, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides.

Even if you refrain from using chemicals in your yard and garden, they may still be present due to these treatments' highly mobile, accumulating nature. Unfortunately, this means even if we do everything right, the wind and rain may still carry pesticides and chemical scents into our yards from neighboring lawns and gardens.

We understand talking to your neighbors about their lawn treatments, and pesticide use can be tricky, but it is important! To help you get the conversation started, we've printable information for you to give to your neighbors. If you drop it in your neighbor's mailboxes, we suggest personalizing it with your name and signature, so your neighbors know who to go to learn more.

Engaging other people with the issues is a powerful means for increasing awareness and making positive change! Your bees (and other pollinators) will thank you!

Hi, Neighbor! - Full Brochure (Downloadable PDF)

Hi, Neighbor! - Half Sheet (Downloadable PDF)

Unhealthy Bee Houses:

Nature's optimal nesting holes for bees to use typically deteriorate after use the following year. Old trees with holes here and there are a great example. Modern bee houses made by non-bee experts have multiple issues, foremost in that the nesting holes allow pests to build up year after year.

We believe it would be better to spend money on a native plant than to kill bees through unhealthy bee houses.  Watch Episode 5 of our The Buzz On. We'll talk about good and bad bee house designs as well as recommend talking with a neighbor about their bee house!

We believe your neighbors, once they're aware of the damage they are doing to bees they should have you either adopt their bees or replace their unhealthy houses for better ones that help bees thrive.

We've created a handout for your neighbor with a QRC to this video. Print it and consider sharing it.