Which lawn and garden chemicals are safe for bees?

Solitary hole-nesting bees are more sensitive to lawn chemicals and they may fly away from a yard that has been treated.

While honey bees must fly through toxic environments to support their queen, honey, eggs, and hive, we have seen that solitary bees are more careful about toxic chemical smells. Pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, larvicides and other chemicals may have been tested for safety using only the behavior and needs of honey bees as guidelines. As of 2020, US chemical safety for solitary or native bees has still not been tested. 

Our position on neonicotinoids (neonics) is that we believe the evidence from worldwide researchers says "neonics causes harm to bees and other helpful insects." Not only are neonics harmful to bees gathering pollen for their young, but also to underground insects that are subjected to the moving water systems underground.  The root cause for the need of neonics starts with monoculture, where there is only one crop.  This results with many "pests" drawn to a large area of food. If regulations remove neonics from that environment, a grower may replace it with an equally damaging product that isn't as well known.  Our belief is that shifting from monoculture to polyculture is more natural with more insects and their predators living in harmony alongside our food being produced.

Solitary bees, with their small population sizes, short flying ranges, and use of natural materials in their nesting sites (leaves or mud can harbor chemicals) seem to be more susceptible to lawn chemicals than honey bees and tend to fly away from these areas.

We highly recommend the avoidance of lawn chemical use immediately before and while your solitary bees are flying.  If you must spray, do so in late evenings. Cover the front of your bee house during application and remove afterwards.

Read our tips in Bee Friendly Garden for necessary chemical applications.