While we often think about the impacts of pesticides used in agriculture, they are also commonly used in urban environments. Pesticides are applied in homes, yards, gardens, parks, and schools, among other places. Many of these pesticide applications can be avoided, benefitting both the wildlife that surrounds us and our own health. The Xerces Society works to help communities and residents reduce the use of pesticides in urban environments through trainings and resources on proactive alternative pest management. Our fact sheet, Smarter Pest Management: Pollinator Protection for Cities and Campuses, outlines how pollinator-friendly pest management can serve both pollinators and communities.
Pesticides in Your Garden
Learn more about the risks associated with these widely used insecticides and how home gardeners can avoid their use to protect pollinators.
Bee-Safe Nursery Plants
Creating a welcoming home for pollinators is reason enough to choose plants free from harmful pesticide residues. But how do you figure out if the plant you want is safe?
Pollinator Friendly Parks & Greenspaces
To find out more about how to include pesticide use reduction in urban and suburban greenspaces planning and management strategies. Often minor changes allow these areas to provide much-needed habitat.
Managing Roadsides for Pollinators
Take steps to make roadsides and other rights-of-way more pollinator friendly. With more than 10 million acres of land in roadsides in the United States alone, transportation rights-of-way are a significant, yet often overlooked, resource for pollinator conservation.
Understanding Neonicotinoids
Take a deeper look at how these widely used insecticides present a number of potential negative impacts on pollinators and ecosystems.
Pollinator Protection Policies
Across the country, policies and practices have been adopted to protect pollinators and reduce pesticide use. We offer resources for introducing policy at the local level and guidance for crafting state and tribal protection plans.
Effective Mosquito Management
Spraying may seem like a quick way to control mosquitoes, but it’s a blunt and ineffective tool and causes many unintended and far-reaching consequences. Through the application of common-sense protocols and proactive planning, effective mosquito management that limits impacts on the environment is possible.
