Bee Friendly Farming Resources
The Bee Friendly Farming (BFF) programs recognize, engage, and support BFF participants and pollinators everywhere. Check out the resources below to learn more about pollinators and how to improve pollinator health on agricultural lands.
About Bee Friendly FarmingAGRICULTURAL TECHNICAL GUIDES
Click on the guides below to download!
RESOURCES FOR STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE
Click on the toolkit below to download!
Planting Seeds for Pollinators
About Pollinators
Links to general information about pollinators provided by various organizations and government agencies.
Pollinator Friendly Practices
General information and resources for pollinator support
- Pollination Information Management System (Information on pollination services of key crops)
- Insects & Pollinators (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Guidebooks with more in depth information
- Pollinator Friendly Practices (Pollinator Partnership)
- Guidelines For Providing Native Bee Habitat on Farms (Xerces Society)
- Enhancing Nest Sites for Native Bees (USDA National Agroforestry Center)
- Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers, and Conservationists (Evaluating, establishing & maintaining habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects)
Information about specific practices (listed in alphabetical order)
Beekeeping (Also check local resource listings)
- American Beekeeping Federation
- American Honey Producers
- Canadian Honey Council
- Canadian Association of Professional Apiarists
- Beekeeping resources (Pollinator Partnership)
- International Pollination Systems
- Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Progress Report (USDA 2010)
- “Silence of the Bees” videos (PBS Nature)
Habitat Establishment and Restoration
- Planting Forage for Honey Bees in Canada (Pollinator Partnership)
- Conservation and Management of Monarch Butterflies for the Eastern U.S. (Pollinator Partnership)
Native planting guides
- Region Specific Pollinator-friendly Planting Guides (Pollinator Partnership)
- Canadian Native Plants Database (Evergreen)
- Pollinator Conservation Reference Guide (US Air Force and US FWS)
- Plug Planting Quick Guide
Orchard management
- How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee as an Orchard Pollinator (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education)
- Wild Pollinators of Eastern Apple Orchards (Cornell University, Penn State University, and Xerces Society)
Pesticides
- BFF IPM guidelines
- Protecting Pollinators: Why and How Pesticide Applicators Can Help Them (NAPPC)
- How to Reduce Bee Poisoning From Pesticides (Oregon State University)
- Protecting Pollinators from Pesticides (University of Georgia)
- Minimizing Honey Bee Exposure to Pesticides (University of Florida)
- Protecting honey bees and other pollinators from agricultural insecticides in field crops (University of Wisconsin)
- Practices to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Agricultural Practices in Canada (Pollinator Partnership)
Prescribed fire
- Prescribed Burning (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
Urban gardening
- Urban Bee Gardens (University of California Berkeley)
LOCAL RESOURCES
Links specific to a certain geographic area.
United States (listed alphabetically by state)
Entire U.S.
Delaware
Michigan
Nebraska
Ohio
- Guide to Monarch Habitat on Farms (Most of this information applies beyond Ohio)
Canada (listed alphabetically by province)
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Ontario
- Ontario Beekeepers
- Best Management Practices for Pollination in Ontario Crops (Most of this information applies beyond Ontario)
- Preserving and Creating Habitat for Pollinators on Ontario's Farms (Most of this information applies beyond Ontario)
Quebec
Saskatchewan