Pollinators play an important role in agriculture and global food production. The Growing Matters coalition wants you to BeSure! to do your part to keep them safe.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, $235-$577 billion worth of annual global food production relies on direct contributions by pollinators. Proper use of pesticides and following good stewardship practices can help protect essential pollinators, other wildlife and their habitats.

Good stewardship begins with these simple steps to protect insect pollinators and other wildlife:

• Reread the label, which could be regularly updated, with every new purchase for information on use rates, storage details and disposal instructions.
• Follow specific rules included on the labels, like prohibition of applications to blooming crops or weeds in or close to where bees forage.
• Ensure sprays are directed away from flowering plants, establishing proper buffer zones and calibrating equipment to minimize spray drift and keep product away from non-target areas.

To assist you in your pollinator stewardship, look to the stakeholders and resources at your disposal. Collaborate with other farmers, landowners, applicators, beekeepers, crop advisors and local officials when building your integrated pest management programs. Tools like FieldWatch^® and BeeCheck^TM make it simple to track bee colonies and implement precautions prior to treatments. With bees alone contributing nearly $20 billion to the value of crop production in the U.S. each year according to the American Beekeeping Federation, these tools help keep our food supply in check.

BeSure! to check out more best practices from the Growing Matters coalition. For additional information about pollinator stewardship, please visit www.growingmatters.org/besure.

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