Feed the Bees

A Pacific Northwest Pollinator Guide — from seed to bloom to bee
Western Washington · 47–48°N · USDA Zones 8a–8b · Puget Sound Lowlands
The single greatest thing any individual can do for pollinators is to plant native wildflowers. — Xerces Society
600Native Bee Species (WA)
40+Plant Profiles
8Bloom Months
$235B+Global Pollination Value
1M+Pollinator Gardens Planted

Getting Started

The Windowsill Garden

Beginner Under $20

Start with a sunny window, a pot, and three plants. Herbs that double as pollinator magnets: lavender, basil, thyme. Let them flower. The bees will come.

5 min read · Zero experience needed

The Container Patio

Beginner Under $50

Three containers on a 4-foot balcony can feed bees from April through October. Spring trio, summer trio, fall trio. Continuous bloom in minimal space.

8 min read · Balcony or patio

The Pollinator Bed

Intermediate

A full pollinator garden bed with bloom succession from February through October. 20+ species, native-first design, zero bloom gaps. The complete PNW pollinator habitat.

15 min read · Yard or plot

Deep Research

Bloom Succession Calendar

Plants

Month-by-month planting guide: 50+ species with bloom times, light requirements, and pollinator value. Covers the critical March emergence through October hibernation prep. Identifies the dangerous July gap.

28 native + 12 non-native species · Feb–Oct

PNW Native Bee Guide

Ecology

600 species across 6 families. Bumble bees, mason bees, sweat bees, mining bees. Nesting requirements (70% ground, 30% cavity). Conservation status. The convergence zone as unexpected habitat.

10+ species profiled · WSU · Xerces Society

Indoor Seed Starting

How-To

Cold stratification schedules for 10 PNW native species. Equipment list, timing calendar (Nov–May), germination methods. Turn your kitchen into a nursery.

PNW frost dates · OSU Extension methods

Global Bee Conservation

Global

Colony Collapse Disorder: the 2025 USDA breakthrough. $235–577B global pollination value. Bee City USA, Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, citizen science. EU neonicotinoid bans. What’s working and what isn’t.

USDA · IPBES · UN FAO · Xerces Society

Bee Lawn Guide

Action

Replace grass with clover, self-heal, and creeping thyme. UMN seed mix ratios, mowing protocol, establishment timeline. 111 bee species found in reduced-mow lawns.

UMN Extension · OSU Extension

Mission Package (PDF)

GSD

The complete 16-page research mission document: Vision Guide, Research Reference, Mission Package. LaTeX source included. Ready for GSD execution.

PDF + LaTeX source · Squadron activation · 32 tests

The Through-Line

Every flower is a node. Every garden is a hub. The network grows one planting at a time, requiring no central coordination, no permission, no infrastructure — just soil, water, sun, and the decision to feed the bees. This is the architecture of resilience: distributed, autonomous, locally adapted, globally connected. The same pattern that runs our agent orchestration also describes how communities restore habitat. Plant a flower. Feed a bee. Strengthen the network.