Bee-Safe Lawn Care & Pollinator-Friendly Pest Control in Harrisburg, PA

Lawns Plants & Pests LLC offers pollinator-focused property work that's hard to find from a typical lawn care or pest control company — pollinator-friendly lawn programs, native plant guidance, pesticide audits, pollinator strip installation, and spot-treatment approaches that preserve non-target insects. We're a Pennsylvania-licensed pesticide applicator that also runs a working apiary, The Alleman Apiary, which means we don't just claim to care about pollinators — we live with them every day. Free consultations on pollinator-focused property changes throughout Harrisburg, Hershey, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, and Central PA. Call or text 717-379-3248.

Why "Pollinator Restoration" Is a Real Service

Most pest control and lawn companies treat pollinators as collateral damage. Their products are chosen for cost and effectiveness against the target pest, with little thought for what else gets killed in the process. Spray schedules don't account for bloom. Mosquito programs broadcast across entire yards, killing bees along with mosquitoes. Lawn weed control happens during dandelion and clover bloom — wiping out the only food bees have available in early spring.

We do this differently because we have to. Our family also operates The Alleman Apiary, which means bees from our own apiaries forage on the same properties we treat. If we cut corners on pollinator protection, we're poisoning our own bees. So pollinator-aware practices aren't a marketing layer for us — they're operational necessity.

This service formalizes that approach for property owners who want it. Whether you have your own bees, a pollinator garden, fruit trees, or just want to do right by the bees in your area, we can structure your lawn and pest care around protecting them.

What Pollinator Restoration Includes

Pollinator-Friendly Lawn Programs

A lawn program designed around bee, butterfly, and beneficial-insect protection. This means:

• Fully organic options when you want zero synthetic pesticides — see Lawn Care for our organic program

• Bloom-aware timing for any treatments — we don't spray weeds during dandelion or clover bloom in spring

• Reduced-risk product choices for situations where treatment is needed

• Tolerance for "weeds" that pollinators love — clover, self-heal, creeping charlie, and yes, dandelions all support early-season pollinators

• Spot treatments instead of broadcast spraying where possible

For most properties, this means a healthy lawn that also functions as pollinator habitat — instead of an immaculate monoculture that's hostile to bees.

Pesticide Audit & Modification

If you're already using pest control products — yourself or through another company — we'll review what's being applied, when, and where. Some applications are pollinator-neutral. Some are catastrophic. Most can be modified.

Common things we identify:

• Neonicotinoid use on flowering plants (these systemic insecticides translocate into nectar and pollen and kill pollinators that visit treated plants)

• Foliar insecticide sprays during bloom (kills foragers directly)

• Broadcast lawn weed sprays during early-season bloom (eliminates dandelion, clover, and other early forage)

• Mosquito broadcast spraying that hits flowering perimeters

• Greenhouse and ornamental treatments without consideration of bee visits

We'll tell you what's likely harming pollinators on your property and what to do about it.

Pollinator Strip Installation & Native Plant Guidance

For properties with unused space — fence lines, orchard edges, road frontages, field margins — we can help you establish pollinator strips: areas planted with native flowering species that bloom across the season. This isn't a one-time spray; it's a planted change that supports pollinators for years.

We don't do landscaping in the traditional sense (we don't dig, plant, or grade). What we do:

• Native species recommendations specific to Central PA conditions

• Site selection guidance — what areas of your property work best

• Bloom-sequence planning — making sure something is flowering from April through October

• Establishment-year management — what to do (and not do) the first year

Coordination with pollinator-aware lawn and pest programs so the strips don't get accidentally destroyed by routine maintenance

Mosquito & Tick Control That Doesn't Kill Bees

Standard backyard mosquito spraying programs are catastrophic for pollinators. The barrier sprays applied to vegetation kill anything that lands on treated leaves — bees, butterflies, fireflies, beneficial wasps, native pollinators, the works. We offer alternative approaches:

• In2Care mosquito stations — targeted bait stations that kill mosquito larvae specifically without broadcasting insecticide across your yard

• Breeding-site reduction — removing standing water and habitat that mosquitoes need

• Treatment timing that minimizes pollinator exposure

• Reduced-risk products for cases where treatment is necessary

See Mosquito & Tick Control for full details on our pollinator-aware approach.

Plant Health Care for Pollinator Properties

Trees and shrubs that bloom — fruit trees, ornamental cherries, redbuds, serviceberries, lindens — need different treatment timing than non-flowering plants. We offer plant health care that works around bloom rather than through it. Soil drenches over foliar sprays. Treatments before bloom or after petal drop. Product choices that target the specific pest without broad-spectrum kill. See Plant Health Care for full details.

Who This Is For

Property owners with their own bees. If you keep hives and want to make sure your lawn and pest care isn't poisoning them, this is exactly what we do.

Pollinator gardens and habitat properties. People who've planted milkweed, native wildflowers, or other pollinator habitat and don't want a pest control company killing what they've worked to attract.

Orchard and fruit-tree owners. Backyard fruit production depends on pollinators. We help small-scale growers protect the bees they need for fruit set.

Property owners near working apiaries. If you live within a few miles of beekeepers (and in Central PA, most of us do), your pesticide choices affect their bees. Some property owners want to be a good neighbor about this.

Anyone who's noticed pollinator decline. Bumble bees, monarch butterflies, fireflies — all in measurable decline. People who want to do something about it, on their own property, can.

How a Pollinator Restoration Project Works

1. Free site visit and conversation. We walk the property, look at what's growing, what's currently being done for lawn and pest care, and what your goals are. No charge, no commitment.

2. Plan and quote. We put together a recommended approach — could be a single change (just switching mosquito control to bee-safe methods) or a multi-year property restoration. Quote includes any service work plus any modifications to existing programs you have with us.

3. Implementation. Most pollinator restoration work integrates with our regular lawn and pest service. You don't get a separate "restoration crew" — you get the same person doing the same work, just with pollinator-aware methods.

4. Ongoing adjustment. Pollinator habitat changes over years. We'll adjust the approach annually based on what's working and what's not.

Service Area

We do pollinator restoration consultations and service throughout Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, and York Counties — including Harrisburg, Paxtang, Penbrook, Steelton, Highspire, Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Palmyra, Annville, Cleona, Lebanon, Grantville, Linglestown, Colonial Park, Susquehanna Township, Lower Paxton, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Lemoyne, New Cumberland, Wormleysburg, Enola, Marysville, Halifax, Millersburg, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Mount Wolf, Manchester, Dillsburg, Carlisle, Boiling Springs, and surrounding Central Pennsylvania communities. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Will pollinator-friendly lawn care leave my yard looking weedy?

Not if it's done right. A healthy lawn outcompetes weeds — the issue isn't pollinator-friendly products, it's lawn health. Properly fertilized, properly mowed, properly aerated lawns crowd out weeds without aggressive herbicide programs. We can produce a lawn that looks great AND supports pollinators. The key is starting with lawn health, not chemical warfare.

Do I have to go fully organic?

No. There's a spectrum. Fully organic is one option (no synthetic pesticides at all). Pollinator-aware conventional uses synthetic products but chooses them carefully and times applications to minimize pollinator impact. Most of our clients use the second approach — significant pollinator protection without committing fully to organic. We'll talk through which fits your situation.

How is this different from "natural" or "green" lawn care that other companies advertise?

Most "natural" or "eco-friendly" branding from large lawn care companies is marketing — the same products with different labels, or minor reductions in herbicide rates. We can show you the actual products we use, the actual application rates, and the actual timing. We don't have a marketing department to make claims for us. The proof is what we apply, not what we say.

Can you guarantee my property will bring more bees?

We can guarantee we won't be killing pollinators on your property. We can't guarantee specific outcomes for the local pollinator population — too many variables. What we can do is structure your lawn and pest care so it's part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Do you work with HOA properties that have strict lawn requirements?

Yes — within HOA constraints. Some HOAs require uniform turf and prohibit clover, dandelion, or visible "weeds." We can usually meet those requirements with pollinator-aware methods, even if we can't go fully organic. We've worked with several HOA properties this way.

Is this related to The Alleman Apiary?

Yes — same family, same phone number. Lawns Plants & Pests handles property-level pest control and lawn care. The Alleman Apiary handles bees and honey, including pollinator hive placement for orchards and farms. The two businesses work together when pollinator restoration involves both habitat work AND hive placement. See The Alleman Apiary for the apiary side, including Pollination Services for orchards and farms. For more on why pollinators matter and what a working apiary does for Central PA, see Save the Bees on the Alleman Apiary site. 

Free Consultation — Call or Text 717-379-3248

Pollinator restoration starts with a conversation. Call or text 717-379-3248 or email Lawnsplantspests@gmail.com. We respond same day to most inquiries. Free site visit and quote on pollinator-focused property work throughout Central Pennsylvania.