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Left: Adult honey bee. Right: Bicolored striped-sweat bee

Beneficial Pollinators: Honey Bees and Bicolored Striped-Sweat Bee

With temperatures increasing in South Dakota, expect to see an increase of beneficial pollinators searching for blooming plants. Learn about two important pollinators, the honey bee and the native bicolored striped-sweat bee.

A hand holding a soil sample taken from a soybean field.

Soil Testing Labs

This page contains a list of nearby state or private laboratories that can be used for crop production fields, gardens and lawns.

A medium orange and black butterfly resting with its wings open on small green leaves in a grassy area.

Generalist Host Plants in South Dakota

Many butterflies and moths are generalists, meaning that their larva can use a variety of host plants as food. Learn about some of the best host plants you can grow in your yard to support butterflies, moths, and everything that relies on them!

a picture large purple flowers with yellow centers surrounded by dead leaves and grey landscaping rocks.

Landscaping Best Practices for Pollinators and Beyond

Our yards are all part of a greater ecosystem. By incorporating some best practices into your landscaping routine, your yard can develop healthier soil, support more pollinators, and reduce the need for pest control.

Various chemical symbols for common nutrients found in garden soil over a selection of young plants emerging from garden soil.

Interpreting Soil Tests for Gardening

There are many different chemicals that make up plants. These chemicals include hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, boron, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, and chlorine.