Walmart launches four pollinator habitat guides for farmers, ranchers

In support of National Pollinator Week 2022, June 20-26, Walmart introduced four new regionally specific guides to help its agricultural suppliers to protect and promote pollinators. Titled — Supporting Pollinators in Agricultural Landscapes, a Technical Guide for Farmers and Ranchers — the guides cover California, the Northeast, Pacific Northwest and Southeast.

Developed in collaboration with the Pollinator Partnership, the guides have “incorporated insights from farmers, ranchers, beekeepers, crop consultants, researchers and government authorities to make them robust and actionable,” Walmart said in an email to The Packer.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer's website details its commitment to promoting pollinator health, including promoting integrated pest management, expanding pollinator habitats, labeling pollinator-friendly plants in its stores, and educating its employees about protecting bees that take up residence at its stores.

At Walmart stores around the country, where bees have made their homes, the company guides its associates to flag the colony, and whenever possible, work with an accredited wildlife vendor to humanely remove and relocate the bees, according to Walmart’s corporate website.

“Every time we work to humanely relocate bees, we become part of a cycle that helps ensure they can have a life outside our stores and return to being productive pollinators. If you've ever enjoyed an almond, an apple, a cup of coffee or a cranberry, you probably understand why,” TJ Stallbaumer of Walmart Corporate Affairs, said in an article on the company’s corporate website.

Its employee and consumer education also includes helping people understand why pollinators are worth protecting. Walmart communicates compelling statistics on the importance of the honeybee such as:

• One in four bee species are at risk of extinction.
• The total agricultural productivity from honeybees is between $1.2-$5.4 billion.
• Pollinators help fertilize more than 1,200 crops, including 87 of the 115 crops people eat most regularly.

Its website also features a regional snapshot of the economic contributions of the honeybee from California almonds to Texas watermelons to Florida cucumbers.

“When we protect a bee colony, we're helping stock our stores — and farms, lawns and gardens around the country — with the things that matter to you,” Stallbaumer continued. “From your favorite fruits to the flowers you pick up on the way home, we're working to spark change for one of nature's essential architects.”

Related content: Walmart isn’t the only grocery retailer working to promote and protect honeybees. The Giant Co. of Carlisle, Pa., recently welcomed 30,000 honeybees to its corporate headquarters with plans to expand the population to 450,000 by next year.