Best Management Practices for Maryland Golf Courses

Best Management Practices

• Before applying a pesticide, scout/inspect the area for both harmful and beneficial insect populations, and use pesticides only when a threshold of damage has been indicated. • Consider lures, baits, and pheromones as alternatives to insecticides for pest management. • When pesticides are needed, select one – when possible -- with a lower impact on pollinators, such as granular formulations of pesticides that are known to be less hazardous to bees. • Avoid applying pesticides during bloom season and mow first to remove blooms, including the blooms of flowering weeds. • Avoid applications during unusually low temperatures or when dew is forecast. • Do not apply pesticides when pollinators are active. • Use the latest spray technologies, such as drift-reduction nozzles to prevent off-site translocation of pesticide.

Enhancing Habitat for Pollinators

Habitat for pollinators includes foraging habitat and nesting sites. Enhancing pollinator habitat in non-play areas with a diversity of wildflower species provides a food source. General considerations for pollinator-friendly plantings include the following:

Figure 40. Pollinators at Baltimore Country Club. Photo credits: Mark Jones.

plants with a variety of colors

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• flowers with different shapes and sizes • plants with different flowering times to provide forage all season • plants with different heights and growth habits

Simple steps for providing nesting sites for native species can include leaving stems, coarse woody debris, and exposed patches of sand or well-drained soil in out-of-play areas. In addition, easy-to-construct nesting boxes or hollow bamboo sticks can be provided for solitary nesting species.

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