> Well, seems like you are saying 
> two different things.

Yes, I was - the trend towards zero pesticide/herbicide use in the City
parks was started by the forward-looking Adrian Benepe, who ran the Parks
Dept long enough to prove that they were not needed.  There has been no
similar trend for the McMansion set in the 'burbs, where monocultures of
lawn and hevily mulched "flowerbeds" of annuals leave no forage for bees,
and no habitat for any other insects.  

> The notion that suburbia is all poisoned lawns 
> is a bit of a myth, in my opinion.

The lawns don't have to be poisoned, they only have to be LAWNS.   Lawns are
inherently devoid of value to bees.  Lawns are a horrible waste of water and
resources, and not much better than golf courses for a bee.  The plight of
the bees in such settings is best described by the Raymond Chandler's "The
Lawn Goodbye" - lawns are just murder on the bees. 

> I lived in suburban San Diego for decades 
> and that was an oasis for bees.

"Was" is perhaps the key word.  In the present decades, I make multiple
trips to Naval Base Point Loma each year so we can avoid winter weather out
of Electric Boat Groton. I have to go out for another week on the 15th.  San
Diego, La Jolla, and Del Mar are chock-a-block with
professionally-landscaped lawns, not a lot of dandelions.  That said, the
mild weather there means that something is likely blooming nearly
year-round, and the trees and scrub are likely a goldmine.

> At our home, we lose some 
> ornamentals to bugs or deer...

I've been there - a decidedly rural location.  :)

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