Don’t spray your lawn!
That “lush” green, grass-only lawn may look wonderful to you, but to honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators, it is like flying over a desert. There is absolutely nothing there for them to eat or benefit from. Those dandelions that you spend so much money and work so hard to get rid of are a much-needed source of nectar and pollen in the early spring when the bees are hungry after a long winter. They are desperately trying to build-up for the coming summer.
Those white clovers are also a much-welcomed sight to the foraging bees who are often traveling far and wide to look for nectar at that time of year. The primary nectar flow in our area typically only lasts from mid-April to early-June. The bees often don’t get much after that and have to look harder to find what they can despite having a huge population of mouths to feed back in their hive.
If you do have dandelions and/or clover in your lawn, don’t mow it so short or so often. Give them a chance to bloom and the bees a chance to forage on them.
If you have a “wild” area at the edge of your property, don’t destroy the goldenrod, milkweed (milkweeds are absolutely essential for Monarch butterflies, too), sumacs and other “weeds” that may be growing there. Many of those also provide a much-needed source of nectar and/or pollen.
That “lush” green, grass-only lawn may look wonderful to you, but to honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators, it is like flying over a desert. There is absolutely nothing there for them to eat or benefit from. Those dandelions that you spend so much money and work so hard to get rid of are a much-needed source of nectar and pollen in the early spring when the bees are hungry after a long winter. They are desperately trying to build-up for the coming summer.
Those white clovers are also a much-welcomed sight to the foraging bees who are often traveling far and wide to look for nectar at that time of year. The primary nectar flow in our area typically only lasts from mid-April to early-June. The bees often don’t get much after that and have to look harder to find what they can despite having a huge population of mouths to feed back in their hive.
If you do have dandelions and/or clover in your lawn, don’t mow it so short or so often. Give them a chance to bloom and the bees a chance to forage on them.
If you have a “wild” area at the edge of your property, don’t destroy the goldenrod, milkweed (milkweeds are absolutely essential for Monarch butterflies, too), sumacs and other “weeds” that may be growing there. Many of those also provide a much-needed source of nectar and/or pollen.