WATCH: No Mow May is well underway. It’s an annual movement that discourages residents from mowing their lawns to promote a diverse habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. But does it work?As May reaches the halfway point, many remain split on whether “ No Mow May ” is an effective method in aiding the native bee population.
Gregg said that because lawns are grown as a monoculture, weeds tend to be what people have popping up in their yards when lawns go uncut.“The weeds that grow are dandelions, clover, and Dutch white clover, which aren’t native bee food material. So, you’re really just producing a big buffet of junk food for the bees to live off of.”
She said when people ask her for advice on how to better support the native bee population, Gregg said she recommends residents aim for 25 per cent of their garden to consist of native flowers like bee balm, goldenrod and black-eyed Susan. “If you let your grass grow too long and then suddenly you cut it down to two inches, you’re causing so much stress on that grass. You just removed all its leaf value so that it can make food … you can damage your lawn, it’ll get weeds, you should never let the lawn grow more than three inches.”Resident John McOnie said he chooses to mow his lawn throughout the spring.
Manning said dandelions can outcompete other plants that could provide healthier pollen for bee species.“Just because something is feeding on it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a very nutritious source of food for them.”
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