(public domain image from www.pixabay.com)
Bees have been struggling over the last decade with an alarming decline in bee population recorded. Now, it appears that a major reason for this is that we're cutting our lawns too often. Our green lawns contain a surprising variety of pollen and nectar sources for bees but when they cut down regularly (once a week or more) the bees are deprived of their food and nutrient sources.
US Forest Service ecologists are urging homeowners to cut their lawns less far less often - once every two weeks or even less frequently. Lawns mowed every two weeks had a much larger number of pollen and nectar sources (clover and dandelions) and attracted a greater diversity of bee species than lawns cut weekly. Grass cut very three weeks was even better for bees.
With lawns blanketing some 40 million acres of land in the US, scientists say that this change in lawn care will have a significant positive impact on US bee populations.
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