Save The Bees: Take The ‘No Mow May’ Challenge

Bees: yes, they are super annoying when they're hovering around your outdoor picnic but we literally can't live without these important pollinators! Bees have been in danger for a while now, dying off in our modern world for a variety of reasons according to planetbee.org: deadly pesticides, parasites, poor nutrition due to common farming practices, increased construction shrinking their natural habitat, and then there's that bothersome climate change. It's just not easy being a bee with all that going on.

There is some hope on the horizon that we can all do very easily. In fact, it means NOT doing something and that's mowing our lawn for just one month - the month of May and it's called "No Mow May". Here's the thought behind this idea which was introduced to us through a study in 2019 done over in the U.K. and has been further researched here in the United States with very promising results: according to beecityusa.org, mowing your lawn less creates habitat and can increase the abundance and diversity of wildlife including bees and other pollinators. Basically, it gives them good food to eat and therefore thrive.

Lawns are taking over our country! Did you know about 2% of land in the US is made up of lawns? According to beecityusa.org, that makes lawn grass the "largest irrigated crop we grow". Bees need more wild spaces to thrive in so let's give it to them for one month anyway since multiple studies have shown that just putting away the lawnmower for one month, especially a month when bees are coming out of hibernation in many states, can really help give bees the important food (blooming weeds in your yard) they need to survive.

Get our free mobile app

Heck, I've done this very thing for many years just because I think the blooming spring weeds look pretty on my lawn which happens to be made up of mostly weeds since I don't use weed-killing pesticides (harmful to bees and animals). Think of it this way, you can use all that extra time on your hands from not mowing to lay in the hammock and enjoy the natural beauty of your yard. 😉