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Thursday, April 28th, 2022

At least 25 U.S. cities to follow Appleton in No Mow May initiative for bees and pollinators

Author:     Ben Bokun
Source:     NBC 26 (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Publication Date:     Apr 22, 2022 | 8:18 PM
 Link: At least 25 U.S. cities to follow Appleton in No Mow May initiative for bees and pollinators
Stephan:   As you know if you read me regularly, I am extremely concerned about the bee crisis, the dramatic drop in the population of bees in the U.S.. Here is something you can do, if you do it now, that can help the bees. Please go to your city council, or town council, and ask them to not mow during the month of May, and don't mow your own lawn, and ask your neighbors not to mow. Why does this matter? Well, think about thi: Seventy-five percent of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts you and your family eat reproduce only with the help of bees. Get the point? By not mowing and letting plants grow in May the bees get a boost in the honey they can produce, and the hives are healthier. NO MOW MAY. Please do this.
A honey bee collects pollen. Credit: Kees Smans / Getty

APPLETON, WISCONSIN — For the third straight year, Joan Ribbons won’t mow her lawn for an entire month.

“I chose to participate because I’m an environmentalist and [I’ve] been aware of the plight of the bees because I’m a beekeeper too,” the Appleton resident said.

She’s talking about No Mow May, an initiative to let grass grow to help pollinators. It started in the U.K., and Appleton was the first city in the United States to join the effort back in 2020.

“If we let resources come to flower, then our pollinators that are coming out of hibernation will have plenty of food to eat and get off on the right foot,” Lawrence University Assistant Professor of Biology Israel Del Toro said.

At least 25 other cities are now taking part.

“The first year that we participated in No Mow May, we actually found a five-fold increase in abundance of bees in No Mow May lawns relative to mowed areas,” Del Toro said.

In Northeast Wisconsin, other cities like Green Bay, De Pere, […]

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2 Comments

  1. Lori on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 9:26 am

    What a great article! I hope more people who find swarms, will make a call to a local beekeeper. Most times, they will remove the hive safely, and incorporate them into new bee boxes for their own business.
    I plant various flower bushes. Orange jubilee bushes, grow to make a 15-20 ft wall of flowers for the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

  2. Rev. Dean on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    I have gone a step further and planted flowers and have a lot of bees in my yard already, even at this early part of the year.