Gardeners leave plants alone to help bees survive
Conservation experts advise homeowners to leave garden debris and stems untouched this October to support overwintering native bees across the United States.
Over three thousand six hundred bee species live in the nation. Yet many wild varieties face steep population declines due to human cleanup habits that remove their essential nesting sites during autumn seasons everywhere.
Matthew Shepherd from the Xerces Society explains that solitary female bees build individual nests. Their offspring remain there until the following spring, meaning garden debris often serves as a critical shelter for these developing insects.
Wild bees build nests above and below ground near any home. Designer Kim Eierman states that hundreds or even thousands of individuals may already be using a typical residential landscape for shelter and food sources all year round.
Experts suggest moving fallen leaves instead of bagging them. Bumble bee queens hibernate underground within mulch, so raking debris only from slip hazards maintains safe winter habitats for small creatures everywhere locally.
“You may have hundreds or even thousands of individual bees using your landscape.”