Kansas City, MO - The next time your neighbor complains about your mowing habits or the dandelions in your yard, you might just tell them you're providing a habitat for bees.
"One of the simplest things that you can do to benefit bees is to slow down your mowing or reduce your mowing," said Erin Shank, Missouri Department of Conservation.
Experts say a lot of common weeds provide key food sources for bees and other pollinating insects.
"Things like violets and dandelions and clovers, if those are in your yard amongst your Kentucky bluegrass and fescue, leaving those there, letting them grow up a little bit can actually do quite a bit for bee populations, especially in suburban and urban environments," Shank said.
There are more neighbor-friendly ways of promoting bee population growth.
Shank recommends planting more native wildflowers in the spring and summer.