The Latest Breaking News from Bees

Before You Cut Back Your Perennials, Check Who May Be Living Inside Them

Brown coneflower stalks and dried bee balm may look like garden debris once fall arrives, but to some insects, those hollow stems look more like real estate. Native solitary bees, beneficial wasps, moths, spiders, and other small creatures can use dead plant material for nesting or shelter, which means an…

Frugal Gardening · Sep 29

7 Garden Cleanup Jobs That Can Actually Wait Until Spring

The first chilly weekend of fall can make gardeners feel like they’re racing a deadline: cut everything down, rake every leaf, clear every bed, and leave the yard spotless before winter arrives. But that traditional approach can create unnecessary work while removing winter habitat that birds, bees, butterflies, moths, and…

Frugal Gardening · Sep 27

Those Dead Flower Stems Look Ugly — Here’s Why Gardeners Are Leaving Them Until Spring

Once frost turns your flower garden brown, the instinct is understandable: grab the pruners, cut everything to the ground, bag the debris, and make the yard look tidy again. But what looks like a collection of dead stems to you may look very different to a bee, butterfly, bird, or…

Frugal Gardening · Sep 26

Artist Made 23 Funny Comics That Take Everyday Ideas In Unexpected Directions

Created by artist Caro, the series is full of colorful characters, strange ideas, and situations that somehow become more ridiculous with every panel. One of her recurring themes is a bizarre hotel where guests can book rooms based on almost anything, from bananas and bees to outer space and being…

Bored Panda · Sep 23

‘Spring queening’ time will be crucial for finding any surviving yellow-legged hornets

The next few months will help determine whether New Zealand has successfully eradicated the yellow-legged hornet, one of the world’s most damaging invasive pests.

The Conversation · Sep 22

Stop Cleaning Up Your Garden This Fall — 7 Things Experts Say You Should Leave Alone

Fall used to mean one thing in the garden: cut everything down, rake every leaf, bag the debris, and leave the beds spotless before winter. Garden experts increasingly recommend something much less exhausting—and considerably better for the insects, birds, soil, and plants sharing your yard. A more selective fall garden…

Frugal Gardening · Sep 21

More than 800,000 bees stolen across far north Queensland in ‘sophisticated’ operation

Apiarists will lose not just the insects but the value of pollination contracts, which can be worth thousands of dollars

The Guardian - AU · Sep 21

The Native Plant Garden Looks “Messy” to the HOA — Who Gets to Decide?

You replaced thirsty turf with coneflowers, milkweed, native grasses, and other plants that provide food and habitat for wildlife. The bees seem delighted, but then a letter arrives from the homeowners association saying your yard looks overgrown and needs to be cleaned up. HOA native plant rules are becoming a…

Frugal Gardening · Sep 20

For the first time, Europe’s wild honeybees are listed as endangered; researchers warn some populations could fall by a median 56% within 10 years without new swarms from managed hives

Wild European honeybee colonies, once thought to be extinct, are now classified as endangered. These bees, living freely without managed hives, face an alarming decline due to habitat destruction and parasites. A recent study predicts their population could plummet by 56 percent in just ten years. Urgent conservation measures are…

The Economic Times · Sep 20

Your Neighbors May Hate the Mess — But Pollinators Need Some of It

The instinct to clean up the yard every fall is hard to resist: rake every leaf, cut every brown stem, remove every dead flower head, and make the garden look tidy before winter arrives. Your neighbors may appreciate the neat landscaping, but the bees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects…

Frugal Gardening · Sep 19