Best way to mow without murdering all of the bees?
Our clover yard is thriving with the flowers and bees but the flowers are starting to brown and it's looking….not great. Any tips on the best way to trim this down without murdering everything that's living in there??
That honestly looks amazing. If you want to tidy, maybe just trim the edges? Otherwise, I’d leave it. I’ve tried to get clover to stay in my yard but it never does. I’d kill for yours.
Helen_2nd
Have someone walk ahead of you & shoo them off. Just don’t mow the person over either 😝
hippiecat22
leave it.
Kyrie_Blue
Mow what? This is the point
danceswithsteers
“How can I destroy the habitat without displacing or killing the critters that live there?”
My advice is fairly extreme but if you want to tidy up the brown flowers, go do it by hand. Literally go through the patch with tiny scissors/pruners and snip off the flowers you don’t want to see anymore. If they’re ALL brown and you want to remove them ALL, grazing the top with a weed whacker to knock off the flowers might work.
On the other hand, I’d just leave it.
WoodenInternet
You’re a good person for thinking about this. If you feel you need to mow, you could affix a rake head to the front as a sort of bee cowcatcher. I’d probably just leave it alone as all flowers go through the cycle of birth death and rebirth.
Justsayingshit
Not sure if anyone said this. Do it before the bees wake up?
urlond
Use a scythe or so to mow it down if you dont want to kill the bees. It’s tedious but does offer an amazing workout without killing the bees.
Anomalocaris1234
Whether you like it or not, that’s just part of nature. Flowers don’t look the same all year around and just because it doesn’t look how you want it to look doesn’t mean it deserves to die
CharlesV_
Where are you located? If you’re in North America, I’d just mow it. White clover is a lawn plant which can help generalist pollinators, but it’s not a huge part of the ecosystem. If you want to make sure you have some flowers, maybe mow half of it now and half in a few days.
A small native wildflower garden would be much more beneficial to native bees.
Ok_Engine_1442
Clover will tell you when to mow. The leaves will start turning color. That when to mow it. Also just mow half then wait a few weeks then mow the other half.
NewMolecularEntity
Slowly and with the blade up high is the way to go.
4 inches high will dead head the dead flowers and make it look tidy, but leave many blooms that were just waiting for a chance at the sun.
It will look great and be a good example to people on the street that you can have something low maintenance and tidy AND covered with blooms.
If you go slowly, the bees will fly away. I watch for them and it doesn’t take much warning for them to buzz away.
I have a lot of clover patches like this, that’s how I manage them in places I want to look nice, clover really thrives with this regimen.
EndQualifiedImunity
Line trim the edges at an angle
UneventfulFriday
I find the bees are not out dust and dawn midday is usually the issue
buz888
Just do it…. The front of the mower will brush against the flowers as you move forward and the bees will fly away.
rdb1001
Good on you for planting something to help the bees! I have the same issue – sometimes, our clover grass needs to be mowed. I find the flowers grow back super quickly and I like to keep the lawn tidy. To not disturb the bees, I leave a strip in the middle for them to continue enjoying while the rest grows back in the next few days. I like to call it my lawn mowhawk! It’s cute and helpful for the bees.
Spoonbills
Maybe tidy your edges and leave the rest. It looks great.
Ydain
I mow in alternating strips so there’s always flowers.
I also now slowly so I don’t murder any bees if I can help it.
Xsiah
Rent a goat
P3NNYST4R
Don’t mow! Or just mow along the edges of the concrete, and leave the rest Beeee!
Seriously! Mow only 1-2 a year, in Fall/October and Spring/April
icsh33ple
You could get a beekeeper smoker and smoke them all out right before you mow. But I wouldn’t mow this. It’s perfect.
minimalniemand
If you reall have to mow, use a scythe. Insect friendlyest way imo
ButDidYouCry
Bees return to their hives at night. Why not just cut it with a reel mower in the late evening?
winkers
Mow at night or at sunrise but be done before the air starts warming.
motheatonn
I’m no clover expert, but the flowers browning means they are pollinated and about to produce seeds. They will likely drop off on their own, as this is the typical natural process of flowering plants. Leave it, and it will look better (aesthetically – I think it looks beautiful as is…) soon
Alternative_Horse_56
A manual push mower or reel mower is slow enough and gentle enough that you are unlikely to hurt many bees, if any. A gas mower would work well too, the noise will drive them out. You’d want to make sure it’s mid morning and warm enough for the bees to be fully active. If it’s too cold, they can’t fly. Really, you’re unlikely to hurt many bees as long as they are able to fly away. You can also mow at dusk when bees aren’t active, so the chances of them hanging around the clover is low, but it’s still warm enough for them to fly away if necessary.
xtnh
The brown flowers are setting seeds. Please don’t cut them now. That is how you get consistent clover, from the seeding.
yukon-flower
The Dutch white clover, a European species, will only benefit honeybees, also a European species. A few other generalist pollinators might use the flowers as well, but those pollinators aren’t at risk — they are generalists!
Dutch white clover and honeybees are invasive species in the United States, and they displace and compete with their native counterparts. Now whenever you feel like it (assuming you’re not in Europe).
Carnivorous_Ape__
Bees will be fine
CobblerCandid998
Bees are not dumb. They fly away before getting mowed.
Boo-erman
You can mow it – the insects aren’t going to stick around while a blade comes in their direction. The clover will get leggy and require a mow soonish and then it will be harder to cut back because it lays down. The good news is it all grows back rather quickly!
TsuDhoNimh2
If you MUST mow, honeybees tend to be late risers.
Check activity several times and figure out what is the low traffic time and mow then.
SippinOnHatorade
The stems of the browning flowers will die in time and new flowers will overtake them. If mowing isn’t required (due to HOA or other regs), I wouldn’t.
35 Comments
Don’t.
Zone 4a by the way
That honestly looks amazing. If you want to tidy, maybe just trim the edges? Otherwise, I’d leave it. I’ve tried to get clover to stay in my yard but it never does. I’d kill for yours.
Have someone walk ahead of you & shoo them off. Just don’t mow the person over either 😝
leave it.
Mow what? This is the point
“How can I destroy the habitat without displacing or killing the critters that live there?”
My advice is fairly extreme but if you want to tidy up the brown flowers, go do it by hand. Literally go through the patch with tiny scissors/pruners and snip off the flowers you don’t want to see anymore. If they’re ALL brown and you want to remove them ALL, grazing the top with a weed whacker to knock off the flowers might work.
On the other hand, I’d just leave it.
You’re a good person for thinking about this. If you feel you need to mow, you could affix a rake head to the front as a sort of bee cowcatcher. I’d probably just leave it alone as all flowers go through the cycle of birth death and rebirth.
Not sure if anyone said this. Do it before the bees wake up?
Use a scythe or so to mow it down if you dont want to kill the bees. It’s tedious but does offer an amazing workout without killing the bees.
Whether you like it or not, that’s just part of nature. Flowers don’t look the same all year around and just because it doesn’t look how you want it to look doesn’t mean it deserves to die
Where are you located? If you’re in North America, I’d just mow it. White clover is a lawn plant which can help generalist pollinators, but it’s not a huge part of the ecosystem. If you want to make sure you have some flowers, maybe mow half of it now and half in a few days.
A small native wildflower garden would be much more beneficial to native bees.
Clover will tell you when to mow. The leaves will start turning color. That when to mow it. Also just mow half then wait a few weeks then mow the other half.
Slowly and with the blade up high is the way to go.
4 inches high will dead head the dead flowers and make it look tidy, but leave many blooms that were just waiting for a chance at the sun.
It will look great and be a good example to people on the street that you can have something low maintenance and tidy AND covered with blooms.
If you go slowly, the bees will fly away. I watch for them and it doesn’t take much warning for them to buzz away.
I have a lot of clover patches like this, that’s how I manage them in places I want to look nice, clover really thrives with this regimen.
Line trim the edges at an angle
I find the bees are not out dust and dawn midday is usually the issue
Just do it…. The front of the mower will brush against the flowers as you move forward and the bees will fly away.
Good on you for planting something to help the bees! I have the same issue – sometimes, our clover grass needs to be mowed. I find the flowers grow back super quickly and I like to keep the lawn tidy. To not disturb the bees, I leave a strip in the middle for them to continue enjoying while the rest grows back in the next few days. I like to call it my lawn mowhawk! It’s cute and helpful for the bees.
Maybe tidy your edges and leave the rest. It looks great.
I mow in alternating strips so there’s always flowers.
I also now slowly so I don’t murder any bees if I can help it.
Rent a goat
Don’t mow! Or just mow along the edges of the concrete, and leave the rest Beeee!
Seriously! Mow only 1-2 a year, in Fall/October and Spring/April
You could get a beekeeper smoker and smoke them all out right before you mow. But I wouldn’t mow this. It’s perfect.
If you reall have to mow, use a scythe. Insect friendlyest way imo
Bees return to their hives at night. Why not just cut it with a reel mower in the late evening?
Mow at night or at sunrise but be done before the air starts warming.
I’m no clover expert, but the flowers browning means they are pollinated and about to produce seeds. They will likely drop off on their own, as this is the typical natural process of flowering plants. Leave it, and it will look better (aesthetically – I think it looks beautiful as is…) soon
A manual push mower or reel mower is slow enough and gentle enough that you are unlikely to hurt many bees, if any. A gas mower would work well too, the noise will drive them out. You’d want to make sure it’s mid morning and warm enough for the bees to be fully active. If it’s too cold, they can’t fly. Really, you’re unlikely to hurt many bees as long as they are able to fly away. You can also mow at dusk when bees aren’t active, so the chances of them hanging around the clover is low, but it’s still warm enough for them to fly away if necessary.
The brown flowers are setting seeds. Please don’t cut them now. That is how you get consistent clover, from the seeding.
The Dutch white clover, a European species, will only benefit honeybees, also a European species. A few other generalist pollinators might use the flowers as well, but those pollinators aren’t at risk — they are generalists!
Dutch white clover and honeybees are invasive species in the United States, and they displace and compete with their native counterparts. Now whenever you feel like it (assuming you’re not in Europe).
Bees will be fine
Bees are not dumb. They fly away before getting mowed.
You can mow it – the insects aren’t going to stick around while a blade comes in their direction. The clover will get leggy and require a mow soonish and then it will be harder to cut back because it lays down. The good news is it all grows back rather quickly!
If you MUST mow, honeybees tend to be late risers.
Check activity several times and figure out what is the low traffic time and mow then.
The stems of the browning flowers will die in time and new flowers will overtake them. If mowing isn’t required (due to HOA or other regs), I wouldn’t.