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4/21/23, 3:19 PM No Mow May | Bee Lab <br />https://beelab.umn.edu/no-mow-may 2/6 <br />underground and for moths and butteries that overwinter in the leaves. <br />Leaving your leaves where they are until temperatures are above 50 degrees F <br />for 5 consecutive days will give most of those hibernating pollinators the <br />protection that they need. Bees that nest in stems may not emerge until mid- <br />June or later. It is best for the bees to leave the stems where they are. New <br />growth will soon cover them, any bees nesting in the stems will emerge, and the <br />old stems will decompose. If you want to remove past seasons' stems from your <br />garden before mid-June, nd a place to safely stash the cut stems until the bees <br />that might be nesting in them have a chance to emerge. Come midsummer, you <br />can safely compost these stems. When you do cut stems back, leave about 12 <br />inches of stem standing to create nesting habitat for this summer's bees. <br />FAQ <br />Can we thatch our lawn before May?   <br />It depends on why you are deciding to not mow in May. If it is to let owers <br />bloom in your lawn, then it is probably better to get rid of the thatch so any <br />owering plants in your lawn have more room to grow.  That thatch could be <br />making nesting habitat for some bees, but you would need to leave it there <br />longer than May to make a dierence for those bees. If you have an out of the <br />way corner in your yard where you can make a pile of thatch, that could make <br />great habitat for some bees. <br />Will mowing in May harm overwintering rusty patched bumblebees? <br />No. Rusty patched queens dig themselves down into the soil several inches to <br />overwinter and are most likely to do that in places that are more protected than <br />your typical lawn. If a rusty patched queen does happen to dig a hole to <br />overwinter in someone's lawn they would be about 2 inches underground and <br />not likely to be impacted by mowing. There are other bees, such as miner bees, <br />that do overwinter and even make nests in lawns. They are underground and <br />are not aected by mowing, even when their nests are active. These are <br />extremely gentle bees that don't sting even when you are messing with their <br />nests.