• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Self Reliant Living

Rural Living for less than $2,000 a month

Gardeners can help pollinators in winter

by Harold Carey Jr

Keeping the hive running is a year-round business for bees — even during the winter, when no nectar-producing flowers are in bloom.


For the most part, bees won’t leave the nest when the temperature plunges and rely on their stockpiles to stay alive, but you may see a few flying around on warmer winter days. As autumn wanes into winter, you can turn your yard into a protective haven for bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators to help them see another spring.
The University of New Hampshire Agriculture Extension advises conscientious gardeners not to discard or compost piles of raked leaves and instead use them as mulch or just leave them in a pile. The leaves provide excellent cover for insects over the winter, including moth and butterfly cocoons. Spread the leaves about two inches high on all your garden beds and overlay with branches to keep the leaves in place.
Gardeners can also leave dead annuals and perennials in place instead of pulling them. The dead stalks trap additional leaves, which enhances the mulch.
If you see areas of bare soil, leave them alone — the soil may be shielding underground bumblebee nests. Dead logs are also commonly used as winter shelters for some bee species.

Filed Under: Gardening

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to our home

Learn about Self Reliant Rural Living, Gardening, Preparedness, Camping, Bushcraft, Survival Skills and Health.

Videos

Recent Posts

  • What hazards you are most likely to encounter while participating in wilderness survival activities?
  • What causes a heat stroke?
  • Ways to treat water found in the outdoors for drinking
  • Ways to attract attention when lost in the woods
  • How to survive in exposure conditions?
  • How to Build a Campfire
  • Emergency Shelter Configurations
  • What are the 5 W’s of campsite selection?

Tags

back pain Bushcraft Business Campfire cancer Cartoon Clothing dementia disinfect water education family Finance Fire Fishing fitness flu food Garden hand sanitizer hazards health heart Heat stroke Home Office hypothermia insurance Jobs money nature Outdoors Personal Development physical activity recipe retirement Rural Living Safety Saving Shelter Shelters small business sunburn Survival skills Technology weight loss wilderness survival

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in