While this small gesture might not sound like much, it is a way you can help these tiny creatures on some level. Sure, Dandelions might not be their first choice regarding food, but they are something that bees get great use out of and for that reason, we should allow them to grow.
I recently came across an article from just this past year on Psys.org that went over just how important these tiny yellow flowers can be for our buzzing friends and since felt it was necessary to share that information and other things I could find in regards. You see, these little flowers don’t really bother our lawns, and they give pollinators something to engage with as they tend to sprout up before most other things do.
Sure, they might be considered as weeds, but they’re not as ugly as people make them out to be. According to Ken Willis, head of horticulture at the U of A Botanic Garden these yellow plants are becoming a very important food source for domestic and wild species of bees. This is especially so during the early Spring.
While they cannot survive on Dandelions alone, they do give them a bit of a boost when they need it. Honestly, if you really want to go the extra mile planting flowers in general along with allowing these Dandelions to flourish could be more than enough to help those local bees in your area.
According to Honey Bee Suite, the pollen Dandelions offer is not all of what these creatures need it is something they can feed off of and it can get them by when there is not much else to pollinate or feed off of depending on the area you’re in. That being said, if you have things like fruit trees locally the Dandelions won’t be as important.
If they’re already growing in your yard, there isn’t much sense in getting rid of them unless you have to I guess is my point. For more information on this topic please check out the video below. That being said, if you want to make sure you have the best food sources available for these beautiful creatures you can do your own research and see what grows well in your area that would also benefit them properly.