Here's why you shouldn't mow dandelions

Dandelions: They're everywhere this time of year.

Dandelions: They're everywhere this time of year. But should you be quick to get the lawnmower out and mow them?

I sure thought so. I even tweeted a picture about it, and that's when the comments started pouring in.

"Don't mow the dandelions," someone said.

"It's the bees first food after a long winter," another added.


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And with that, I got in touch with the Halifax Honeybee Society.

Is mowing away dandelions really that bad?

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"They may not be the preference for them if they were given other flowers but there are so many dandelions right now that I see my bees coming in ladened with yellow pollen," urban beekeeper Roger Croll tells me.

"It's most crucial in the spring because the bees are really hungry," urban beekeeper Tara Lapointe adds.

"This is the most difficult time for them because they've eaten through a lot of their stores of honey."

Bees start to become more active around 10 degrees Celsius, which means they're looking for food.

So if your lawn is crawling with dandelions, it's OK if you keep them for a while. The bees will thank you.

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Editor's note: This article was originally published in May 2017