JANESVILLE — Navigating the balance between urban living and ecological responsibility, Janesville beekeeper Laura Worachek this month is urging a different approach to No Mow May.
Worachek, in an interview this week, said Mow Less May is, in fact, a better way to help pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds in the springtime.
The president of the Rock County Beekeepers Association lives in a typical residential neighborhood in Janesville.
“There is no way my husband would allow me not to mow,†she said, adding that “itÃÛèÖÊÓƵ hard to follow ‘No Mow May’ in the Janesville area because people may get upset when you don’t mow and the city can also cite you.â€
The city of JanesvilleÃÛèÖÊÓƵ ordinance regarding “Noxious Weeds, Gardening, Natural Landscaping and Composting,†limits grass and weeds to a maximum of 12 inches high, and grass generally grows about a foot in the month of May, Worachek said.
That full 12-inch height from a month of growth can actually be too tall to be beneficial to pollinators, she said, recommending instead mowing a lawn every 10 days to 2 weeks to a height of 3.5 inches, which “promotes a drought tolerant root system,†and helps with resiliency.
“If the grass gets too tall, it can outgrow the flowers and the pollinators may not be able to reach them,†Worachek said.
Spring is a critical time for bees, when have limited food sources after being in the hive all winter, she said. They start foraging right away, typically in the first blooms of creeping Charlie, dandelions and clovers.
What does help
Among the most beneficial things that can be done in a yard is to plant a well-designed pollinator garden, either in less-used edges of a lawn or in pots, she said.
Worachek recommends growing flowers that bloom from early spring to late fall, such as rattlesnake masters and New Jersey tea. Adding milkweed also helps monarch butterflies, as that is their primary food source.
Pollinators also need rocks in bird baths in order to access to water, Worachek noted.
Beekeeping
People interested in residential beekeeping in the city of Janesville can learn about more under ordinance No. 2018-729.
“We are getting a lot more people interested in having single beehives in the city, but you should be respectful of your neighbors, just in case of severe allergies,†Worachek said. “They’re pets that you have to take care of, treating them with mite control regularly and having a good water source. You have to make sure they’re happy and have room to grow.â€
The Rock County Beekeepers Association has a Facebook page and hosts meetings on the second Sunday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at Fulton Town Hall, 2738 W. Fulton Center Dr.,Edgerton.
In July, the association will be at the Rock County 4-H Fair, 1301 Craig Ave., Janesville, in the agricultural tent. It plans to bring to the fair an observation hive of two frames and a queen to show how bees work.
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