When to Trim Up Your Garden
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New research shows when bees take up residence in woody stems, and how best to create backyard habitat for these pollinators.
April 29, 2025
From The Staff Biology
In the latest episode of American Scientist's seminar series, Science by the Slice, researchers have new data about backyard bee habitats. Hannah Levenson, head of the Specialty Crops Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management Laboratory at NC State University, and her colleagues worked with extension agents and extension master gardener volunteers, who collected samples from 20 gardens in 10 counties across North Carolina across a period of two years. Their results show at what time of year bees take up residence and lay eggs in woody plant stems, providing new advice on when it's safe to trim back dead plants while still providing pollinator habitat.
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