By Kristine Moncada
A common question we get about planting bee lawns is whether or not it will lead to an increased chance of getting stung. As my background is in plants and not insect behavior, I often struggle with how to answer this question; after all, the point of a bee lawn is to attract bees and some bees can sting people. Ultimately, the answer is, while the chance of getting stung is not zero, it is unlikely. Let’s learn a little more about bees and wasps to know why this is the case.
Bees in Minnesota
The number of bee species in Minnesota according to the most recent research is 508 (Portman et al, 2023). The majority of the bee species in Minnesota are solitary, meaning each female nests alone with her offspring, while others are social (Figure 1), meaning they live and work together with multiple other bees as a colony in a nest or hive. A few bee species, such as some of the sweat bees, can be either solitary or social. Read more about native bees from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab.
Bee-havior
The social structure of bees is important to know because it provides a clue to their behavior. Solitary bees are generally docile and very unlikely or unable to sting people (Figure 2). Social bees, such as honey bees or bumble bees, are more likely to be the culprits of a bee sting. However, even with the social bees, if you leave them alone, they will not be aggressive to you unless you are aggressive to them. The social bees in Minnesota also happen to be generally larger in size than solitary bees so it’s easier to notice them. In summary, the majority of bees won’t or can’t sting you to begin with and the rest will sting only if forced to defend themselves or their nest.
Types of bees attracted to bee lawns
Wolfin et al. (2023) conducted research examining bee species on bee lawns that included white clover, self-heal and creeping thyme, and found both solitary and social bees will forage on those flowers. For turfgrass lawns with white clover only, the researchers discovered that over half (about 59%) of the bee species were either honey or bumble bees, which are social. Adding self-heal and creeping thyme to turfgrass and white clover increased the diversity of the bee community observed because each of the flowers attract different bee species. Interestingly, no honey bees were found on either self-heal or creeping thyme, but bumble bees were. Overall, the research found that a bee lawn attracted about 10% of the total species present in Minnesota, which is an amazing number.
You can read more about this research in a blog written by James Wolfin or in the journal article "Floral enhancement of turfgrass lawns benefits wild bees and honey bees (Apis mellifera)" that has the full research results.
I recently forwarded Dr. Elaine Evans, Extension Professor and Researcher from the UMN Department of Entomology, a question from a Master Gardener about chances of people getting stung due to bee lawns. She confirmed it was unlikely that the species using bee lawn would be aggressive. She also made a great point that many low-input home lawns and parks that are weedy already have plants like white clover and self-heal that have been shown to attract bees. So that means a lot of people have had interactions with “accidental” bee lawns like these and probably never have been stung by insects using them. A more purposely planted bee lawn that includes white clover, self-heal and creeping thyme will not be much different in risk.
Other types of stinging insects
Bee lawns, despite the name, attract pollinators other than bees. Other insects that pollinate include wasps, beetles, moths, butterflies, and flies. Do you need to worry about any of them? Of these, wasps are the only other ones capable of stinging. Like bees, the wasps have some species that are social and some that are solitary so the different species will vary in their behavior towards people. Most wasps will go about their business and will let you be if you let them be (Figure 3). Wasps can seem intimidating, and they don’t get as much good press as bees, but they are a beneficial group of species. Read more about them in this UMN Extension Yard and Garden blog “Wasps are a gardener’s friend”.
What about yellowjackets? This social wasp species (see UMN Extension for how to identify yellowjackets) is common in Minnesota and actually can be aggressive, especially when it comes to defending their nests that often are belowground. They are non-native predators/scavengers of other insects which they use to feed their young. Whether you have a bee lawn will not be much of a factor in whether you have yellowjackets in your yard. Because yellowjackets are scavengers, they tend not to do much pollination and bee lawns wouldn’t be of interest. They are, however, quite attracted to sugar; you have probably noticed them when they won’t leave your desserts and sweet beverages alone during barbecues. Unfortunately, yellowjackets are feisty at the end of summer and can sting with little provocation. People often think bees are the offenders in these unpleasant interactions, but try not to blame bees for the bad behavior of yellowjackets!
What if you or others are allergic?
To be on the safe side, consider keeping your bee lawn and other pollinator habitat away from where people gather in your yard if you or someone in your family has allergies to bee venom. It’s also okay if you don’t feel comfortable having pollinator flowers in your yard at all because of severe allergies. What if you are not allergic yourself but are concerned about the safety of neighbors, visitors or other passersby? Consider using signage to alert people to your bee lawn. Printable signs are available from the UMN Bee Lab. If you are having an outdoor event at your house and are worried about pollinator activity, you can plan your mowing immediately before to temporarily reduce the number of flowers in your bee lawn.
Other tips for reducing risk of stings
- Keep an eye out for ground nests in your lawn (this applies to both bee or regular lawns). The social bees and wasps will defend their nests more aggressively compared to when a single bee or wasp is out foraging away from their nest. UMN Extension has a resource on getting rid of nests when they are in a location where people could get hurt.
- Don’t walk barefoot on your bee lawn during high bloom or times you can see pollinator activity.
- If a bee or wasp is behaving in a territorial manner with loud buzzing or aggressive flying toward you, take that as a strong sign to quickly step away from the area.
Final thoughts
I have bee lawn plants and many, many other pollinator plants in my yard. I can recount the few times I have been stung in my yard - twice in 15 years. Both times involved me stumbling upon yellowjacket wasp nests in perennial garden beds. I don’t happen to be allergic to stings so both cases only resulted in some short-term discomfort. As neither of these instances involved either bees or bee lawns, I feel confident that others can safely devote space in their yards to bee lawns without great risk.
I hope that learning more about bees and other pollinators in a bee lawn, along with ways to reduce your risk of stings, reassures you that you can coexist safely with these fascinating and beneficial creatures!
References
Portman, Z.M., J. Gardner, I.G. Lane, N. Gerjets, J.D. Petersen, J.S. Ascher, M. Arduser, E.C. Evans, C. Boyd, R. Thomson, and D.P. Cariveau. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota. Zootaxa 5304(1),1-95.
Wolfin, J., Watkins, E., Lane, I., Portman, Z.M. and Spivak, M. 2023. Floral enhancement of turfgrass lawns benefits wild bees and honey bees (Apis mellifera). Urban Ecosystems 26 361-375.