Mowing grass in curved, meandering strips instead of straight lines can boost biodiversity. A recent study found that altering grass-mowing patterns can increase the population of pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Industrial agriculture can wreak havoc on insect populations. Habitat destruction, pesticides, and monoculture farming all harm biodiversity. Mown grass provides food and nesting areas for insects, and phased mowing of these grassy areas only provides a slight boost.
Researchers had farmers in Belgium mow some of their grasslands "not in a rectangle, but a convoluted, sinuous shape like an amoeba." Other fields mowed as usual provided the control group. Little improvement in the pollinator population was seen after a year, but after two years, "the bees and butterflies were 25% to 35% more abundant and diverse in the meandering mown meadows."
Although the study focused on commercial agricultural mowing, there are other ways in which the method could help.
Meandering doesn't just apply to agricultural land, [University of Ghent entomologist] Parmentier and others say. The easiest win might be in land owned by nature organizations, or permanent grasslands in reserves, where the conservation mission is more important than the economics of hay production. Urban parks and grassland around golf courses would be suitable, and even homeowners with small front yards can try the method. "Everyone who has a yard can contribute to enhance biodiversity, to enhance habitats," Parmentier says.
Previously: Bees can sense a flower's electric field
