Clover lawns and bees....????

[Hokulele]

We have to do something about our lawn. I'm really drawn to clover but my big concern is bees. Doesn't clover attract bees like crazy? I would love to support bees but right now my focus in on my kids (1y and 4yo) and the whole point of having a nice lawn is for them to play. I don't want bee stings all the time!!

Anyone have advice? We're in the southeast (zone 7/8) if that matters.

[tayndrewsmama]

I don't really have advice for you, but we do tend to have quite a bit of clovers in our lawn and I have stepped on bees twice. It might not be the best idea, but FWIW, I am the only one in our family this has happened to. It could just be bad luck because I have a lot of it.

[aniT]

We have a clover/dandelion/lawn lawn. I don't have a huge problem with bees. Just mow it and keep the flowers away.

DH did step on a bee in clover once at a water park.

[catballou24]

we have clover, not a whole lawn full but we took out most of our lawn when we first bought the house. the clover tends to want to take over the rest of the garden, but we just keep it mowed and allow a few areas to flower for the bees (we are working on getting certified as a backyard wildlife habitat, well front yard, and so tend to want to have more bees around.. ). no one has been stung yet...and we are going on 2 years now..

[Rachel J.]

I remember getting stung once or twice on the foot as a child when we would run down a large hill covered in clover. Considering that we did it almost every day (to and from the pool) it didn't happen much. I never remember it happening in my yard. Honestly, it wasn't fun but it was just a bee sting, not really that bad. Wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are what really make a child sad. Bees aren't at all aggressive so it would have to be a direct hit

[ShadowMom]

Oh, another clover planter!

I'm going to plant clover as well. Currently I have a yard jammed with stickers, and those REALLY HURT DS when they get stuck in his foot, this can't possibly be any worse.

However, we generally wear shoes outside ('coz of the stupid stickers) so I plan to keep us in shoes with our clover as well.

Although running barefoot through clover sounds really neat.

I read online that if the flowers bother you, keep it mowed so that you clip the flowers off and the bees won't come around. I don't think it will bother me enough though, I will only mow it if it's too tall and looks sloppy.

So, mama, when are you going to plant your clover? I got confused reading on the 'net. Some sites say summer, some say spring, one said winter. I just ordered it anyway because I have to do something about my lawn, and if it doesn't work I'll try again in the fall or spring. I'll try to keep it wet I guess. I'm in zone 6 so it's fairly hot out right now (mid 80's).

[chiromamma]

We love our clover back yard. It stands up to traffic and the flowers are beautiful. You do get more bees, but if you have a garden, you want more bees. I guess you can avoid the bees by keeping it cut. Clover lawns are the best. We lay seed every year with the intent of it completely taking over the silly bluegrass and dandelions. Although, I do like dandelion greens and vinaigrette.

[canadiyank]

Yep, keep it cut and it's not so bad - there's still plenty of clover, too. My kids have got stung several times. If we had bee allergies I'd avoid it but it's not been a bid problem.

[webjefita]

I try to keep on them about wearing their crocs when outside, and show them the bees and why they need shoes. We also mow it and it gets most of the flowers.

[wantingagirl2b#4]

Another Yep for the bees! My kiddo's have to keep shoes on for that reason and stickers too! Not a bad idea anyway since you can get worms from the dirt. Yep we are battling that one now!! ergggg

[Chicky2]

We have gobs of clover, and just about everything else you can imagine. Our "backyard" is almost 4 acres. We have wild bee hives in our backyard, and so does the neighbor. We are about to get "tame" bees, lol, but even with alllllll those bees here no one has ever been stung, and we've been here 6 1/2 yrs now! We do mostly wear shoes outside, though, but we have lots of rocks, prickly pear, stickers, etc....BTW, we routinely have around 10 children running around whooping and hollering, climbing, jumping, rolling around, etc. Our worst problem is poison ivy, lol.

[wantingagirl2b#4]

The bee's don't mess with you as long as you don't mess with them! LOL My kid's have only been stung because they stepped on the bee with no shoes. Honey bees won't sting unless you apply pressure so I have been told and they don't fly around stinging us so I would say that's true. Well good luck with your clover I really hate ours! Not sure why anyone would want it but I guess it must have it's advantages since you want a yard full!

[mattemma04]

I have a grass,clover,and weed lawn.Been like this for 5 years,and my kids have yet to get stung.I have meds and cream ready though!

I have had good luck as well when mowing.I have only gotten stung by hornets that set up house in a playhouse,and digging near a nest in the ground.

Perhaps you create one circular area of just grass for the kiddos,and let the rest go crazy.Lol, I get a kick out of taking close up photos of the bees.We have even *petted* a few bumble bees.

[myk]

we had clover all over the back when we bought, just cause it's a "weed" and they didn't do any "weeding". i intend to plant clover everywhere else too - it looks so nice during drought when i don't water!

i find that if i mow it just as the clover is blooming, there's not enough time for a zillion bees to discover it. i let it grow until the next round of major blooming, mow it down, repeat as necessary.

i've never been stung, and nobody in my family is allergic to bee stings that i know of. so i just don't worry about it.