A recent study conducted by scientists and volunteers in the St. Louis metropolitan area reveals that bees much prefer “messier” gardens over the manicured variety, unlocking a new understanding of nature’s busiest insects.
While diverse gardens tend to appear “shaggy,” they result in healthier bee populations, according to the study co-published by Webster University biology professor and bee expert Nicole Miller-Struttmann.
The study found that neatly arranged gardens with limited flower varieties attracted fewer bees than gardens where flowering plants have no discernible pattern and are mixed into bushes and trees…