Chester Conservation Commission Asks, "Please Be Nice To Bees."

CHESTER, CT — Environmental tip from the Chester Conservation Commission:

"Bees are in trouble for a number of reasons. Their population has declined 60% since 1997. We can help them in our Chester gardens in various ways. For example their favorite flowers are yellow, blue and purple, and also they prefer single flowers rather than double ones. So think about planting daisies, cosmos, echinacea, and coreopsis rather than fluffy multipetaled ones like double hollyhocks and roses. Avoid using pesticides; read the fine print on anything you buy to make sure it won’t harm bees. It is best to avoid all pesticides, or if you feel you must use them, do so sparingly and at times when bees are not active. Because bees pollinate so many food crops, it is in our best interest to protect them."

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