The first part of the spring is an important time for the local bee population, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association is asking people not to mow their lawns to help the insects out.

Dave Tutton, the director of communications for the association, says this is No Mow May—an annual campaign asking people not to cut their grass all month to give time for flowers to grow to support the bee population.

He says there are about 50 different species of bees in the province that rely on the very first flowers of spring to help get them through to summer.

As Tutton explains, the association is making an additional ask this year.

They’re asking that people set aside a section of their garden to allow wild flowers to grow all the time.