Doing yard work this time of year is bad for these critters. Here’s how you can help

Ah, late winter in Washington. One day we have a glimpse of the warm weather to come and the next, frost and frigid temperatures.

This final stubborn hold of winter is why gardeners and backyard aficionados alike should wait to clean up their outdoor spaces, even if the sneak peeks of spring make a head start tempting.

Many healthy outdoor spaces rely on pollinators to thrive. While this includes the commonly known pollinators — birds, bees, and butterflies — it also encompasses other insects like beetles and moths. In the winter months, those lifeless-looking plants and backyard leaf litter are actually food and habitat for numerous pollinators.

Just like bears, many pollinators hibernate through the winter. It’s estimated that nearly 70 percent of all bee species nest — and often hibernate — in the ground. This means that disturbances to a garden, whether that’s cleaning up leaf litter or planting a winter crop, can disturb their home.

Likewise, the hollow stems of plants keep bees and butterflies sheltered when temperatures are cold. Pruning these could also mean cutting off cavity-nesting insects.

In some cases, it’s unavoidable: perennials really do need to be pruned and bulbs inevitably need to be planted in early winter. With this in mind, we can take careful steps to protect the pollinators while maintaining our outdoor spaces.

First, try to keep any ground disturbances shallow (less than six inches deep). Oftentimes, nest aggregations can be spotted in soil or, for those with a really good eye, in the stems of woody plants. If they are spotted, they can be protected.

For anyone who has been to the beach and seen little holes in the sand from clams, ground-nesting bees make similar looking forms in the soil. One option is to mark these nests with a flag or other marker and work around them. Some species, like mason bees, “cap” their nests with leaves, mud, or other fibers. This makes their nests a bit easier to identify.

These stems should be cut at least 6-12 inches from the nest, and then can be placed somewhere dry and cool. Once temperatures warm up for spring, these cuttings can be moved back to the garden for the insects to survive for the season. Insect hotels can also guide species to a safe place to winter over that’s away from activity in gardens and backyards.

As many kids know: invertebrates also like to hide underneath rocks and logs. Think twice before gathering or clearing downed trees, snags, or logs. Many native pollinators, beetles, and caterpillars use these for wintering over. If these can be left alone, many species will move out come springtime.

As a rule of thumb, unless the plants are diseased, pest-infested, or invasive, leave it until spring is truly here and the temperatures are warm enough for many of these important critters to survive. Your garden and backyard will thank you.