then was talking about getting rid of bees

And that was supposed to be desirable?

Heaven help us!

That's exactly what I was thinking. There's a terrible bee shortage with the colony collapse disorder & this yahoo was talking about how he could spray to get bees out of the yard. I already have to hand pollinate squash, just in case. I can't imagine how that guy hadn't heard that the world depends on pollinators to feed us. Whatever! I am just glad I was there- otherwise I may be veggie-less as well as bee-less.

I don't think some people think things through very well. My neighbor has 2 little kids that are always playing in the yard and she said she was trying to be organic. I was talking to her this spring and she said that she was so upset because there was so much clover in the lawn, she was giving up being organic and going to get lawn service. I said "I'd rather have clover in my lawn than a bunch of chemicals". It was like a little light bulb went on over her head and she was like- "Yeah you're right!"
Duh!

Call the Orkin Man and tell him that you have a roach in your yard. ;)

then was talking about getting rid of bees

Hmmm I wonder why there has been a decrease in honeybee population...

...It was like a little light bulb went on over her head and she was like- "Yeah you're right!"

I second that "Duh" - and add that clover nitrifies the soil because it's a legume. So it's beneficial and stays green better than most grass.

It was said "and add that clover nitrifies the soil because it's a legume."

Widely believed, but not so.

That occurs only if the clover is turned into the soil before it blooms.

Same goes for all other legumes.

I heard a program about the way lawns have evolved in the US. Back in the early to mid 1900's, clover was considered a desirable part of a person's lawn. Then the companies that make weed killer- worked to change the perception. Obviously, it has worked. When the little clover flowers blossom, the bees love it. I love clover.

Hope your neighbor saw your point.

I have a back lawn that looks to be about 70% clover. I like it, and so do dozens of bees. My young son and his friends have to be careful not to step on them, but after one mildly painful barefoot incident they just wear shoes or watch their step.

I've had two home pest control companies come to my door in the past few months, and both of them wanted to get rid of spiders. Heck no, they keep other insect populations down. Maybe that's the true motive of pest control pros: eliminate the competition.

Back in the early to mid 1900's, clover was considered a desirable part of a person's lawn. Then the companies that make weed killer- worked to change the perception.

I grew up in California at the time when having a perfect lawn was a must. For whatever reason, clover was considered desirable as part of a good lawn. I stepped on a couple of bees barefoot as a small child.

In 1965 we moved to a Connecticut suburb of NYC. It was an incredibly parochial place at that time. There wasn't as much emphasis on having a manicured lawn as we were used to in California, but we discovered that clover was abhorred as a weed. Clover was a sign of a bad lawn -- though crocuses and violets in the grass were fine, and so were bald patches under trees. Just another in the looooong list of Connecticut weirdnesses, as far as we were concerned.

Anyway, my point is that besides the chemical industry changing the attitudes of American homeowners, there was a regional difference in the middle of the century as well.

I'm not sure when broadleaf weedkillers came into fashion. Certainly my father never used them in California, because when he wasn't trying to encourage the clover, he was hoping the dichondra would take over from the grass.

I love the violets in my lawn. My husband complains about it but I ask him not to mow until they finish blooming- he listens to me so I don't think he really minds! I plant clover every year as a cover crop toward the end of summer and turn it under in the spring.

I should do a little re-con tonight and sneak over after dark with a flashlight and see if she has any clove left -I hope so!

I love violets in the lawn also. [I don't have many; I think the previous owner used 2,4-D.] Eventually I hope to have English daisies (the old-fashioned white ones) and scillas to keep the violets company.

I have nearly two acres. The neighbor's son mows the lawn around the house (he has a big mower that can cope with the steep parts), and occasionally the non-veggie part of the pasture. He keeps offering to use a broadleaf weedkiller (!!!) for the dandelions in the lawn, but I won't let him.

I dug up a couple hundred violets from the pasture and made a shade garden under two huge cherry trees where grass wouldn't grow. They're right next to the house where I can appreciate them -- and harvest seed and scatter it in the lawn.

I thought some might find the link interesting. It shows a 1912 article about clover improving lawns- especially in dry conditions.

Monsanto would never allow us to think clover is desirable today.

Here is a link that might be useful: 1912 NYT Article