Many of the foods we eat from gardens, farms, orchards and bushfoods are produced on pollinator-attracting plants that benefit from pollination. 

A diverse and healthy community of insect pollinators, provides more effective and consistent pollination and better yields, than relying on any single species.  Under-pollination results in smaller or misshapen fruit or seed that may not be viable to grow.  A growing human population and increasing demand for food, puts pressure on ecosystems with potential negative impacts on biodiversity, the environment and food production.    

Nectar and pollen – pollinator rewards
Nectar is a sugary solution, rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, produced by flowers and sometimes by glands on leaves or stems.  Nectar is attractive to insects and provides an immediate energy source needed for collecting pollen, hunting pest insects, laying eggs in decomposing organic matter, or parasitising other insects.  Carbohydrates alone don’t support everything needed for health and growth, so insects also need pollen.  Pollen is rich in protein, fats and nutrients and is collected by bees to feed their offspring.

Amegilla or blue banded bee approaching an Acanthus ilicifolius flower

Improve on what you have
Protect and improve your existing pollinator habitat where possible. Gardens that already contain established trees, rockeries, ponds, bare soil, organic matter, and a variety of flowering plants, are a valuable resource for beneficial insects and pollinators.  Nature-strips, verges, laneways, vegetable gardens, orchards, nature reserves, riverbanks and creeks can all be important pollinator-attracting areas.

Connectivity counts
Insect pollinators benefit from greater connectivity of habitat in a landscape, which allows them to forage over a wider radius and increase in numbers in a local area.  Encourage friends and neighbours to plant for pollinators and create connections in your community.

Get to know your local flora
Your local government area has distinct populations of insects, depending on the local flora and environment.  Knowing your local insect species will help you develop better plantings.  The plants growing in nearby nature reserves or bushland will be suited to your climate and soils.  Local environment groups and specialist native nurseries can provide information about local plants.  Rehabilitate weedy areas into managed pollination reservoirs by introducing lots of flowering plant diversity.  Be careful not to plant invasive or listed weeds, you can refer to the Pollinator Plant List at the end of this document for suitable replacements.

Where are the insects?
Many insect pollinators undergo a period of suspended development or diapause during periods of unfavourable environmental conditions such as cold winter months.  Birds and other small mammals will continue to benefit from available pollen and nectar during this time.  If there are low numbers of insect pollinators in your local area, consider whether diapause or inadequate availability of nectar and pollen are contributing factors.

Reduce chemical use
Insecticides, fungicides and herbicides all affect pollinator health.  Herbicides can impact pollinators by reducing the diversity of vegetation and flora that helps support insect life.  Some herbicides can also harm the beneficial bacteria in the insect gut.  Healthy populations of pollinators and beneficial predatory insects will help control pest insects, reducing the need for the use of insecticides that are an obvious threat to pollinators.  When all other options are exhausted and chemical pest control is unavoidable, select products that are least harmful for pollinators and apply in the evening when pollinators are not active.

A simple insect hotel created using an old log and different sized drill bits to create a variety of hole sizes.

Non-insect Pollinators

Many birds are important pollinators of flowering plants, the Rainbow Lorikeet feeds on nectar and pollen.  Grevillea flowers and other tubular flowers are often adapted to be successfully pollinated by birds.  Pollen is ‘presented’ on a floral stigma that extends outside the flower and is deposited on the bird’s beak, head and throat as they feed on the nectar.  Pollen is then spread to other flowers as the bird continues to feed.

Bats are probably the best-known mammal pollinators.  Some plants, especially those that flower nocturnally, depend partly or wholly on bats to pollinate their flowers and spread their seed.

The amazing marsupial antechinus spends as much time in trees as they do on the ground and have been implicated in pollination of various plant species, such as the Banksia.

Some lizard species are known pollinators, including nectar feeding skinks and geckos.  While they lap up their nectar reward, pollen from flowers sticks to their scales to be carried to other flowers as they continue to forage.

References:

Powerful Pollinators – Sydney Basin Coastal NSW (Wheen Bee Foundation)

Mammallian Pollinators – CSIRO

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