Wild Pollinators: Supporting Bee and Butterfly Diversity

Wild pollinators including native bees, butterflies, and hoverflies provide essential ecosystem services while facing population declines that affect billions of individual insects.

Key Facts

Over 20,000 bee species exist globally; managed honeybees represent just one species
Wild bee populations have declined 30% or more in many regions due to habitat loss and pesticides
Native bees pollinate many crops more efficiently than managed honeybees per individual
Hedgerow removal, wildflower loss, and agricultural intensification are primary drivers of decline
Pesticide exposure, particularly neonicotinoids, impairs navigation and reproduction in bees
Urban gardens and green spaces can support substantial native bee diversity if managed appropriately

Welfare Considerations

Wild pollinator welfare encompasses billions of individual insects whose lives involve finding food, shelter, and mates across increasingly fragmented landscapes. Individual bee welfare includes avoiding pesticide poisoning, which can cause prolonged disorientation and death; having adequate floral resources to meet nutritional needs; and finding suitable nesting sites. Population-level welfare concerns include disease transmission from high-density managed beehive operations to wild bees and competition for resources. Supporting wild pollinator welfare and population health requires addressing both landscape-level habitat availability and avoiding pesticide exposure. The scale of individual welfare impact from supporting or harming wild bee populations is extraordinary given population sizes.

What You Can Do

Plant native wildflowers in gardens and remove lawn area in favor of flowering plants
Avoid systemic pesticide use particularly neonicotinoids in home gardens
Provide nesting habitat through bee hotels, bare soil patches, and hollow stems
Support agricultural policies that maintain hedgerows and flower margins on farmland