Pollinator Habitat Creation and Management

Creating and managing habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators supports their welfare and the ecosystem services they provide.

Key Facts

Over 40% of insect pollinator species globally are threatened with extinction
Diverse native plantings provide more welfare-relevant nutrition than monoculture or exotic flowers
Year-round food availability requires a succession of flowering species from early spring through late autumn
Nesting habitat is as important as food for wild bee populations
Chemical-free garden management eliminates sublethal pesticide exposure that impairs bee navigation

Welfare Considerations

Pollinator habitat creation and management addresses the welfare of wild bees and other insects by providing the resources they need for nutrition, reproduction, and survival. Wild bees forage from diverse flowering plants that provide a complete nutritional profile. Creating year-round food resources with successive flowering periods, providing nesting habitat including bare soil and hollow stems, and eliminating pesticide exposure creates conditions where pollinator welfare can be maintained at landscape scale through individual and collective action.

What You Can Do

Plant diverse native flowering plants providing year-round pollen and nectar resources
Leave areas of bare soil, dead plant stems, and dry wood for nesting habitat
Eliminate all pesticide use in your garden especially systemic products
Mow less frequently and allow patches of wildflowers to develop in lawns
Support agricultural policies requiring wildflower strips and pollinator habitat on farmland