Pollinators are in decline globally but are responsible for the production of a third of our food crops and 70% of New Zealand native flora.
You probably know a lot about the world's most famous pollinator, the honeybee, a managed insect used mainly for crop pollination. You might not realise that we have wild pollinators such as native bees and hoverflies that can play an equally important role in our ecosystem. A better understanding and the promotion of wild pollinators in Christchurch benefits our biodiversity, food, gardens and native plants.
Over spring and early summer 2018, the Botanic Gardens ran a citizen science project to understand more about the pollinators in wider Christchurch. The data revealed some fascinating information about our pollinating insects and how we can better attract them and cater for them in our home and public gardens. The data was also sent to Plant and Food to assist in their pollination research on commercial crops.
