Pollinators: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

Whenever you take a bite into a crisp apple, say thanks to the bee who made your delicious snack possible. Apple trees are one of more than 1,000 food crops that depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. Because many plants rely on pollinators to produce a fruit or seed, we need pollinators to ensure a stable crop production and a fully stocked kitchen.

Discover which animals are pollinators, how pollinators help our food grow and how we can help protect these vital animals.

What’s a pollinator?

Pollination is a part of plant reproduction when pollen is moved from one part of a flower to another. Some plants self-pollinate or use wind or water to reproduce. But many need help from animals.

How does pollination work?

Let’s look at one of the most famous pollinators: the honey bee. Bees collect nectar from flowers and, in the process, they collect pollen on their hind legs. Honeybees often travel from flower to flower, so when they move on to the next flower, they’re inadvertently transferring the pollen from the first flower to the second. Because bees tend to focus on one plant species at a time, they’re great pollinators as they fly from one flower to the next. Once a flower receives pollen via a honeybee, the flower is then able to produce fruit or seeds.

When does pollination occur?

With flowers in bloom, spring and summer may seem like the obvious time for pollination to occur, but pollination is a year-round process. Early blooms in spring provide food for pollinators, with peak pollination in summer. And later fall blooms help pollinators gear up for winter hibernation in decaying plants.

Unusual pollinators

Many different animals are pollinators, including bees, butterflies, flies and hummingbirds. More than 100,000 invertebrates and 1,000 amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles are pollinators. Some animals you may not realize are pollinators include:

Bats’ long snouts and tongues help them collect nectar in many flowering fruits.
Beetles are one of the oldest pollinators in the world and enjoy magnolias and spicebush.
Honey possums are tiny marsupials in Australia that feed on the nectar of eucalyptus and banksia.
Lemurs in Madagascar inadvertently pollinate when they’re eating tree flowers. The pollen gets stuck on their muzzles and fur and then is transferred when they head to another flower.
Moths visit night-blooming flowers, such as yucca and gardenia.
Reptiles can be pollinators too! When geckos and lizards drink nectar from flowering trees, pollen sticks on their scales in the process. As they go from tree to tree, they spread the pollen around.

Why do we need pollinators?

Pollinators are essential to plant reproduction and therefore production of seeds, fruits and vegetables. One in every three bites of food you eat, or 35% of all the world’s food crops, are possible because of pollination.

Some crops that rely on pollinators include almonds, avocados, blueberries, cacao, coffee, eggplants, limes, tomatoes and vanilla.

Healthy habitats are vital to keeping these pollinators happy and healthy. Their role in the ecosystem goes beyond the animal kingdom. Pollinators are in decline worldwide because of threats, such as disease, habitat loss and pesticide poisoning.

How you can help pollinators

You can help pollinators thrive by taking steps in your own backyard.

Plant native plants. Discover which plants are native to your area and are great for pollinators with this free ecoregional planting guide. Plus, get tips on how to create a garden for wildlife.
Include a diversity of plants in your yard. Choose plant varieties of different heights, sizes and growing seasons to ensure there are plenty of opportunities for a year-round pollination cycle. As an added bonus, this will ensure you’ll always have something blooming!
Limit pesticides. Planting native plants will help attract beneficial insects and will reduce your need to spray pest control.
Build a bat box. Bats are great pollinators, but they need homes too! If your area doesn’t have mature trees, these boxes can provide the home bats need. Learn how to build a bat box.