Any animal that is known to directly contribute to the pollination of plants is termed a ‘pollinator’. Globally, this term includes species as diverse as bats, reptiles and birds; however, the most effective pollinators by far are insects, and in the UK all pollinators are insects.
Insect pollination occurs when an insect, foraging for nectar or pollen, transfers pollen from one plant to another. The pollen fertilises the plant, causing new seeds to grow. Why is insect pollination so important? Although insect pollinators may be very small, and many carry out the vital pollination process in a discreet way, often at night, their impact is huge. Insects pollinate more than 80% of flowering plants, including many wildflowers and trees, fruit and vegetables helping to create and maintain habitats, ecosystems and plant populations that many other animals rely on for food and shelter, humans included!
For many people, honeybees are considered to be one of the main insect pollinators. Honeybees are important for pollinating crops and providing honey, but there is only one species of honeybee in the UK and it is a managed or farmed species and therefore, is not facing any serious threat to its numbers and survival. On the other hand, wild insect pollinators play a much more efficient and significant role than honeybees at pollination. There are thousands of different wild pollinating insects, many of which are under great threat or vulnerable because of declining numbers and ranges. Some wild pollinators have very specialised relationships to specific plants, but others are adapted to be plant generalists.
The Cycle of Life of Pollinating Insects | Kent Wildlife Trust
Insect pollination occurs when an insect, foraging for nectar or pollen, transfers pollen from one plant to another. The pollen fertilises the plant, causing new seeds to grow. Why is insect pollination so important? Although insect pollinators may be very small, and many carry out the vital pollination process in a discreet way, often at night, their impact is huge. Insects pollinate more than 80% of flowering plants, including many wildflowers and trees, fruit and vegetables helping to create and maintain habitats, ecosystems and plant populations that many other animals rely on for food and shelter, humans included!
For many people, honeybees are considered to be one of the main insect pollinators. Honeybees are important for pollinating crops and providing honey, but there is only one species of honeybee in the UK and it is a managed or farmed species and therefore, is not facing any serious threat to its numbers and survival. On the other hand, wild insect pollinators play a much more efficient and significant role than honeybees at pollination. There are thousands of different wild pollinating insects, many of which are under great threat or vulnerable because of declining numbers and ranges. Some wild pollinators have very specialised relationships to specific plants, but others are adapted to be plant generalists.
The Cycle of Life of Pollinating Insects | Kent Wildlife Trust