Bee the Change: How You Can Support Pollinators in Canada
- Jun 13, 2025
- Learn
- 5 min read
Have you heard the buzz about bees? While most Canadians think of honey when they hear about bees producing food, these powerful pollinators are essential workers throughout our agriculture industry.
As they fly from flower to flower, collecting pollen and nectar to feed their young, they’re also providing a vital pollination service that enables plants to produce seeds and fruit. Bees are particularly effective pollinators thanks to their hairy bodies, which trap pollen, and their behavior of visiting the same type of flower in one trip.
This natural process is highlighted on one of our latest coins, Nature’s Delight: Honey Bee. This fine silver piece features a layered design that artfully connects the pollinator with its pollen source and its honeycomb.
With help from Dr. Samuel Robinson, a sustainable agriculture researcher with Ducks Unlimited Canada, let’s explore more about how bees (and other pollinators) contribute to our food production and how we can help them thrive.
Have you heard the buzz about bees? While most Canadians think of honey when they hear about bees producing food, these powerful pollinators are essential workers throughout our agriculture industry.
As they fly from flower to flower, collecting pollen and nectar to feed their young, they’re also providing a vital pollination service that enables plants to produce seeds and fruit. Bees are particularly effective pollinators thanks to their hairy bodies, which trap pollen, and their behavior of visiting the same type of flower in one trip.
This natural process is highlighted on one of our latest coins, Nature’s Delight: Honey Bee. This fine silver piece features a layered design that artfully connects the pollinator with its pollen source and its honeycomb.
With help from Dr. Samuel Robinson, a sustainable agriculture researcher with Ducks Unlimited Canada, let’s explore more about how bees (and other pollinators) contribute to our food production and how we can help them thrive.
More than honey, key crops and money
In Canada, a diverse group of native and non-native bees pollinate a variety of crops, including apples, berries, and tomatoes. Without them, many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy could become scarce and expensive.
“We have a lot of different kinds of crops that are important to human nutrition. Tree fruit and berry crops in Canada are heavily reliant on pollinators,” explains Dr. Robinson.
In economic terms, pollinators contribute billions of dollars annually to Canadian agriculture, ultimately contributing to one-third of the foods we eat. Their value goes far beyond money though—they support biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.
Help them thrive near your hive
“If we want to help bees, we need to provide food and habitat sources. So, these are undisturbed wild spaces, and they don’t need to be enormous,” advises Dr. Robinson.
Not everyone needs a farm or a large garden to create a haven for local pollinators. Whether you have a backyard, balcony, or even a small windowsill, there are easy ways to contribute to their survival.
Plant native flowers: Choose a variety of native plants that bloom at different times of the year to provide continuous food sources for pollinators.
Avoid pesticides: Many pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, are harmful to bees. Consider nature-based solutions for pest control to reduce reliance on chemicals. This could include natural deterrents like garlic spray, or natural predators like ladybird beetles (ladybugs), wasps, spiders, and hoverflies.
Minimal soil disturbance: Bare earth, dead wood, and leaf litter offer nesting sites for native ground-dwelling bees.
A parade of other pollinators
While bees get the most attention, Canada is home to a rich variety of pollinators that play key roles in ecosystems.
“While bees do the bulk of pollination in Canada, flies, moths, butterflies, and even hummingbirds contribute as well,” Dr. Robinson notes.
Monarch butterflies: These regal orange-and-black butterflies are famous for their extensive migration between Canada and Mexico. Monarchs rely on milkweed for breeding, making it a crucial plant to include in pollinator gardens.
Hummingbirds: Common in eastern Canada, the ruby-throated hummingbird is a key pollinator of tubular flowers like columbine and bee balm.
Other insects: Flies, beetles, and moths also contribute to pollination. Hoverflies, for example, are excellent pollinators and often mistaken for bees.
They collect pollen, you collect the coin
Here’s hoping these tips will help you support bees in your part of the country! It’s easy to see why they’re such an intriguing insect to observe. As Dr. Robinson says, “they’re incredibly cool!”
Add a stunning tribute to these winged wonders to your collection with our Nature’s Delight: Honey Bee coin.
Looking to learn even more? Check out Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Pollinator Webinar hosted by Dr. Robinson.
