Pollinator Week: Native Pollinators and Agriculture in Ontario

Pollinators are more than just springtime visitors; they’re vital to keeping Ontario’s ecosystems and agricultural systems thriving. From bees and butterflies to bats and hummingbirds, these key players help maintain biodiversity, support food production, and sustain healthy landscapes. Yet, despite their importance, they’re in serious trouble. Globally, pollinators are responsible for reproducing 75% of flowering plants and pollinating 35% of global food crops¹. In Ontario, more than three-fourths of the province’s crops rely on pollinators, including alfalfa, apples, blueberries, canola, cherries, cucumbers, melons, squashes, peaches, plums, and more². Farms provide native pollinators with habitats for foraging and nesting, while pollinators provide essential pollination services to crops³.

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)⁴ found that more than one-fifth of pollinator species in North America are at risk of extinction. In Canada, over 10% of the 759 species studied are threatened. The U.S. numbers are even more alarming, with 22.5% of 1,579 species facing some level of risk. Bees are the most vulnerable group. Among the 472 bee species studied, over one-third (34.7%) are at risk, including 10 bee species listed as critically imperiled. While flower flies and beetles are relatively secure, all three pollinating bat species are at risk. Hummingbirds are declining too, though their populations remain stable enough not to be classified as threatened. Bees, however,  are the most prolific and efficient pollinators in agriculture, and only a small number of native bee species are responsible for most crop pollination³. Many others thrive in the natural areas found throughout farms. 

Ontario, with its diverse geography and vast boreal forests, provides more stability for some species, but certain pollinators that rely on rare habitats in southern Ontario, the Prairies, or B.C.’s Okanagan Valley are more vulnerable due to human impact, habitat fragmentation, and climate change⁵. Urban development, pesticide drift, and shifting weather patterns continue to put pressure on these already-fragile populations⁴. As many pollinators rely on a limited range of plants, the loss of just a few species can disrupt plant reproduction and reduce overall biodiversity⁴.