Operation Pollinator™ is a global biodiversity programme developed by Syngenta, to promote the health and wellbeing of bees and other pollinators on commercial farms, given their essential role in agriculture and nature.

Operation Pollinator™ is active in more than 40 countries. In New Zealand, Syngenta have partnered with Plant & Food Research to investigate ways to improve the range of pollinators in local kiwifruit orchards.

Many commercial growers rely on honeybees for pollination but research has shown that native plant habitats can support a range of species such as native bees, wasps, beetles, bumble bees and flies that also contribute to pollination. Other insects can also be beneficial such as pest predators and parasitoids, and invertebrates that break down organic matter.

Plant & Food Research have developed recommendations as part of this project, for planting native shrubs and trees close to kiwifruit canopies to create a habitat that encourages a wide range of pollinating insects, while reducing the likelihood of harbouring known kiwifruit pests. Planted sites are monitored annually over flowering to assess changes to insect diversity.

Follow Syngenta New Zealand, as we work with Plant & Food Research and other key partners, with the aim to provide kiwifruit growers confidence they can improve their orchard biodiversity through planting native habitats.