Minnesota's Pollinators

bee flying near purple flowers
 

Pollinators aid plant reproduction by moving pollen from flower to flower. Many flowering plants need help from animal pollinators to set seed or produce fruit, while others rely on wind, water, or gravity. Insect pollinators in Minnesota include hundreds of species of bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, and beetles. Bees are excellent pollinators because they collect pollen on purpose for their young and have body structures and hair perfectly designed for this purpose. Minnesota is home to about 500 bee species! Other flower-visiting insects and hummingbirds may incidentally move pollen among flowers as they forage for nectar or pollen. Bats are important pollinators in some parts of the world, but Minnesota’s bats are insectivorous and are not known to pollinate flowers.

Pollinators are found where they can find their favorite flowering plants and nearby nesting locations, including prairies, forests, wetlands, and residential yards. Pollinators face many conservation challenges including habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide exposure, climate change, diseases, parasites, and low genetic diversity. Some species, like the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinisand Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae), are known to be declining, but the conservation status of many others is unknown due to lack of data.

Pollinator work at the Minnesota DNR

DNR staff support pollinators through:

  • Managing pollinator habitat. DNR land managers follow Pollinator Best Management Practices and Habitat Restoration Guidelines to ensure an appropriate diversity of native plants for pollinators through the growing season.

  • Surveying and research. Minnesota Biological Survey staff record observations of native bees across the state, including those that rely on specific plants for food . Nongame specialists and regional ecologists also survey pollinator species and their habitats.

  • Species protections. The DNR revises the state lists of threatened, endangered, and special concern species. It also publishes a State Wildlife Action Plan every ten years. In the latest revision, pollinating insects received more attention than ever before, including 242 bee species designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

  • Education and outreach. DNR staff get the word out about pollinators at state parks and many outreach events including the annual Pollinator Day at the State Fair.

  • Cross-agency collaboration. The DNR is one of the ten agencies represented on the Interagency Pollinator Protection Team, which reports annually on pollinator conservation actions undertaken across the state.

How you can help pollinators

The number one way to help pollinators is to plant a variety of flowers native to your area. Choose multiple plants that bloom in each season – spring, summer, fall – so that there is always pollen and nectar available. Avoid using pesticides, and leave areas with dead wood, leaf litter, soft soil, bunch grasses, and hollow stems that insects use for shelter and nesting sites. Roadsides and drainage ditches can count as habitat too!

You may also consider participating in a community science project to help collect data about pollinators and their habitats, or help fund pollinator conservation by choosing the critical habitat license plate featuring our state bee and butterfly. Small actions can make a big difference for pollinators!

General Pollinator Information
Pollinator-friendly Planting Resources
Community Science Opportunities
Bee Identification

Questions about Pollinators

Contact:
Christina Locke, Pollinator Conservation Coordinator, 651-259-5074

Back to top