Homes for Plants and Pollinators
From gardens and forests, pollinators rely on diverse habitats for food, shelter and breeding. By supporting pollinators, these habitats also support us, helping grow the food we eat, maintaining healthy ecosystems and sustaining biodiversity.
Habitats, Ecosystems, and Environments
A habitat is the home of a living thing.
An ecosystem is many living and non-living things working together.
An environment is made up of all ecosystems and habitats in an area.
Why do homes for pollinators matter?
Have you ever wondered how you get your honey on toast, your cereal in the morning, or the vegetables on your plate for dinner?
Think about what you had for breakfast today and where the food came from:
- Cereal or toast? - Both come from plants
- Honey on your toast? - Made by bees using nectar collected from flowers
- Fruit or juice? - Grown from flowers that were pollinated
Pollinators are essential for our survival because they help plants make fruits and seeds. Pollinators transfer energy from plants to animals, linking whole ecosystems together. By protecting their homes, we also protect our own food supply.
Homes for native bees
Not all bees live in big hives. Some bees nest inside tree hollows, like the native sugarbag stingless bee. Most native Australian bees are solitary, which means they live alone.
They have some amazing ways of making homes:
- Teddy bear bees and blue-banded bees dig burrows in soft soil, sandstone, or even cracks in brick walls
- Leafcutter bees snip perfect circles from leaves to line their nests in holes or burrows
- Resin bees use sticky plant resin to seal up their nests in cracks or bits of timber
[Image: Australian Blue-banded bee and lavender flower]
Bees can only survive if they have the right places to nest.
Threats to pollinators
Many Australian pollinators are under threat because of:
- Loss of habitat – when forests, bushland, and wetlands are cleared
- Pesticides and chemicals – which harm insects and the flowers they feed on
- Climate change – which changes flowering times and reduces food sources
- Diseases and pests – especially for native bees and flying foxes
Some species, like the grey-headed flying fox and several native bee species, are now listed as ‘threatened’. This means that without our care and action, these animals might disappear and so will the plants they pollinate.
How can we help pollinators?
Everyone can make a difference by respecting and understanding the importance of pollinators.
Grow the right plants
- Plant native flowers, shrubs, and trees that provide nectar and pollen
- Include plants that flower at different times of year so there is always food available
- In a vegetable garden, let some herbs flower to provide food for pollinators
Create safe and reliable nesting habitats
- Leave parts of the garden ‘wild’ with old plant stems, logs, decomposing wood, rocks, bare soil, and leaf litter for insects to find shelter
- Provide a shallow water dish with pebbles for pollinators to safely land and drink
- Avoid using pesticides or chemicals that harm pollinators
- If a swarm of bees visits your yard, give them space - they will usually move on in a few days. If concerned, call a beekeeper (not pest control).
Build and protect pollinator homes
- Keep a stingless beehive in your garden
- Make bee hotels from bundles of hollow sticks, bamboo, or drilled wood for solitary native bees
- Make a butterfly and moth garden with host plants for caterpillars and nectar plants for adults
- Make insect hotels by providing sheltered spaces made from natural materials where beetles, flies, and other insects can rest.
- Protect tall flowering trees and roosting sites where colonies of flying foxes rest during the day
- Join a local planting or habitat-restoration group to help create safe homes for pollinators in the community
By providing food, water, and shelter, we give pollinators a better chance to survive and keep helping plants.
Activities
Learn which bees make honey, which are endangered, and why every bee matters for pollination.
1.Read the bee names below and notice how they are different:
- Honey bee – European bee often seen in gardens
- Sugarbag bee – native stingless bee
- Blue-banded bee – native bee with bright blue stripes
- Leafcutter bee – native bee that cuts circles from leaves for its nest
2. Think about what you already know about bees and then do some research and find out:
- Which of these bees make honey?
- Which of these bees are under threat?
3. Create a table with three columns labelled:
- Bee name
- Makes Honey / Doesn’t Make Honey
- Endangered / Not Endangered
4. Share your chart or drawing with a friend and explain why it is important to protect all bees—not just the ones that make honey.
Answer Key (for teachers/ optional resource)
- Honey bee (European honey bee) – They make lots of honey. Not native, not endangered, but can spread pests and compete with native bees.
- Sugarbag bee (native stingless bee) – They make tiny amounts of honey. Threatened by habitat loss, land clearing, and climate change.
- Blue-banded bee native) – No honey for people, but excellent pollinators. Some species are declining due to habitat loss and pesticides.
- Leafcutter bees (native) – No honey but pollinate plants by cutting and lining nests with leaves. Some species declining where their host plants are lost.
Create a safe home for insects and small pollinators, then observe who moves in!
By building a hotel, you are helping pollinators survive and continue their important job of pollination. You are also supporting the whole ecosystem, because pollinators are part of food chains and habitats.
- Collect materials: a container (e.g. tin can, wooden box, or plant pot), small hollow sticks (e.g. bamboo), leaves, pinecones, twigs, and bits of bark.
- Place the container on its side so the opening faces out like a little cave.
- Fill the container tightly with the natural materials so the sticks and twigs don’t wobble. Try to make different ‘rooms’ inside with a mix of sticks, leaves, and bark.
- Choose the best location for the pollinator hotel: a spot with sun and shade, near flowers and water, under some cover so it won’t fill with rain, and steady so it won’t tip over.
- Watch who arrives! Native bees may use the hollow sticks, while ladybirds, beetles, and flies can hide in leaf spaces. Crickets and millipedes might like the bark or straw.
Check the hotel regularly. Can you spot any new visitors?
Record who you see and how often they visit.
What role do these creatures play in the garden ecosystem? Are they pollinators, decomposers, or food for other animals in the food chain?
Build Your Own Bee Hotel - Greater Sydney Parklands
Build Your Own Bee Hotel RBGSYD: https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/discover-and-learn/curious-kids/insect-hotel
Grow a plant inside a recycled glass jar and see how a greenhouse can help a plant to survive.
Greenhouses protect plants from being eaten or damaged and help them grow faster and healthier. This supports pollinators too, because strong plants produce more flowers, nectar, and pollen for them to feed on.
Materials: Glass jar with lid, soil, seed or small seedling
- Create a plant journal booklet to record the process and stages of your plant growth.
- Find a recycled glass jar with a lid. Fill it by about one-third with soil.
- Use a small stick to make a hole in the centre of the soil.
- Place a seed or small seedling in the hole and gently pat the soil around it.
- Write the plant’s name and the date on a craft stick and place it in the jar as a label.
- Give the plant a little water — the soil should feel damp but not soggy.
- Put the lid on the jar and place it in a semi-sunny spot. The closed jar will act like a greenhouse by keeping warmth and moisture inside.
- Check the greenhouse every few days. Add a small amount of water if the soil looks dry.
- When the plant is strong enough, take it out of the jar and plant it outside in a garden or school habitat area to support pollinators.
- Watch how the plant changes over time. Can you spot when it grows new leaves or flowers? Ask yourself - How does protecting plants help pollinators, food chains, and the whole ecosystem?
Image 1 & 2: Centennial Parklands
“Build your own insect Hotel” RBGSYD https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/discover-and-learn/curious-kids/insect-hotel