Pollinating insects are a vital part of the natural ecosystem. They are responsible for the successful pollination of a wide range of plants that provide essential food sources for birds and animals, as well as the pollination of many fruit, vegetable and oilseed food crops such as canola.
Brantford Golf & Country Club and Cutten Fields were the first two Canadian golf courses to work with Syngenta on a pilot project to transform out-of-play areas into improved habitats for bees and other pollinators. The program, named Operation Pollinator, is designed to support insect pollinators on golf courses.
Research has demonstrated that Operation Pollinator plots can result in an increase in overall abundance and diversity of butterfly and bee species. The program has grown to include a number of Operation Pollinator Ambassador Golf Courses across Canada, including:
Batteaux Creek Golf Club, Collingwood, ON
Brantford Golf & Country Club, Brantford, ON
Connaught Golf Club, Medicine Hat, AB
Cutten Fields, Guelph, ON
Flamborough Hills Golf Club, Flamborough, ON
Legends on the Niagara, Niagara Falls, ON
Scenic Woods Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, ON
Springbank Links Golf Club, Calgary, AB
Sunningdale Golf & Country Club, London, ON
St. Catherine's Golf & Country Club, St. Catherines, ON
St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, St. Thomas, ON
Whirlpool Golf Course, Niagara Falls, ON
Why Get Involved?
Wildflowers provide a colourful visual enhancement for golf courses, particularly with native species selected to fit into the local environment. Operation Pollinator seed mix aims to provide a succession of flowering plants that provides a continual source of pollen and nectar for pollinators as well as an ever changing visual for players.
Syngenta will provide participating golf courses with a custom-blended seed mix of native wildflowers to establish Operation Pollinator areas. Golf courses can use this seed and other management practices to create pollen and nectar-rich habitats in out-of-play areas.