Syngenta Canada and the Soil Conservation Council of Canada are partnering to expand Operation Pollinator with growers in Western Canada.

Focused on enhancing biodiversity on the farm, the program provides participants the opportunity to redirect land considered to be lower in productivity to the establishment of pollinator-friendly habitats for bees and other insects.

Growers interested in learning more about the program and how to get involved can visit the SCCC website (opens in a new window).

Learn more about the on-farm component of Operation Pollinator:

• Why Get Involved?
• What’s in the Operation Pollinator seed mix?
• Syngenta Canada and the Soil Conservation Council of Canada partner to expand Operation Pollinator program on-farm in Western Canada

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.

• See our four-page document titled "Why Get Involved?"

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.

• Register for Operation Pollinator Golf.

Through the Operation Pollinator program, Syngenta will be launching research partnerships to promote the health of bees and other pollinators.

Syngenta and Dalhousie University, together with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, are partnering on an innovative research project to increase bee populations and blueberry yields in the Maritime Provinces. Read more.

Syngenta Canada is undertaking field-level research this spring to study the compatibility of dust deflectors with planting equipment used by Ontario growers. Deflectors have been found to significantly reduce off-field drift of dust released during planting of insecticide-treated seed. Read more here.

The mandate of Operation Pollinator is to support activities that enhance biodiversity, habitat, and other initiatives that contribute to healthy pollinator populations

This includes working with interested parties who support learning and education about the role pollinators play in creating healthy ecosystems and a sustainable food supply.

4-H Canada and Syngenta Canada are excited to announce the third year of Proud to Bee a 4-H’er, an initiative where 4-H club members learn about bees and other pollinators by planting and tending pollinator-friendly gardens.

Participating 4-H clubs will create and support the establishment of bee-friendly habitats using the Proud to Bee a 4-H’er bee-friendly seed mix. These activities encourage 4-H members to learn all about the amazing and fascinating work of bees, and to get outside and enjoy nature.

Read more about Proud to Bee a 4-H’er.