Make Space for Nature - Pollinators

Why are we creating pollinator patches?

Several schools and community gardens across the Isle of Man have worked hard to create pollinator patches over the winter of 2024/25. They have used a mix of seeds blended specifically for Manx soil that doesn't compete with our native wildflowers in the Isle of Man. Volunteers have grown and saved the seed from some Manx native flowers to supplement the mix.

Thanks to funding from renewable energy company Ørsted, Manx Wildlife Trust is helping to trial this seed mix to make sure it is great for wildlife, works well in a nature friendly way, without the need for herbicides, pesticides or peat and provides a beautiful, long lasting and low maintenance display.

We want to create lots of spaces where people live, work and go to school, that are brilliant for people and wildlife. We look forward to keeping you updated on how the pollinator patches are looking!

What do pollinators do for us?

We have pollinators to thank for every third mouthful we eat. Not only do they pollinate our food crops, but they’re also vital for the survival of other wild plants that support so much of our wildlife.

Most of us tend to think of bees in relation to pollination, yet insect pollinators are an incredibly diverse group. Honeybees are mostly kept in managed hives, and are likely responsible for pollinating between 5-15% of the UK's insect-pollinated crops. That leaves 85-95% of the UK’s insect-pollinated crops relying on wild pollinators. Many species of bee, wasp, moth, butterfly, hoverfly, fly and beetle provide an essential service in the Isle of Man (and globally) pollinating £690 million worth of crops annually. Taking over this job ourselves would be difficult and time-consuming and would cost us an estimated £1.8 billion every year!

Five simple actions 

Here are five simple actions you can take at home to help pollinators:

1. Plant for pollinators: Grow more nectar-rich flowers, shrubs and trees to provide for pollinators throughout the year. 
2. Let your garden grow wild: Leaving patches of land to grow wild let wildflowers grow and make great nesting and feeding sites. 
3. Put away the pesticide: They can harm pollinators and many other beneficial invertebrates. Consider alternatives and only use pesticides as a last resort.
4. Leave the lawnmower: Cut your grass less often, and remove cuttings to let plants flower. 
5. Build a bee hotel and avoid disturbing or destroying nesting or hibernating insects in grass margins, bare soil, hedgerows, trees, dead wood or walls.