What's the buzz in your backyard? Help us find out!

Drone flyTo bee, or not to bee

Pollinators are in decline globally but are responsible for the production of a third of our food crops and 70% of New Zealand native flora. 

You probably know a lot about the world's most famous pollinator, the honeybee, a managed insect used mainly for crop pollination. You might not realise that we have wild pollinators such as native bees and hoverflies that can play an equally important role in our ecosystem. A better understanding and the promotion of wild pollinators in Christchurch will benefit our biodiversity, our food, our gardens and our native plants.

Help us out by observing pollinators and plants in your garden between October and December. Your data will help us understand how to attract the most diverse range of pollinators to Christchurch gardens and will also assist Plant and Food in their pollination research!

Get involved

Download and print off the instructions and ID guide [PDF, 4.5 MB] to help you identify pollinators.

Head into your garden and choose a flowering plant to observe for ten minutes. Jot down whatever you see land on the flower using this tally sheet [PDF, 69 KB].

If you see something you don't recognise, take a photo and send it as part of your survey or to the email below. 

Repeat as often as you like between October 1 and December 31.

Backyard Buzz survey

We want to know what kind of pollinators are in your backyard.

Start survey

Join our mailing list

How to ID pollinators

How to make your garden pollinator friendly

If you have any questions, email us at BackyardBiodiversity@ccc.govt.nz