It’s National Pollinators Week for November 14-21 and it’s not all about bees.

Farmers know that much of agricultural production, and the food we eat, is made possible by the pollination services provided by insects.

While important cereals like wheat, oats and rice are wind pollinated, crops like canola, fruit and nut trees and most vegetable crops rely on insect pollination.

The familiar honeybee gets most of the glory for undertaking this task and is responsible for pollinations of about 35% of food production in Australia, native pollinators – insects and birds – play an important and often unappreciated role in completing the work.