Conservation & Ecology Articles
Water features: A cornerstone of conservation
26 June 2026
Sustainability Articles
The pollinator boost grounds teams can deliver this summer
Bees are struggling, expectations are rising and budgets aren’t getting bigger. Turf professionals need clear, workable actions - not theory.
Chipping Sodbury Golf Club in Bristol complimented with a carnival of colours after the introduction of wildflower seed from DLF. Image courtesy of Craig Swindells.
This guide shows how small, targeted changes can boost pollinators without compromising playing standards.
Pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies underpin healthy ecosystems, supporting wildflowers, hedgerows and food crops. Sports grounds - with their margins, banks and out‑of‑play areas - can provide vital foraging and nesting habitat during the peak summer period.
Supporting pollinators doesn’t require dramatic change. Simple adjustments to how we manage boundaries and low‑priority zones can deliver real biodiversity gains while maintaining a professional appearance.
Creating foraging habitat
The key resource pollinators need is a steady supply of nectar and pollen. A mix of flowering species ensures blooms from early summer into autumn.
Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) are widespread throughout Britain and Ireland.
Wildflower areas - on banks, surrounds or unused corners - are effective even at modest scale. Native species such as bird’s‑foot trefoil, red clover, ox‑eye daisy, scabious and knapweed are reliable performers. Establishment takes patience: perennials often show limited first‑year growth, and low‑fertility soils give best results. Once established, a single autumn cut is usually enough.
Where new sowing isn’t practical, reducing mowing in selected margins allows existing plants like clover, selfheal and dandelions to flower. This provides instant benefit with no establishment cost.
Rethinking weeds
Plants often labelled as weeds - dandelions, clover, buttercups - are valuable nectar sources. In non‑play areas they cause no agronomic issues. Reducing herbicide use in these zones allows them to contribute positively, while playing surfaces continue to receive the high‑intensity management they require.
Will wildflowers spread into the playing surface? Not if areas are well defined and fertility remains low. Most wildflower species struggle to compete with intensively managed turf.
Providing nesting habitat
Foraging resources are only part of the equation. Pollinators also need suitable nesting sites to complete their life cycles. Different species have different requirements, but the common theme is undisturbed ground and vegetation.
Many solitary bee species nest in bare or sparsely vegetated soil. South-facing banks, areas of compacted ground and even gaps in paving can provide suitable sites. Avoiding unnecessary disturbance in these areas during the nesting season, roughly March through to August, allows successful reproduction.
Bumblebees often nest in tussocky grass, abandoned rodent burrows, or at the base of hedgerows. Allowing some areas of longer grass to remain uncut through summer provides the structural habitat these species require. Log piles, left to decay naturally in quiet corners, also support nesting bumblebees and numerous other invertebrates.
Hedgerows themselves are valuable features, providing both foraging and nesting opportunities. Hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple and wild privet all produce flowers that pollinators use, while the dense structure offers sheltered nesting sites. Delaying hedgerow cutting until late summer, after the main flowering and nesting period has concluded, maximises their ecological value.
Will this make the site look untidy? Managed margins, clear signage, and defined edges keep biodiversity areas looking intentional and professional.
Reducing chemical inputs
Pesticides remain a pressure on pollinators. Integrated pest management - targeted treatments, avoiding blanket spraying, and avoiding applications during flowering - reduces risk. Fungicides and herbicides can indirectly affect pollinators by limiting flowering plants, so apply only where necessary.
Monitoring and recording
Understanding which pollinator species are using the site allows management to be refined over time. Simple recording, noting which species are observed and which plants they’re visiting, builds valuable knowledge. Photographs make identification easier and create a visual record of progress.
Many local recording schemes welcome data from sports grounds. Contributing observations helps build a broader picture of pollinator populations and demonstrates the sector’s commitment to conservation.
Birds foot trefoil (lotus corniculatus).
Supporting pollinators is straightforward, inexpensive, and increasingly expected within our industry. Small changes in how we manage our margins can make a meaningful difference to species under pressure, while maintaining the playing surfaces our users expect.
A practical overview of when key pollinator supporting actions align with the turf management year.
March-April. Avoid disturbing south facing banks; identify early flowering species already present; mark potential reduced mow zones.
May-June. Peak emergence period; reduce mowing in selected margins; avoid herbicide use in non play areas.
July-August. Maintain long grass refuges; protect nesting sites; continue photographic monitoring.
September-October. Carry out annual wildflower cut; remove arisings to maintain low fertility; review species success.
November-February. Plan seed purchases; map habitat zones; undertake hedgerow work outside nesting season.
