What Pollinates Strawberries

If you’re growing strawberries, you probably want the biggest, juiciest, and most plentiful harvest possible. The secret to getting those perfect, well-formed berries isn’t just sunshine and water—it’s pollination. Understanding what pollinates strawberries is essential for fruit production in your garden.

Without good pollination, you might end up with tiny, misshapen berries or hardly any fruit at all. This process moves pollen from the male parts of the flower to the female parts, kickstarting the growth of the fruit. Let’s look at how it works and how you can help.

Strawberry flowers are designed to attract pollinators. Each flower has both male and female parts, making them “perfect” flowers. This means they can self-pollinate, but they still need help to move the pollen around effectively. The primary agents are insects and wind, with insects doing the heavy lifting.

The Top Insect Pollinators for Your Patch

Many insects visit strawberry flowers, but some are more efficient than others. Here are the main helpers you’ll want to encourage:

Honeybees: These are the most common commercial pollinators. They actively collect pollen and nectar, thoroughly visiting each flower.
Bumblebees: They are excellent pollinators, especially in cooler weather. Their larger size and vibration help release lots of pollen.
Solitary Bees: Species like mason bees and miner bees are gentle and very effective. They tend to focus on one type of flower at a time, which improves pollination.
Flies & Beetles: While not as efficient as bees, various flies and beetles contribute by moving from flower to flower.

Wind’s Role in Pollination

Wind plays a secondary but still helpful role. A gentle breeze can shake the flowers, causing some pollen to fall from the anthers onto the stigma. However, relying solely on wind often leads to poorer fruit set and more deformed berries compared to insect pollination. It’s a helpful backup, not the main event.

Can Strawberries Self-Pollinate?

Technically, yes. A single strawberry flower contains everything it needs to produce fruit. But in practice, the pollen needs to be physically moved. Without assistance—whether from an insect, the wind, or your own hand—the fruit may not form properly. So while they have the capacity, they still need that external trigger.

How to Tell if Your Strawberries Are Well-Pollinated

You can spot the signs of good pollination by looking at the fruit itself. A successfully pollinated strawberry will be:

Uniformly shaped and plump.
Fully red and developed all over.
Have all the tiny seeds (achenes) on the surface fully formed.

Poor pollination results in “nubbins” or small, seedy tips at the end of the berry, or berries that are lopsided and uneven. If you see a lot of these, it’s a clear sign your plants need more pollinator attention.

Attracting More Pollinators to Your Garden

Making your garden a pollinator paradise is the best long-term strategy. Here’s how to roll out the welcome mat:

Plant a Variety of Flowers

Grow flowers that bloom before, during, and after your strawberries. This provides a consistent food source. Great choices include:

Early season: Crocus, rosemary, borage.
Mid-season: Lavender, cosmos, echinacea.
Late season: Sedum, goldenrod, asters.

Provide Water and Shelter

A shallow dish with water and pebbles (for landing spots) gives bees a drink. Leave some bare, undisturbed soil for ground-nesting bees, and consider a small bee house for mason bees.

Avoid Pesticides

Insecticides, even organic ones like neem oil, can harm pollinators. If you must treat for pests, do it in the late evening when bees are less active, and target only the affected plants. Always look for bee-friendly options.

Hand Pollination: A Simple Backup Plan

If you’re growing strawberries indoors, on a balcony, or notice pollinators are scarce, hand pollination is a great solution. It’s simple and ensures every flower gets attention.

Identify the open flowers. Strawberry flowers are open for 1-2 days.
Use a small, soft paintbrush or a cotton swab.
Gently swirl the brush inside the center of each open flower, collecting the yellow pollen.
Move to the next flower and repeat, transferring the pollen. You can go back and forth between flowers for several minutes.
Do this every other day during the main flowering period, ideally around midday when the flowers are fully open.

Common Pollination Problems and Solutions

Sometimes, even with your best efforts, things can go wrong. Here’s how to troubleshoot.

Problem: Lots of Flowers, But Few Berries

This is a classic sign of poor pollination. The weather might be to blame—cold, rainy, or very windy days keep bees grounded. Try hand pollination during dry spells and focus on attracting more native bees, who fly in cooler conditions than honeybees.

Problem: Misshapen or Small Fruit

This happens when not all the pistils (the tiny female parts that become seeds) on a single flower recieve pollen. Each seed stimulates the growth of the flesh around it. Incomplete pollination means incomplete fruit development. Improving pollinator traffic or hand-pollinating will fix this.

Problem: No Pollinators in Sight

If your garden is new or isolated, it make take time for pollinators to find it. In the meantime, be proactive. Plant bright, fragrant flowers as a beacon and seriously consider hand pollination for your first season or two to ensure a crop.

Does Strawberry Variety Affect Pollination?

Yes, it can. Most common June-bearing and everbearing varieties are not fussy and will be pollinated by any of the methods we’ve discussed. However, if you are growing alpine strawberries or some heirloom varieties, they might benefit from cross-pollination with another nearby plant. Always check the requirements of the specific type you buy.

Also, some newer double-petaled or “rose-form” strawberry varieties have such dense flowers that bees can’t easily access the pollen. For the best fruit production, stick with traditional single-petaled flower types, which are much easier for pollinators to work on.

Creating a Pollinator-Friendly Year-Round Habitat

Think beyond the strawberry season. A garden that supports pollinators all year will have a thriving population ready when your strawberries bloom.

Allow some leafy debris and dead plant stems to remain over winter for insect shelter.
Provide a water source that doesn’t dry up in summer.
Avoid overly tidy gardening; a little wildness is very beneficial.

FAQ

Do you need two strawberry plants to pollinate?

No, you do not. Since each flower has both male and female parts, a single plant can pollinate itself. However, having multiple plants often increases pollinator activity in the area, which can lead to better results.

What is the best pollinator for strawberries?

Honeybees and bumblebees are considered the most effective overall. Bumblebees are particularly good because they “buzz pollinate,” vibrating the flower to release more pollen, and they work in poorer weather conditions.

How can I improve strawberry pollination naturally?

The best natural method is to plant a diverse range of flowering plants that bloom throughout the growing season. This attracts and sustains a healthy population of native bees and other beneficial insects right in your garden.

Will strawberries pollinate without bees?

They can, but the results are often inferior. Wind can provide some pollination, and hand pollination is a very effective human-assisted method. But for a carefree, abundant harvest, encouraging bees is the most effective path.

Getting a great strawberry harvest is deeply connected to successful pollination. By knowing what pollinates strawberries and taking steps to support those creatures, you set the stage for a season of sweet, abundant fruit. It’s a wonderful partnership between gardener, plant, and pollinator.