Canadian fans of Honey Nut Cheerios may notice something different about their favourite cereal over the next few weeks.

Buzz, the cereal’s cheerful bee mascot, has been temporarily removed from boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios to raise awareness about the threats to bees and other pollinators.

Pollinators play a vital role in food production and are an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem, but have recently come under siege from threats such as pesticides, disease and habitat loss.

Research has shown individuals can help bolster wild bee populations by planting wildflowers. To that end, Cheerios, in conjunction with Canadian seed retailer Vesey, will send everyone who enters their contest a free package of wildflower seeds to plant at home this spring. Five winners will also be chosen to receive a $5,000 garden makeover.

“We felt like we wanted to do something to help and we wanted to find a way to make sure all Canadians could do something to help,” Amanda Hsueh, associate marketing director at General Mills Canada, told the Toronto Star.

Want to take your bee-friendly garden to the next level? Learn how to build a ‘bee hotel.’

Related: How urban ‘bee hotels’ help solitary bees