 Melaleuca are mostly pollinated by insects, including the introduced honey bee ("Apis mellifera"), flies, beetles, wasps and thrips.Birds such as lorikeets and honeyeaters as well as bats often visit the flowers and are probably also pollinators.Some species of "Melaleuca", especially "M. alternifolia", are cultivated for the production of tea tree oil, and in plantations are susceptible to a number of insect pests.