Avid gardener , homeowner and farmers — large and small — revere the Apis mellifera and her native first cousin ( such as thebumblebee , mason bee and various wasps ) for their ability to pollinate crop . right pollination of crops yield enceinte harvest , and what ’s not to like about that ? But did you hump that there ’s something in it for the honeybee , too ?
How Pollination Works
For such a decisive issue , the process of pollenation is deceivingly simple . A yield - bearing plant will produce brightly colored flowers intend to attractpollinators . When the heyday blooms , pollenation may start . The manly part of the flower , called the stamen , produces the pollen . The center “ theme ” rising up through the center field of the flower is the female part , called the pistil . At the top of the pistil is a sticky part , called the stigma , and this is where pollen must cease up in order for the plant to set yield . seminal fluid , which will eventually become the plant ’s fruit or harvest , are made in the ovule , which is at the radix of the distaff pistil , and will only grow if the flower is properly cross-pollinate .
So how does the pollen reach the stigma ? This is where our friend the honeybee comes in . Covering her body are tiny hairs that amass pollen . As she float from flower to flower , her dead body rubs up against the stamen , gathering pollen . A meddling worker out in the field can often be spotted with tiny yellow , orangish , red or even purple ( count on the cultivar ) particles of pollen cover her body . She then visits another blossom , where she transfer the pollen to the mark of the next flower , pollinating it . The seeds at in the pistil ’s ovule can now get down to grow into fruit .
It ’s a clean trick , is n’t it ? The Apis mellifera is belike not aware of how crucial a role she plays in this process . She is initially draw to the nectar produced by the flowers , and the pollenation appendage looks like inadvertent . One of the most incredible things about the whole dance is that there is no risk of cross - pollution of different crops beause a single forager bee out in the field will only visit one variety of flora per flight .
What’s In It For The Honeybee?
So what else does the Apis mellifera get out of this deal ? She seems to work out a lot for the flowers , who , admittedly sit quietly and wait her work . Well , ambrosia , for one . The honeybee collects nectar from the flowers and yield it to the beehive , where her baby store it into mobile phone , add special enzyme , fan it with their wings , and rick it into honey .
She also nonplus any surplus pollen out of the deal , which is quite a perk . When the forage honeybee takes a respite , she cleans her body with her back legs . As she does so , the pollen collects into tiny balls on the tops of her back legs , name “ pollen baskets . ” She carries these baskets home with her to the hive , where they are hive away in cells , and fed to all member of the hive . While beloved render the saccharide source to honeybee , through the wintertime and all year round , pollen , which has more protein pound for pound than beef , provide the bulk of her nutrition . The more potpourri in flowering plants in the dependency ’s foraging radius , the more mixed bag of pollen the bees consume , and the better the beehive ’s health . Everybody pull ahead .
