Bees and Flowers

Did you know?

“It is as much in the interest of a flowering plant to have a bee or other suitable insect visit it as it is for the bee to visit the flower, since the plant relies on such visits to propagate its particular species.  The most obvious external features of typical insect-attracting flowers are their colour and their scent, since both help the bee to detect the flower from a distance.  Some of the orchids (such as the bee orchid) have evolved petal shapes or other flower parts that closely resemble the females of the insects they wish to attract.  When a male insect lands on the flower in a vain attempt to mate with it, it naturally helps to pollinate the flower in the process.  Some flowers have special ‘landing stages’, making it easier for insects to approach the flower, and a few have devices that only trigger access into the flower when the correct sort of insect lands.  The long, tube-like petals of the flowers of white dead-nettle are the method of ensuring that only the ‘correct’ type of bee pollinates it; in this instance the bee in question is the red carder bee (Bombus Ruderarius), a type of bumblebee with a long tongue designed to penetrate deep down inside the flower to reach the nectar.”  (Hall p.51-54, 2010.)

Did you know?

“Flowers have bright markings and attractive fragrances to attract bees and other insects to them so that pollination will take place.  Some also have dark lines known as ‘honeyguides’, which are believed to help insects find their way into the flowers themselves.”  (Hall p.59, 2010.)

Did you know?

“Much as wine is affected by the terroir, or complete environment in which the grapes are produced, such as soil, topography and climate, so honey with different tastes, smells, colours and textures will also result from the types of flowers visited by bees, especially when one particular plant predominates in an area, i.e., heather, clover, orange blossom, etc.  Other honeys, however, can be delicious blends of many different floral sources such as wildflowers.  (Hall p.59, 2010.)

Did you know?

“As we have seen, bees feed on pollen and nectar.  The pollen covers the male flower parts, the anthers and, to a lesser degree, also the filamentous stamens that support the anthers.  The bee gathers up this light, dusty substance as it moves about inside the flower, in the process inevitably transferring some pollen it has already collected from other flowers to the female parts.  The sweet, sugary nectar is produced in special flower glands called nectaries, located at the base of the perianth.  Plants that are less discriminating when it comes to the insects that visit them usually have easily accessible nectaries, whereas those that are more specific in their choice may have nectaries that are accessible only to the insects adapted for reaching them.  (Hall p.57-60, 2010.)

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Dan Luong

Latest posts by Dan Luong (see all)

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