Pollination by bees is essential for many plants. But how does bee pollination actually work? This article tells you everything you need to know about pollination by bees.
In summer you can see it almost everywhere: Bees fly busily from flower to flower in search of nectar and pollen. While the hard-working animals are looking for food in the garden, they also perform another important task - pollination. In fact, about 80 percent of all flowering plants are due to pollination beneficials instructed like bees. But not only does biodiversity benefit from pollination by the busy animals, hobby gardeners can also find out about it bees in the garden be happy. In fact, pollination by bees increases the yield and also the quality characteristics of many crops such as apples (penalty) or the cherry (prunus). But how does this actually work? In this article you will learn everything you need to know about bee pollination.
How does bee pollination work?
Honey and wild bees play an important role in pollination of plants. The plants even compete to ensure that the bees fly at them with each other: Through scents and flower color, each plant tries to attract the pollinator bee to draw attention to. In addition, the flowers hide pollen and nectar inside, which are the food base for the busy bees. When a bee lands on a flower, it sucks up the flower's nectar with its long proboscis and collects the pollen in the so-called "pollen pants" on its hind legs. Since the bee usually has to go far inside the flower to do this, small pollen get caught on the hair coat of the pollinator.
If the bee flies to the next flower and climbs in to get the sweet nectar, it transfers the pollen to the stigma, so that female plant organ, the next flower - this is the pollination of the flower by the bee and in the flower seeds can ripen. During a single foraging flight, a bee can pollinate up to 100 flowers. Bees are extraordinarily flower-resistant. This means that they stay true to one plant species throughout their foraging flight, which means that the plants are optimally pollinated by the bees. Honey bees also use various dances to tell their fellow bees about particularly lucrative food sources - a single colony of bees can pollinate up to 20 million flowers a day.
Summary: Pollination by bees explained simply
- Bees are attracted by the color and scent of flowers.
- Inside the flower are pollen and nectar, which serve as food for bees.
- When collecting nectar and pollen, pollen sticks to the bee's hair coat.
- The pollen is transferred to the stigma on the next flower - bee pollination has taken place.
- Bees are always flowering and share lucrative locations with their fellows through dances.
Which plants do bees pollinate?
Around 800 native plant species depend on pollination by bees, which is why the hard-working insect is one of the most important beneficial insects. A big advantage is the high adaptability of the honey bee: Due to its medium size and bees can pollinate a wide variety of flowers with their medium-length proboscis and show them to be real ones generalists. Particularly bee friendly plants, which are commonly pollinated by honey bees are herbs like thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and sage (Salvia), bee friendly flowers like the mallow (malva) or Phacelia (Phacelia) and bee friendly shrubs as the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) or wild roses (pink). Also trees like the willow (Salix) or fruit trees are pollinated by the animals.
The wild bees, on the other hand, look a little different: many of the almost 600 wild bee species are highly specialized. This means that wild bee pollination only works with specific plants (families) depending on the species. So the little heather silk bee (Colletes succinctus) entirely on the pollination of heather herbs (Ericaceae), especially the heather (Calluna vulgaris) specialized, while the adderhead mortar bee (Osmia adunca) strictly on Adderheads (echium) is aligned. Nevertheless, the pollination power of wild bees should not be underestimated, as they pollinate flowers that honey bees cannot fly to. The pollination of wild bees thus makes an important contribution to the conservation of wild flowers and herbs. In order to provide wild bees with the best possible food base, it is therefore worth relying on native wild plants. Flower meadows, which consist of many different types of flowers and herbs - like these, are particularly suitable Plantura bee pasture. Due to the large number of different plant species, both honey and wild bees find food, which means that the important beneficial insects can be supported.
If you want to learn what to consider when owning one flower meadow or Create bee pasture If you want, have a look at our article about it.