Simply put, pollination is the way that plants become fertilized and reproduce while ensuring genetic diversity. The process itself occurs when pollen grains from the male part of one plant, also called the anther, are transferred to the stigma or female part of another flower or plant. After pollination, the fertilized flowers can then produce seeds which will go through their own reproduction process and/or grow fruit.
When it comes to the process of pollination, honeybees and flowers are innately intertwined. Plants need cross-pollination to reproduce, and honeybees are one of the big helpers with that. Honeybees need plants, too, for their pollen and nectar, so the relationship is certainly mutually beneficial.
As foraging worker bees visit various flowers or plants, they’ll use the tiny hairs on their body and the “baskets” on their legs to hold pollen. As they go from plant to plant, some of that collected pollen gets transferred to the new plant’s flowering reproductive organs, thus facilitating fertilization and plant reproduction.
Once honeybees have found a good source of pollen or nectar, they’ll bring it back to their hive to be used in their own reproduction process where it is either stored or made into “bee bread” and fed to developing brood. They’ll also tell other worker bees about it so that more can be brought back to the hive by using buzzing and the waggle dance to communicate the location. If resources are not available to allow bees to store enough pollen, they may require added supplemental feed.
It’s estimated that one-third of the world’s total food supply relies on pollinators, which is what makes honeybees such a crucial part of the food supply worldwide, they help polllinate a wide variety of crops. We can all work in helping honeybee populations to not just survive, but to instead grow and thrive, which will in turn benefit everything from bettering genetic diversity in plants, more biodiversity in general, and improved food security for the world in the future.
Read More
Exploring the Process of Pollination
Tips & Tricks for Providing Pollinator Friendly Plants
Helping Bees Through a Pollen or Nectar Dearth
Why and How Honeybees Forage *
* Colony Member-Only Content
Related Products in the PerfectBee Store
Attracting Native Pollinators (Book)
A Color Guide to Pollen Loads (Book)
