Original Article by: Rainfaerie
One
of my favorite pollinators is the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) also referred to as the western honey bee. Although
the western honey bee is practically a honey-making bee, the species name mellifera is Latin for “honey-bearing
bee,” because Carl Von Linnaeus—the father of modern taxonomy—was under the
impression that bees carried honey at the time that he named this particular species.
Bees
are particularly intriguing because of the complex process that takes place
during their pollination of different flowers. Bees go from flower to flower in
search of one thing—nectar! As is well known, bees are hard workers and use a
lot of energy flying around—nectar is an excellent incentive from flowers
seeking to attract bees because it’s sweet, and filled with organic compounds
like sugars that give the bees some much needed energy. Not surprisingly, bees
look forward to a refreshing drink of nectar to replenish their energy. As the
western honey bee is collecting the sweet nectar from flowers, it also collects
pollen in its pollen basket located on its hind legs. Other surfaces of the bee’s
body also collect pollen which is rubbed off on another flower later. This ‘accidental’
fertilization with pollen by A. mellifera
allows flowers to reproduce at a greater rate.
The
partnership between A. mellifera and
flowers is a mutually beneficial one. Flowers are immobile and rely on pollinators
such as bees to promote secure the future of their next generations. Bees can
see yellow and orange hues in addition to ultraviolet light, hence their
attraction mostly to flowers within this color range. Interestingly, they
cannot see red. Bees detect the varied fragrances from flowers using their
antennae. It is important to note that bees cannot survive without certain plants,
and many plants cannot survive without bees.
Sadly,
the populations of A. mellifera are
declining due to a number of causes (i.e. pesticides, and the varroa mite), a
condition called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). But efforts are in place by
many organizations to find a remedy to this problem, such as the North American
Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC). Without pollination by bees and many
plants failing to reproduce, it is known that several global ecosystems could
be devastated.
