Thinkin' of Honey Bees...

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.