pollen and nectar flows

[dcromwel]

I'm a new beekeeper (so perhaps this is a silly question). I'm seeing loads of bees return to the hive with filled pollen baskets. Does that mean that the nectar flow (and collecting) is also robust? Do the pollen flows and nectar flows coincide? Parallel each other?

Thanks,

David

[BjornBee]

For MOST flowers, the exchange of pollen is the goal for fertilization. The necture is the bait the flowers use to attract insects. As insects collect necture they rub/transfer/take pollen from one flower to the next. So yes, with a few exceptions, pollen and necture go hand in hand.

[Michael Bush]

There are plants that produce pollen but not nectar. These are mostly wind pollenated. Many trees and corn are examples of this. There can be pollen without nectar. This time of year there is nectar.

[dcromwel]

Follow-up question (thanks, by the way): what do other insects attracted to the nectar do with it? Do any of these other species make honey or anything like it?

Thanks,

David

[dragonfly]

From what I understand, bumblebees do use the nectar for storing in some way. It feeds the queen over winter and she, alone, lives to start a new colony the next year. Don't hold me to this- it's just what I read somewhere along the way.
As for other pollinators, I don't have enough knowledge to make a good guess, sorry. I am a gardener, so I mostly just observe the bees on my property. This time of year, they seem to be in the garden for primarily pollen (corn, squash, watermelon, cucumbers, tomatillo), but they seem to forage the herbs in my herb patch for nectar. They also seem to really love the garlic and onion flowers, but I really can't tell what they are foraging for. I have also noticed them heavily in some of the tree tops, particularly Tree of Heaven (I think that's the name), and some wild vines that seem to take over the trees. I would make a guess that nectar is the primary "find" in those.

[hoosierhiver]

nectar is a sugar/carbohydrate,pollen is a protein other insects will eat it,but i think only bees store it like they do,there is an african ant that produces a honey-like substance but i don't know alot about it.