"Pollen and Nectar" or "Pollen or Nectar"

[shoefly]

Been wondering about that one - not that it makes too much difference. Just trying to understand the girls a bit better.
When I'm watching the bees I see that the ratio of bee arrivals with pollen baskets and bees arriving without pollen varies over the day. Does anybody know if the bees that carry pollen baskets also carry nectar? ...or are they specialized per trip so that the pollen carriers only bring in pollen?

[Robert Brenchley]

As far as I know they're specialised, but I don't know how strict that is. I don't see nectar gatherers with anything in their pollen baskets, but I do wonder whether pollen gatherers will take nectar when they need refuelling.

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Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK

[Branman]

I seem to recall reading in The Hive & the Honeybee that they often do both get honey & pollen in the same trips.

[olddrone]

Bees gather pollen and nectar on the same trip. Sorry, but I am having a senior moment and can't remember the reference, but I am certain of the information.

[Hayseed]

"Bees gather pollen and nectar on the same trip. Sorry, but I am having a senior moment and can't remember the reference, but I am certain of the information."

I can't help with a reference, but, I can relate what I observed today. Individual bees on wild aster were loaded with pollen. Watching closely, I saw these same individuals probing for nector for quite a while. Obviously they were collecting both.

Hayseed