Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

pollen and nectar flows

3K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  hoosierhiver 
G
#1 ·
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
 
#2 ·
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.
 
#5 ·
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.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top