• Question: Why does bees like pollen out of flowers

    Asked by anon-349299 on 6 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Phil Howell

      Phil Howell answered on 6 Mar 2023:

      Often it is not the pollen the bees like, but a sweet juice called nectar which some flowers produce. When the bees get close enough to the flowers to reach the nectar, their bodies get covered in the pollen. Then, when they fly off to the next flower to collect more nectar, some of this pollen from the first flower gets brushed off and pollinates the second flower, and pollen from the second flower sticks to the bee. And so on.,

    • Photo: Laura Vickers

      Laura Vickers answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      Flowers provide nectar for bees, which is full of sugars that bees can turn into honey and use for energy. Pollen grains will attach to their fur and when the bee visits another flowers these grains transfer.

    • Photo: Alison Tidy

      Alison Tidy answered on 15 Mar 2023:

      Bees like pollen as it is high in protein which is used to feed baby bees. The benefit to the flower as when the bees take the pollen it sticks to them and then brushes off on another flower allow for fertilisation and seeds to be produced. Flowers also make nectar to attract insects which are high in carbohydrates (sugars).

    • Photo: Felipe Becerra

      Felipe Becerra answered on 15 Mar 2023:

      Plants managed to trick bees to spread their pollen! That way flowers spread far apart can be crosspollinated.

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