Have you heard news reports that bees—especially honey bees—are in trouble? Media coverage often explains the vital role that bees play in our food production, attributing “every third bite” to these industrious creatures! There is so much more to know—and you can observe much of it in your own vegetable garden.
So, what is pollination? Plants, like animals, share a single purpose: to reproduce and create the next generation of their species. Unlike animals, plants cannot go in search of mates, so they need the help of pollinators to move pollen from the male part (anthers) of their flowers to the female parts (stigmas). Pollination is the first step in plants’ reproductive cycles, which ends with seeds that contain the makings of new life—the next generation!
So, what does the bee get out of this deal? While the wind, other insects, and even mammals, such as bats pollinate some plants, bees are the most well-known because they feed only on flowers. Yes, bees are vegetarians! They get carbohydrates from nectar and protein and lipids (fats) from pollen. Plants often produce nectar (the sugary syrup that plants make to bait pollinators) at the base of their flowers where pollinators must brush against the pollen-laden anthers and then inadvertently transfer it to a sticky stigma. But bees are not accidental pollinators. They forage for protein, carrying it either in the pollen baskets on their rear legs or in the scopa beneath their abdomens.
And, what do WE get out of this pollination deal? That’s easy: fresh, delicious, and nutritious food. And more than the food, we also gain an understanding and appreciation for nature’s beauty and complexity with real hands-on learning. Watch a squash bee stir early one morning after overnighting at the base of a bright golden flower on your pumpkin vine. See and hear a big fuzzy bumble bee grasp a tomato blossom, vibrate her wing muscles to generate buzzing at the perfect frequency to cause that plant’s anthers to release its pollen. Notice how the ground-nesting bumble bees and Southeastern blueberry bees pollinate blueberries, while the honey bee and the carpenter bee cut slits in the blueberry blossom petals to rob the nectar without touching the pollen!
Knowing more about pollination can help make you a more successful gardener and a better steward of the land.
Article written by Diane Almond, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.