Pollen

Pollen

Ben had notice last week that the honey bees were not bringing as much pollen as we were used to see in the past seasons. We started thinking about why this would be the case this year. I thought that it had been really hot for us in Minnesota, and thus maybe the honey bees preferred nectar? However, it has been relatively humid, so plants have both nectar and pollen. Maybe the bees are busier cooling the hive? I know that when it rains, the pollen is washed down from the flowers and lands on the ground,  honey bees don't collect from the ground. So? I was curious and looked into it! This is what I found.....fascinating!

First a good definition of pollen is needed. Of course everyone knows that it is the powdery stuff inside a flower but actually there is more to it! It is really the male germ cells produced by plants. When male pollen is brushed with female pollen, there is pollination. We know that! Pollen is a very important source of protein, vitamins and fat.

Bee pollen has been considered to have the following nutrients:


Vitamins: Provitamin A, B-1 Thiamin, B-2 Riboflavin, B-3 Nancin, B-5, B-6 Pyridoxine, B-12 (cyanocobalamine), Pantothenic acid, Vitamin C, F, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin H, Vitamin K, Vitamin PP, Folic Acid, Choline, Inositol, Rutin.

Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Zinc, Sulfur, Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Selenium, Boron, Silica, and Titanium.

Other: Amino Acid, Carbohydrates, Fatty Acids, Enzymes & Co-Enzymes, Fats.

Bee Pollen contains at least 22 amino acids, 18 vitamins, 25 minerals, 59 trace elements, 11 enzymes or co-enzymes, 14 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates and approximately 25 % protein. Bee pollen is extremely rich in carotenes, which are metabolic precursors of vitamin A. It is also high In B complex and vitamins C, D, E and Lecithin. Bee pollen contains over 50 % more protein than beef, yet its fat content is very low. It is also an excellent vegetarian source of protein typically possessing more of the essential amino acids, pound for pound, than animal proteins like meat, eggs, and dairy products. (Enviro Bee Products Disributors)

Who  eat pollen? Very young bees eat the largest amount, although some adults will consume some. After the third day in the life of a "bee egg", the larva is fed mostly pollen and honey.

Honey bee larvae in royal jelly and eggs

Who collect pollen? Forager bees have this duty; they are the oldest members of the colony. As they are more experimented, they fly out every day relentlessly until their death.

Notice the heavy pollen load on legs!

While foraging, the bees become sometimes completely dusted with pollen. The grains stick to their hair by static electricity!

                                                                          

                                                                                            All covered in pollen!

Digging for pollen

Pollen well organized in hive

To pack the pollen in their "baskets", the bee sticks her tongue out spitting some of the nectar she had collected previously and applies it to her forelegs. Then she starts brushing/combing her



head, antennae, and front thorax to clean up the pollen. The back of her thorax is cleaned by her middle legs! She cleans the rest of her abdomen with her hind legs, just like a dog scratching his belly. This  specialized set of legs helps also pack, shape and mold the pollen grains into a little kidney bean shape. So helpful to have 6 legs!

However the honey bee is not done. Now that she has gathered her pollen, she needs to fly back to her colony. She will have to be brave. In her flight back home, many dangers lurk: she could be eaten by a bird or hit by a truck.

After arriving at the hive, she grooms herself, and starts looking for a cell to deposit her loot. The cell can already have some pollen, or be  empty.  After finding the right spot, she lowers herself backward, and with her middle legs she dislodges the pollen. She also remove any pollen grains that are still on her tiny body...wasting nothing. Another bee  pushes and packs the pollen with her little face and front legs. Some enzymes and other substances are added helping the pollen to go through a lactic acid fermentation period. Before leaving again to gather more, the forager bee looks for another bee to give her some honey (carbohydrate) before returning to the flowers. As you can see the foragers are working extremely hard, from sunset to sundown. It will be their last task before perishing of exhaustion.

Now to come back to our question: Why our honey bees don't seem to collect a lot of pollen? I found an explanation. Pollen collecting is driven by the colony's needs! Is it not fabulous? " A correlation exists between the amount of brood in a colony and the number and proportion of pollen foragers, also pollen foraging increases with higher egg-laying rates of the queen. " (The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture). It is speculated that the queen's pheromones play a role in this event.  So now we know!

Next time you see a honey bee, just smile!