I was talking to a fellow beekeeper who has been keeping bees for over 60 years, he started at 10 years old, and the conversation came round to pollen foraging by bees.
He was emphatic that bees only attended one type of plant when foraging for pollen and then returned to the hive.
I explained that bees will also move from plant to plant of the same kind and also move onto another plant which is giving pollen but not of the same type, and therefore coming back to the hive with a 'pollen basket' of mixed pollen grains.
He did not believe that at all, and mentioned about all his time in beekeeping he had never seen a different colouration of pollen on the bees rear leg.
I then explaind about colour of pollen being different from the pollen on the anther then to the pollen basket then into the hive, and that they will mix different types of pollen in the comb, showing a multicoloured cell filled with pollen.
It took me some time to convince the gent but after I e-mailed him with referencies from a certian book and a photo I have from my hive with mixed pollen in a cell, he now says that he is still not fully convinced but he is considering the facts.
So what's your thoughts about pollen from plants, have you ever had mixed pollen being brought into the hive?
He was emphatic that bees only attended one type of plant when foraging for pollen and then returned to the hive.
I explained that bees will also move from plant to plant of the same kind and also move onto another plant which is giving pollen but not of the same type, and therefore coming back to the hive with a 'pollen basket' of mixed pollen grains.
He did not believe that at all, and mentioned about all his time in beekeeping he had never seen a different colouration of pollen on the bees rear leg.
I then explaind about colour of pollen being different from the pollen on the anther then to the pollen basket then into the hive, and that they will mix different types of pollen in the comb, showing a multicoloured cell filled with pollen.
It took me some time to convince the gent but after I e-mailed him with referencies from a certian book and a photo I have from my hive with mixed pollen in a cell, he now says that he is still not fully convinced but he is considering the facts.
So what's your thoughts about pollen from plants, have you ever had mixed pollen being brought into the hive?
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