bees

[bazzard]

What plants are exclusively pollinated by bees? The Telegraph reported today that these plants would have 65% more protein in the pollen for the bees, than other flowers, but there were no examples given.

[gen2]

I'm not sure about any that are exclusively polinated by honey bees, but I do know of a plant that is only pollinated only by bumblebees - that is the antirrhinum or snapdragon.

These plants will not open to allow access unless a pollinator over a certain weight lands on the lower petals. Anything smaller than a bumblebee cannot trip the mechanism that allows entry to the reproductive system of the plant.

[bazzard]

Thank you for your answer. I want to plant seeds suitable for honeybees, visited by them exclusively, but I can't understand how other insects would not be tempted by them.

[Illyria54]

There was a Nat Geo programme on last night about honey bees, in it they said that they particularly like Sunflowers, but I don't think they are exclusively pollinated by honey bees, but they would be a good flower to plant.

[LoftyLottie]

Try to have a wildflower area in your garden and remember that a lots of so called 'weeds' are very useful to Bees. Cultivated flowers and 'double' varieties are often not used by bees.

I found this rather interesting article.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/evolu tion/mg15420874.300

Thanks for your question. It really interested me.

[Clanad]

Having been a bee keeper for many years here in the western U.S., I find that bees have no adaptations exclusive to their physiology that would make them exclusive pollinators of certain plants. Unlike humminbirds, most butterflies and other insects that have specialty adaptations, such as long narrow tongues, etc., bees are pretty common and many other insects can and do visit the same plants. Having said that, any flowering plant that is brightly colored and/or highly scented will attract the bees... Best of luck! (By the way, most bee attracting plants will also attract butterflies.)

[bazzard]

Thank you all for your interest. I am very concerned about the future of the bees in the UK and anything I can do to improve their lives would be beneficial to everyone. Apparently a quarter of all hives in the UK are affected by Colony Collapse Disorder and with the effect of the Varroa mite on the colonies as well, our countries bees are in dire straits. I am going into my garden to put up a bee house, made from cardboard tubes and then I will plant some wild flowers, such as borage and some fuchsias and sunflowers around it.

[burnhal]

I dont know that will do much to help commercial honey bees though it will certainly help your local wild bees- the red tails, bumbles etc etc. as well as your local insect population and in turn your bird population. Was very interesting to read up about colony collapse disorder- particularly in the US.
Clanad- can you enlighten us Brits any further on this disorder? The cause appears to be still unknown???

[Clanad]

Sorry for the delay, burnhal.... We, here in the intermountain area of the U.S. have only recently been able to survey our winter kills of honeybees. While, I'm not a commercial beekeeper, I have friends and contacts who are that are deeply involved in the investigation.
Those that have dug their hives out of the snow have found, on average, a 35% loss, just over winter. This is up from a normally expected fatality rate of about 24%. It's still to early, this far north to assess if any of the losses were due entirely to CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), since other maladies were observed and diagnosed as well. We have considerable support from almost all agricultural universities as well as the Federal government.
My own suspicion centers on the fact that our entire population of billions of bees comes from but a few hundred (at most) breeder queen bees. I think the lack of genetic diversity will certainly be found to at least contribute to the problem. It'll be a while yet...