www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-five-bumble-bees Chapter Five: Bumble Bees Elaine Evans, Author—Befriending Bumble Bees Around the world, bumble bees are given friendly nicknames such as humble bees, cow bees, and thunder bees. They are well known as large fuzzy bees dutifully flying from flower to flower (Figure 5.1). These teddy bears of the insect world also play a vital role in production of many […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany pollination-and-bee-nutrition Pollination and Bee Nutrition Bees are oblivious to the huge pollination service they perform. Pollen is bees’ sole dietary source of protein. They absolutely require pollen from a variety of plants to feed to their offspring (larvae). The protein level in pollen from different plant sources ranges from 2.5 to 60 percent, and bees prefer pollens with high protein […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany diverse-bees-diverse-flowers Diverse Bees, Diverse Flowers There are many species of bees. They come in various sizes with various tongue lengths. All bees are attracted to similar colors and aromas of flowers. Some flowers have long and narrow corollas, and the nectar can only be reached by a very long-tongued bee such as a bumble bee. For example, the nectar in […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany determining-optimal-pollinator-by-flower-type Determining Optimal Pollinator by Flower Type The various traits a flower exhibits are called pollinator syndromes by botanists (Table 4.1) [PDF]. These traits include a flower’s size, shape, color, scent, amount of nectar and pollen, and the time of day in which a flower blooms. Variations in any of these traits make a flower more or less appealing to specific types […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany pollination-by-wind-and-animals Pollination by Wind and Animals Many of our most common plant species, including grasses, conifers, and food plants such as wheat, rice, and corn (Figure 4.7), are wind pollinated. Physical movement of pollen via wind, which evolved before insects, requires less energy and results in small, inconspicuous flowers. But wind pollination also has limitations: Most of the copious amounts of […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany flower-reproduction Flower Reproduction Despite the tremendous energy that plants put into flowering, reproduction really only begins when a pollen grain comes to rest on a flower’s stigma. If the pollen grain is compatible with the host flower, then pollen germination begins. In the case of many plants, the gametes are self-incompatible, meaning that the pollen must come from […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany flower-types Flower Types There are tremendous variations in flowers between plants of different species, and various ways of categorizing plants based on flower characteristics. Among the most basic classification is separation based on the number of flower parts. Monocotyledons (including grasses, orchids, lilies, and palms) consist of flower parts (such as stamens or petals) in groups of three. […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany flower-parts-and-their-functions Flower Parts and their Functions As with animals, the individual male and female sex cells contained within flowers are called gametes. The male gamete is contained within small granular storage structures called pollen. Pollen is produced at the end of a slender stalk, or filament, on a structure called an anther. Together anther and filament form the male component of […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-four-pollination-botany Chapter Four: Pollination Botany Eric Mader, Pollinator Outreach Coordinator, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Marla Spivak, PhD, Professor of Entomology, University of Minnesota A flower is nothing more than a short modified branch. Flower petals are nothing more than modified leaves. And yet for the farmer and beekeeper—or anyone who likes to eat—life depends upon the development of […]
www.sare.org publications managing-alternative-pollinators chapter-three-a-brief-natural-history-of-bees full-circle-solitary-and-social-bees Full Circle: Solitary and Social Bees A solitary bee, such as a leafcutter bee, mason bee, or alkali bee, begins life as a larva eating a mass of pollen provided by the mother, who the bee will never meet. The larva is not completely alone; he or she shares a nest (hollow twig or soil tunnel) with developing brothers and sisters. […]