Discover how is the pollination of bees

Pollination is a process by which plants carry pollen grains from the male part of a flower to the female part of the same flower (self-pollination) or from another flower (direct pollination). This process is very important for the reproduction of plants and allows them to spread throughout the Earth. One of the most important methods for the transport of pollen is the action of insects, specifically bees, which pollinate a large number of plants naturally.

It is estimated that around a third of human food depends on pollination by insects, mostly from bees that allow us to make foods as important in our diet as honey. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will see what pollination is, how is the pollination of bees and what effects climate change can have on this type of pollination.

Pollination is the process of pollen transport produced in the male reproductive organ from a flower (stamen) to the female part (stigma) either from the same flower from which the pollen originated or from a different one. This process allows the two gametes to unite, similar to how it occurs in humans, and germination and fertilization occur.

This pollen transport can occur by different media. Pollen can be released into the environment and abiotic factors such as wind or water transport it to the female stigma. In other cases, the pollen remains in the flower and this is in charge of developing certain mechanisms so that animals, usually insects, are in charge of transporting the pollen.

These mechanisms of attraction range from develop large, colorful flowers (which can mimic females of some species to attract males) a generate a sugary substance, called nectar. Some plants even combine both mechanisms. Currently, in most species, the relationship between a plant and its pollinator is so important that the plants have adapted the appearance, shape and color to a certain insect and the disappearance of that particular pollinator can endanger the survival of the plant or even lead to its extinction.

In this article by a PROFESSOR we will focus on how is the pollination of bees but if you are interested or interested in knowing more about the possible types of pollination, in the article Types of pollination you can learn more about this curious and important process.

As we have already said before, plants usually combine different insect attraction mechanisms to be pollinated. Bees can see different colorslike yellow or blue, but not red. However, bees can see light that we cannot see: ultraviolet light. Flowering plants "know" this, so they produce flowers that are normally yellow and have pigments that reflect ultraviolet light. The bees know where the nectar sources are and therefore which are the optimal places to land and the flowers know how to attract the bees to these places.

Bees do not have noses like ours, but they smell through their antennae. These antennas are mobile, which allows them to have a spatial sense of smell, that is, they can know the direction from which the smells come and go directly to the flowering plant, pollinate it and collect the nectar.

The pollination process of bees

Once in the flower, bees suck nectar, the base for honey, with their trunk and they store it in their "honey stomach". Pollen, which contains a large amount of protein, is used primarily for raising young and is able to adhere to the hairs of bees. Thus, the bee flies with the pollen attached on their body and, when they visit the next plant of the same species, they transfer it to the stigma. This is how the male pollen grain unites with the female ovum to become seeds of the flower. This is the basic process of pollination that guarantees the continuation of the plant's existence. Most of the pollen grains do not remain in the stigma but remain attached to the body of the bees and, once they reach the hive, they will be a valuable food.

The bees visit about 100 flowers per flight, with a speed of up to 30 kilometers per hour. With ten flights a day, they visit about 1,000 flowers, however they are capable of making up to 40 daily flights, which increases the number considerably. Therefore, if from the hives a few 20,000 bees several times a day, bees pollinate about 20 million flowers daily. Also, when the bee finds an important food source, it shares this information with its companions performing various dances (circular and wiggling) and, if the plant is sufficiently productive, create a "harvest map" since they are faithful to the species and the region where they find it until its flowering ends. These maps and dances also help to know the rotation of the hives that the beekeepers make following the flowering cycles.

Since the 60s of the last century there has been a continued decline in bee populations. In fact, currently, this decline in pollinating insect communities is more alarming given that, instead of slowing down, it has been increasing even more.

The 3 big threats faced by bees today:

• On the one hand, there is the destruction of their natural habitat by the elimination of fields (deforestation) and by the urbanization of large areas. This forces the insects to seek new areas for their survival but they do not always succeed.
• The second danger these insects are exposed to is the continued use of agricultural pesticides. These chemicals are helpful in protecting crops from harmful insects, but they have the downside that they do not only eliminate potentially dangerous insects, but also those that have beneficial effects such as pollinators.
• Other dangers like increased temperatures, which alter the flowering cycles of the plants or the breeding of insects or the decrease in rains, which they also affect the growth of flowers and insects are seriously affecting both plants and pollinators.