The Importance of Bees: Pollination
The most important thing that bees do is pollinate. Pollination is needed for plants to reproduce, and so many plants depend on bees or other insects as pollinators.
When a bee collects nectar and pollen from the flower of a plant, some pollen from the stamens—the male reproductive organ of the flower—sticks to the hairs of her body. When she visits the next flower, some of this pollen is rubbed off onto the stigma, or tip of the pistil—the female reproductive organ of the flower. When this happens, fertilization is possible, and a fruit, carrying seeds, can develop.
How Do Plants Attract Bees?
Plants rely on bees and other insects to reproduce and so they have adapted, over time, to become more attractive to them. Bees are drawn to plants with open or flat tubular flowers with lots of pollen and nectar. A flower’s scent can have particular appeal to bees, and its bright colors may lure the bees in.
Which Foods Depend on Bees?
Many of the foods and crops we rely on need or, at the very least, benefit from bee pollination. Here’s a list of some of those crops.
•Alfalfa
•Almonds
•Apples
•Asparagus
•Beans
•Beets
•Blackberries
•Blueberries
•Brussels sprouts
•Buckwheat
•Cabbage
•Cantaloupe
•Cauliflower
•Celery
•Cherries
•Chestnuts
•Chives
•Clover
•Cranberries
•Cucumber
•Currants
•Eggplant
•Flax
•Garlic
•Gooseberries
•Grapes
•Horseradish
•Kale
•Lettuce
•Mustard
•Onions
•Parsley
•Peaches
•Pears
•Plums
•Pumpkins
•Radishes
•Raspberries
•Rhubarb
•Squash
•Strawberries
•Sunflowers
•Sweet potatoes
•Turnip
•Watermelon
http://www.agriculture.technomuses.ca/english/bees/pollination/default.php
But there is a problem:
Mystery Illness Wipes Out Bees
A mysterious malady that has been killing honeybees en masse since 2005 has drastically expanded this year, wiping out as much as 40 to 50 percent of the hives needed to pollinate America’s fruits and vegetables.
Scientists have been unable to determine the cause of the mass deaths, but some beekeepers and researchers blame a new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids that are now bred into plants themselves. (Not surprisingly, the pesticide industry disputes this.)
Until this year, beekeepers in California’s San Joaquin Valley had only been losing a third of their bees, but the deaths have increased dramatically this year. The largest farm, in South Dakota, said it lost 55 percent of its bees this year. The EPA has sent a top official and chemical experts to California for discussions.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/03/29/mystery-illness-wipes-out-bees.html
***I believe that Monsanto has a hand in this. They have created crops that were supposed to grow without the need of pesticides.
Oooppss!!! Looks like they messed up!
We need to help the bee population remain or increase by planting …. as noted above.
We ALL are ONE with Nature!!
http://www.onepridenetwork.com
http://www.judethelesbian.com
It Is What It Is 