Penetration and pollination

Here in Australia, European honey bees can be seen foraging on the flowers of many different native and introduced plant species. Here we see one working hard on native Eremophila nivea.

 

Australia's European colonisers introduced these honey bees to ensure a good supply of honey. They are now wild throughout most of our southern States. Honey bees do play an important role as pollinators of crops and wild flowers, but some wild flowers have suffered from their presence as these flowers can only be pollinated by our native bees. Some native bees use a special pollination technique required by certain flowers called buzz pollination. European honey bees do not use this technique and remove pollen without pollinating the flowers.

 

15 mm body length

 

© All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Done