Flowers are not the only thing that bees bring to the table, they also pollinate them! By doing so, they help to create seed and fruit production in flowering plants.
What do bees eat?
While nectar is the staple of bee food, pollen serves an essential purpose in the development of their young. To make one pound of honey, bees must visit two million flowers and fly 55,000 miles.
That’s 2.2 times around the world! The average bee will make about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. For a bee to make one pound of honey, it would take almost six years of flying around collecting nectar from flowers!
Bees are able to fly because their wings stroke twenty-two times per second, creating enough lift to carry their tiny bodies and the heavy pollen they collect. When a bee collects nectar from a flower, it brushes against the pistil of the flower, leaving pollen on the stigma. As the bee moves from flower to flower, it transfers pollen, which fertilizes the ovules of the plant. Fertilized ovules become seeds, and the flower produces fruits and vegetables.
Bees are essential to the life cycle of many plants, and without them, we would not have access to many fruits and vegetables. Next time you see a bee, take a moment to appreciate all the hard work they do!
