Not all flowers have what bees want or need. What do bees see in the flowers they are attracted to and find useful? Why does the bee land on a certain flower?
Bees fly by other flowers without stopping. These flowers have features that don’t interest or attract bees. How does the bee decide to keep flying? Let's look at the potential reasons.
First, we’ll look at features that attract bees.
Expand the boxes below to see why bees like certain flowers over others.
What about the flowers with features bees reject?
Expand the boxes below to see why bees dislike certain flowers over others.
So in summary, the need for food is the primary driving force behind bees visiting some flowers over others.
But there are other factors involved as well.
For example:
- quantity of nectar and pollen, some flowers simply produce more.
- nectar refill rate - some flowers replenish nectar more quickly than others.
- bee and flower compatibility - some bee species can extract food rewards from flowers more easily than other bee species.
- seasonal factors - it may also depend on the time of year when certain flowers are at their peak in nectar and pollen production.
- peak nectar production - one flower may be attractive one week and not the next because it is out of nectar.
Do bees visit flowers for only nectar and pollen? Well the answer is no. Bees may visit flowers for other things such as floral oils or nesting materials. And much like you visiting a store for certain needs, the bee will visit certain flowers for what they need.
