=Flowers and Bees=
IN the economy of the world of flowers the bee plays an important
part, while in return the flowers provide the wherewithal of existence
for the bee. For the mere transference of pollen from one flower to
another the plant offers the bee a supply of nectar and a percentage
of the pollen which she is to carry for the plant's benefit. It is
the case that most plants depend upon cross-fertilization, and while
some rely upon the wind to carry the pollen, others, and by far the
greater number, depend upon bees and other insects to perform the work
for them. The methods adopted by flowers to secure the visitation of
their insect friends form a fascinating study which cannot be entered
upon here, ours only to consider the outcome, so far as the bees are
concerned, of the transaction.
=Honey.=--For the production of honey there must be for the bees easily
available access to nectar producing flowers, and it might be noted
that flowers always produce most nectar when growing under natural
conditions. It is a common error to suppose that all sweet-scented
flowers are visited by bees; for in the gardens, roses and sweet
peas are neglected by them, and in the hedgerows the honeysuckle is
passed by--it caters for moths only, while, on the other hand, plants
whose scent is entirely repugnant to the human sense of smell provide
attractive and happy hunting grounds for the bee.
After the resting time of both flowers and bees through the dark days
of winter there is a steady rotation of flowers through spring and
summer, which is brought to a close in the autumn by the flowering of
the heather. Approximately the appearance of the flowers of plants
and trees is in the following order: snowdrops, winter aconite, early
crocuses, "palm" willow, flowering currant, arabis, aubrietias, Norway
maple, elm, plum, cherry, apple, pear, chestnut, sycamore, dandelion,
the berry trees, whitethorn, and lilac; these mark the interval between
winter and the full glory of summer's bloom. The bees will begin their
labours almost as soon as the flowers begin to show, and all through
the full spring and summer their work never ceases. In August the
heather gives them a busy time until the autumn brings the resting
season round again.
Generally speaking the source from which honey is gathered may be
recognised by its colour and flavour. Many flowers, indeed, exude
nectar of a similar colour to their own, although it must be remembered
that the honey always becomes lighter as it candies or granulates.
But, approximately speaking, it may be taken that white clover honey
should be very light in colour; sainfoin honey should be yellow, lime a
greenish yellow, while heather honey will vary from orange to purplish
red.
The flavour of honey varies in like manner, though it is an undoubted
fact that the weather at the time of its gathering and storing by the
bees influences it greatly. The warmer and sunnier the day the more
pronounced the flavour of the honey.
White clover honey is esteemed the best for table and exhibition
purposes, for its purity of colour, fineness of grain, and mild
flavour. At the other extreme is heather honey--dark in colour, strong
in flavour, and a texture so thick that it will not "run"; so thick,
indeed, that it is impossible to extract or strain it by the ordinary
methods. As a rule it is usually pressed from the combs.
=Pollen.=--The bee uses pollen for a variety of purposes--for feeding
the pupae, as food for the older bees when honey is scarce or the
stores diminishing, and for mixing with wax to seal the brood cells.
"Bee-bread" is therefore a good name for it, although primarily its
purpose is not to serve the bees at all.
Of an infinite variety of colour and flavour--each flower produces its
own variety in both particulars--the pollen gathered by the bees is
stored in the hive strictly with its own kind. It has been found that
a bee visiting, say, clover, does not touch another kind of flower on
that "round," and so on. And each section of the workers store their
particular pollen in particular cells.
The young worker bee is usually well covered with hairs which serve
to gather up the pollen from the flowers visited. Leaving a flower
powdered over with it she scrapes it from her body into the pollen
baskets on the thighs of her hind pair of legs. Discharged at the hive,
the pollen is kneaded by the jaws and head and stored in the cells,
where it is covered with honey to preserve it. As the bee gets older
the body-hairs are gradually worn away so that as time passes the
worker becomes a honey-gatherer almost entirely.