THE POLLEN GATHERERS
Let us now follow one of the pollen-gathering bees on her quest of
bee-flour, which is so necessary for feeding the inhabitants of the
hive. Having first taken a careful survey of the position of the hive
and its surroundings, our little worker flies off at top speed to the
hillside or the orchards where, it may be, the fruit trees are in full
bloom. On her way, perhaps, she will decide what kind of pollen is to
be gathered, for different kinds of pollen are kept quite separate,
just as our own flours are separated. It remains a mystery why bees
should keep the different pollens apart, as it seems to us that it
would not matter much if they were mixed, but no doubt the bees know
better than we do. Although buttercups may be scarce, and though the
hedges are laden with hawthorn blossom, yet if the gathering bee has
started to collect buttercup pollen, she will pass by the hawthorn and
search diligently for buttercups in the adjoining meadows.
[Illustration: PLATE XXIII
Storing the pollen in cells]
Arriving at the flower, the little worker alights and moves about it,
so that very soon her hairy body becomes covered with pollen, as shown
in the _frontispiece_. Although she was a brown bee when she alighted
on the flower, now she is all golden yellow, and looks like a dusty
miller. It is here that the brushes and combs with which the legs are
furnished come in useful, and after two or three flowers have been
visited, we may see her brushing down her body, and combing the pollen
grains out of the hairs in which they are entangled. The collected
pollen is then moistened with a tiny drop of honey, and kneaded into
little round pellets, which are placed in the pollen baskets. This
being done, the bee flies on and on, visiting other flowers, until
her baskets are quite full. Sometimes the bee gathers more than can
be carried in her baskets, so she returns to the hive with her body
smothered in gaily-coloured pollen.
Though her wings are strong, yet the load of pollen is heavy, and all
her strength is needed to reach the hive in safety. It may be that she
is almost exhausted before she can alight on the board at the city
gates. So she will settle on a leaf or some flower, like a ship coming
to anchor, in the harbour of the garden, and here for a few seconds she
will rest, to gain fresh strength for the final flight. Some of the
bees seem to act as inspectors, or general helpers as it were, always
on the lookout to do somebody a good turn or to lend a helping hand
wherever it may be required. And now, as the pollen gatherer makes a
final flight to the board, these bees come forward and help her to drag
her load safely within the city. Once inside the door, the worker makes
straight for the cells which might be called the flour bins, for here
the pollen is stored. A picture of them is to be seen in Plate XXIII.,
and you will notice that the different kinds of pollen are still kept
separate. Arrived here, the gatherer levers the pellets out of the
baskets by means of the spurs on each of her middle legs. These act as
little crowbars, and the pollen is then placed in the cells. If it is
not intended for immediate use, some of the house bees will cover it
over with a layer of honey, for it would not keep if left exposed to
the air. We should imagine that the pollen gatherer would now take a
rest, or at any rate some refreshment. This, however, is not the case,
for no sooner has she got rid of her load than she darts towards the
door, and before we have time to follow her she is off to the fields
again for another load. From morning to night she continues to travel
backwards and forwards between the flowers and the hive. Is it any
wonder, then, that at the end of a few weeks’ time the brave little
worker will have completely worn away her wings, and will lie down and
die?
When watching the alighting-board, you will remember that we remarked
on the pollen gatherers entering the hive, each with the little
baskets filled with bright-coloured pollen; from the colour of the
pollen we may tell from what flowers the bees have brought it. The
deep golden-brown comes from the gorse bloom, away on the hill; the
snow-white from the hawthorn, and the vivid yellow from the buttercup,
or perhaps the dandelion. The pale green is from the gooseberry bushes,
whilst the pollen of the charlock is golden and clover pollen is
russet-brown. Sometimes, when the poppies are growing among the corn,
the little gatherers will return with loads of jet-black pollen, while
the orchards give many delicate hues, the most beautiful of which is
the light yellow from the apple blossom. On rare occasions, we may see
a worker come laden with pollen of deep crimson, but the source of this
wonderfully coloured stuff is a mystery, for we do not know from what
flower it is obtained.