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| Bee visits passion flower for pollens The yellow sacks on its legs are called corbiculae |
Bees are extremely vital for agriculture because crops and horticulture cannot yield without the natural pollinators(bees). They also produce honey which has been exploited by humans since millenniums.
Bees can be dangerous, but they sting only if we threaten it. When I lived in Jayanagar,bees used to dart through the window almost every day in summer and hover around the tube light. We used to kill it with a broom and I greatly regret that. Bees make bee hives every summer in my apartment building. They are considered as pests and their hives are smoked. Dozens of bees lay dead on the pathway and cyclist passively crush them and people step on them while they are still buzzing. They take no notice of this vital animal. The honey extracted from their hives is sold to the residents; the honey that comes from a massacre, by killing their their offspring. The least they can do is not step on them.
I grew 2 passion vines in 2017 which blossomed for the first time in 2018. The vine decorated my window. It was covered with trails of ants feeding on the nectar and also visited by a bee. The bee was very comfortable with my presence even if I got really close. These small, buzzing creatures are highly complex and social animals. It visiting every day collecting pollen and storing it the yellow saddle bags on the side of the legs, called corbiculae- a cargo for the pollen. The pollen grains are for their off spring and honey is made from the pollen grains. Watching the bee so closely was a very flabbergasting moment. The passion vine that decorates my window, is also a source of food for ants, bees, spiders, wasps and a vast multitude of insects. I was amazed. Just a few kilos of soil water and fertilizer fueled this little food chain.
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| Bee consuming pollen grains with proboscis(red) |
Bee consuming pollen grains
