Why do bees collect pollen in addition to nectar?
Pollen is essential to the life of bees. These tiny yellow, green or white grains are the male portion of flowers. They are collected by foraging bees and brought back to the hive.FunctionPollen serves as a part of the bee’s diet. Bees gather pollen from a variety of flowers and store it in the honeycomb for later use.CollectionForaging bees pack grains of pollen on specialized parts of their hind legs, known as pollen baskets. When they return to the hive, both pollen and nectar are transferred to worker bees within the hive for storage.NutritionWhile nectar is converted to honey and acts as the carbohydrate component of the bee’s diet, pollen is stored as is and acts as the protein component.UseA mixture of honey and bee pollen is created by bees. Called “bee bread,” this doughy material is fed primarily to larvae and workers within the hive.StorageBees store large quantities of pollen for food.
