The foraging worker bee At the last stage of its life, the worker bee becomes a forager. The ability of a foraging worker bee is an excellent example of adaptation; a pollinator adapts to the characteristics of flowering plants and to the needs of the colony. Honey bees are equipped to see colour, shape, and to detect odours. This set of abilities allows
for high foraging consistency; worker bees select which flowers they visit, preferring flowers that provide the best foraging. This specialisation allows bees to efficiently locate nectar, and also has advantages for the plant as the likelihood of intra-species pollination is increased.
Photos : © BASF SE
A pollen particle attached to the hair of a honey bee. The hair has branch-like structures that are perfectly adapted to trap pollen.
The comb-like structure on the hind leg of a honey bee moves pollen from the opposite hind leg to the pollen basket.
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500 µm
The brush-like structure on the hind leg of the bee brushes pollen from the body hairs to the ‘pollen basket’. 14
Pollinators and agriculture
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