Page 110 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

108 THE MIRACLE OF THE HONEYBEE

tures which men erect. Then eat from every kind of fruit and travel the
paths of your Lord, which have been made easy for you to follow.” From
inside them comes a drink of varying colors, containing healing for hu-
manity. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect. (Surat an-
Nahl: 68-69)
Other insects as well as bees fertilize flowers. Yet because of their large
numbers, industriousness and the suitability of their bodies, bees can
carry relatively greater amounts of pollen than other insects. A large part
of agriculture depends on the pollination carried out by bees; indeed,

some 80% of insect pollination is the work of bees. Did that pollination fail
to take place, there would be a major reduction in the amount of fruit and
vegetables produced.

Harmony Between Bees and Flowers

Though bees play a most important role in flower fertilization, there
are some flowers that they cannot pollinate. For example, since bees can-
not distinguish the color red, they are unable to seek out—and pollinate—
red flowers. Some all-red flowers, such as sweet bay, red carnations and
wild flax, are pollinated by other insects. Besides their colors, these species
of flower have other characteristics that also prevent their being pollinat-

BOMBUS BEES
Bombus bees play a major role in plant
fertilization. As can be seen at the side,
the tiny hairs on the body of the Bombus,
larger than other bees, are covered in mi-
croscopic hooks. These make it easy for
the bee to collect individual pollen grains
as it visits flowers. The Bombus then
stores the pollen by emptying it into the
pollen baskets.

David Attenborough,
The Trials of Life, p. 58.