Pollination is an essential process in every ecosystem. Crops such as orchids, lilies and blueberries require pollinators to thrive. Bees are essential pollinators for agriculture, as they help to propagate crops in the wild and maintain a healthy ecosystem. In addition to their service to agriculture, bees also provide us with honey which is a delicacy across the world!
The importance of bees cannot be understated when you think that one in every five species of flowering plants on Earth is dependent on insects for pollination. The number of species of bees worldwide has decreased by more than 80 percent between 1981 and 2010. However, with continuous research into beekeeping practices, we are seeing promising results.
To keep your apiary thriving, you need to understand how pollination works within your hive. This article will help you understand the types of pollination within your apiary and how you can increase the frequency and quality of honey produced from your hives.
Why is pollination important to bees?
The importance of pollination is not only for agriculture, but also for the health of your bees. Pollination is an essential part of beekeeping and will increase the size and quality of your honey production. Without a healthy population, your hive will be at risk of starving or dying off completely. As a result, you should ensure that you provide adequate food sources as well as space for your bees to live in.
What is the purpose of pollination?
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anthers or stamens of one plant to the stigma of another. Pollination can be carried out by animals such as bees, butterflies, birds, bats and wind. It is a crucial process in which plants reproduce and pass on their DNA.
Without pollination, all plants would die off. One example of this is when there are no bees for pollinating crops. When this happens because of lack of resources, it leaves a world without fruits and vegetables- which would be disastrous for us humans!
What are the benefits of pollinating?
The benefits of pollination are plentiful. Pollination is an important service to your apiary, because it helps improve the health of your bees and the potential yield from your honey. One of the most important benefits of pollination is that it helps increase the yield of honey from your hives. A healthy hive produces more honey for you to sell!
Additionally, it is a great service for the beekeeper in that it increases the probability of a new queen bee successfully mating with drones which will then produce more queens to replace old queens which have died from old age or disease. This type of breeding is called “inbreeding”. Inbreeding can be achieved through pollinators visiting flowers to collect nectar and pollen, and leaving behind unfertilized eggs in their nests.
Lastly, pollinating helps conserve the natural environment because wildflowers will grow back more quickly when there are many bees out in the field collecting nectar and pollen.
What is the most important pollinator?
Bees are the only pollinators that are fully dependent on other insects for their survival. The structure of a bee’s mouth and tongue is designed specifically to draw out nectar so they can take it back to the hive, where it will be processed into honey.
The most important pollinator in your apiary is the queen bee. She lays eggs continuously and fertilizes them herself. In addition, she has enough food stores to last her up to seven months without having to go outside of her nest. Without a queen bee, your apiary will struggle immensely, which could lead to the death of your entire colony. A healthy environment also relies on a healthy number of foraging bees in order for flowers to produce nectar as well as pollen which is essential for the production of honey and brood rearing within your hive. Foraging bees are an important component in the natural pollination process because they collect pollen from different types of plants and transport it back to the hive for use during their own life cycle or for other bees that have not yet matured into adults.
