Bruce (REDBEE) taught me something the other day that I never would have thought about otherwise...thanks Bruce!
Bees in alfalfa.wmv (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ecW5fBECMw#ws)
Hope ya'll like it!
Scott
Wow! I guess I would be pretty grumpy too, being smacked in the face all day! Poor things :-\
Cool. You learn something new everyday. Thanks for the video.
I have 4 hives just 50 yds from 6 acres of alfalfa and they did not work it this year?
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Unfortunately bees do not have utube. And they cannot teach dad to son.
Got a bunch of alfalfa in the back yard with bees all over it. Didn't know this about the plant.
Very neat. Thanks for the good video.
I've noticed that in the bee yards near both clover and alfalfa the bees tend to work the clover and not the alfalfa...maybe because of the slap?? Where they are in mostly alfalfa the seem to be working it.
Scott
This is part of the strategic evolutionary maneuvering between plant and pollinator. The piece of the alfalfa bloom that pops down traps the bees tongue and makes the bee thrash around. This increases the amount of pollen that ends up on the bee, thus improving the pollination process. The other interesting thing about this is that after being smacked 3 or 4 times the bee learns to trigger the device with its tongue out of the way so it doesn't get trapped. This is one of the clearest examples I know that individual bees can learn.
Bees are very creative when approaching different flowers. Some flowers have to be ripped open from the bottom to get at the nectar because the bee's tongue can't reach all the way in from the top. Clever bees. :-D
Wow Scott, that was very interesting.
How much longer are you going to be there away from home?? I bet Peggy is missing you :-D
Thanks for sharing this information.
Annette
Very interesting, wonder if vetch, which is a similar flower, also does this?
Interesting!!!
I am going to have to grab me some a give it a try. It is common to see it flowering in the ditches in my neighborhood, but I don't recall ever see the bees working it. Too much clover around I imagine.
Joel
Annette, I'll be here until the end of August (I have to be back with my bees then for splitting), but I'm going home for 10 days starting 7/14.
It's hard to be away from my family for so long!!!
Scott
Well done Scott. Had 2 of my hives on lucerne (alfalfa) last year and they were the most unsociable critters I have had. One at home this year so will be interesting to see if there is any difference. So from your trip to South Dakota we are all learning something.