Honey Bees and Wind Pollinated Plants

[The15thMember]

This is just a curiosity question.  We have some corn in our garden this year, and the bees are all over it for pollen, just like they go for the oak catkins in the spring.  I know that these plants are wind pollinated and do not need bees or pollinators of any type to spread their pollen, but do wind pollinated plants benefit from pollinators working them?  For example, would you get better ears of corn from bees working the corn silk, would it make no difference whatsoever, or would you perhaps even get worse corn, since the bees are stealing the pollen?   

[Ben Framed]

Member, good question. I was curious about the answer so I simply googled, I have not found a satisfactory answer when it comes to corn. Soybeans yes.
Phillip

[The15thMember]

Soybeans are actually self-pollinated, not wind pollinated, so I guess it doesn?t really surprise me that the cross pollination the bees provide could benefit soybeans. But wind pollinated plants will be cross pollinated without the bees, so perhaps bees don?t make any difference. I guess that not many studies have focused on wind pollinated plants because the pollen isn?t very valuable to the bees.  I?ve heard that it?s low in protein content, probably because the plant isn?t trying to attract bees.

[BeeMaster2]

Member,
The more pollen that is brought to the corn silk, the better the chance to have all kernels pollinated. When you open the ear of corn and there are undeveloped kernels, that is due to incomplete pollination. The bees must bee desperate for protein to go after the pollen.
Are the bees climbing on the pollen on top or are they climbing on the silk?
Jim Altmiller

[The15thMember]

Are the bees climbing on the pollen on top or are they climbing on the silk?

Oh, I guess I wasn't really thinking about this correctly before, but I think I have my answer now.  Wind pollinated plants like corn and oak trees don't have their stamen (pollen producing structures) near the pistils (pollen receiving structures).  This means that pollinators working the pollen wouldn't contribute to pollinating the plants at all, since the bees are working near stamen, but not the pistils, and thus they are not depositing any pollen, but merely taking it.  This means that they couldn't possibly benefit the plant.  I suppose in extreme circumstances the bees could harm a crop by taking too much pollen, but wind pollinated plants produce copious amounts of pollen, so this would be extremely unlikely, I would think.   

The bees must bee desperate for protein to go after the pollen. 

I thought that bees identified pollen by shape and not by nutritional value, which is why they'll sometimes collect dust that isn't pollen at all like sawdust or even powdered insecticide.  Doesn't this mean they would collect pollen regardless of how much protein it has? 

[BeeMaster2]

The bees bring home sawdust because they cannot find pollen and they are desperate.
Jimm Altmiller

[Oldbeavo]

Corn pollen is better than nothing, we have been caught and the only thing around was corn.
Bees did OK as they had stored some Lucerne pollen before this so I assume the bees used both to get over the poor quality of corn.
They can bring in heaps of corn pollen as the wind pollinators must produce heaps to survive.

[The15thMember]

My bees seem to be collecting the corn pollen only in the morning.  Not sure if the corn only has lots of pollen in the morning hours, or perhaps better forage becomes available in the afternoon.  In addition to the corn pollen, they are also bringing in some pollen that is very yellow, which I'm guessing is goldenrod or aster since that's what's blooming right now around here.  Based on the color of their pollen pants, I think the corn pollen is nearly white.   

[Ben Framed]

My bees seem to be collecting the corn pollen only in the morning.  Not sure if the corn only has lots of pollen in the morning hours, or perhaps better forage becomes available in the afternoon.  In addition to the corn pollen, they are also bringing in some pollen that is very yellow, which I'm guessing is goldenrod or aster since that's what's blooming right now around here.  Based on the color of their pollen pants, I think the corn pollen is nearly white.   

Member, my bees do not have access to crops of any-kind at my home apiary.  Even so. they are bringing heavy amounts of pollen in the morning of a variety of shades. The afternoon is another matter. Almost no pollen is being brought in in the the evenings, but they are staying very busy.
Phillip