CHAPTER V
Flowers and Bees
In the economy of the world of flowers the bee plays an important part, while in return the flowers provide the wherewithal of existence for the bee. For the mere transference of pollen from one flower to another the plant offers the bee a supply of nectar and a percentage of the pollen which she is to carry for the plant's benefit. It is the case that most plants depend upon cross-fertilization, and while some rely upon the wind to carry the pollen, others, and by far the greater number, depend upon bees and other insects to perform the work for them. The methods adopted by flowers to secure the visitation of their insect friends form a fascinating study which cannot be entered upon here, ours only to consider the outcome, so far as the bees are concerned, of the transaction.
Honey.—For the production of honey there must be for the bees easily available access to nectar producing flowers, and it might be noted that flowers always produce most nectar when growing under natural conditions. It is a common error to suppose that all sweet-scented flowers are visited by bees; for in the gardens, roses and sweet peas are neglected by them, and in the hedgerows the honeysuckle is passed by—it caters for moths only, while, on the other hand, plants whose scent is entirely repugnant to the human sense of smell provide attractive and happy hunting grounds for the bee.
After the resting time of both flowers and bees through the dark days of winter there is a steady rotation of flowers through spring and summer, which is brought to a close in the autumn by the flowering of the heather. Approximately the appearance of the flowers of plants and trees is in the following order: snowdrops, winter aconite, early crocuses, "palm" willow, flowering currant, arabis, aubrietias, Norway maple, elm, plum, cherry, apple, pear, chestnut, sycamore, dandelion, the berry trees, whitethorn, and lilac; these mark the interval between winter and the full glory of summer's bloom. The bees will begin their labours almost as soon as the flowers begin to show, and all through the full spring and summer their work never ceases. In August the heather gives them a busy time until the autumn brings the resting season round again.
Generally speaking the source from which honey is gathered may be recognised by its colour and flavour. Many flowers, indeed, exude nectar of a similar colour to their own, although it must be remembered that the honey always becomes lighter as it candies or granulates. But, approximately speaking, it may be taken that white clover honey should be very light in colour; sainfoin honey should be yellow, lime a greenish yellow, while heather honey will vary from orange to purplish red.
The flavour of honey varies in like manner, though it is an undoubted fact that the weather at the time of its gathering and storing by the bees influences it greatly. The warmer and sunnier the day the more pronounced the flavour of the honey.
White clover honey is esteemed the best for table and exhibition purposes, for its purity of colour, fineness of grain, and mild flavour. At the other extreme is heather honey—dark in colour, strong in flavour, and a texture so thick that it will not "run"; so thick, indeed, that it is impossible to extract or strain it by the ordinary methods. As a rule it is usually pressed from the combs.
Pollen.—The bee uses pollen for a variety of purposes—for feeding the pupae, as food for the older bees when honey is scarce or the stores diminishing, and for mixing with wax to seal the brood cells. "Bee-bread" is therefore a good name for it, although primarily its purpose is not to serve the bees at all.
Of an infinite variety of colour and flavour—each flower produces its own variety in both particulars—the pollen gathered by the bees is stored in the hive strictly with its own kind. It has been found that a bee visiting, say, clover, does not touch another kind of flower on that "round," and so on. And each section of the workers store their particular pollen in particular cells.
The young worker bee is usually well covered with hairs which serve to gather up the pollen from the flowers visited. Leaving a flower powdered over with it she scrapes it from her body into the pollen baskets on the thighs of her hind pair of legs. Discharged at the hive, the pollen is kneaded by the jaws and head and stored in the cells, where it is covered with honey to preserve it. As the bee gets older the body-hairs are gradually worn away so that as time passes the worker becomes a honey-gatherer almost entirely.