Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Foragers
When a worker matures and ventures outside the colony on a routine basis, she becomes
a forager. This period of her life starts when she is about three to four weeks old, but
may be sooner if the colony needs foragers. She may be a scout bee, seeking new
sources of nectar, pollen, water, or propolis; then collecting some and returning to the
hive to share her newly found information. Or, she may be recruited by another scout
bee or forager to visit a particularly productive patch of flowers.
If food is dispersed evenly, foragers exploit nearby areas, circling the colony. This
is seldom the case, however, because flowering trees, shrubs, and weeds grow where
they can, rather than where bees would prefer them. And as the season progresses, bees'
tastes change. Therefore, the forage area changes from day to day. To add to this com-
plexity, some plants produce flowers, nectar, and pollen during only part of the day.
Cucumbers, for instance, bloom from very early in the morning until about noon, when
their blossoms wither. Bees visiting a cucumber patch learn the daily schedule and visit
during the morning only. They may turn their attention elsewhere in the afternoon or
take the rest of the day off.
As mentioned earlier, workers forage for nectar, pollen, water, or propolis, but not
all at the same time. Some foragers gather nectar only and continue in that work for as
long as the nectar is received back home. Some collect only pollen. Others, however,
collect both during the same trip. We'll examine foraging for water and propolis later,
but the relationship between bees and flowers is not only fascinating but critical to the
success of the colony.
Finding food is the job of scout bees. Experienced scouts seek food using the color,
shape, markings, and aroma of flowers. They learned that particular flower shapes, col-
ors, or aromas signaled a reward and return often, or look for similar signs elsewhere.
Beginners may recognize a familiar aroma, learned when they were in the hive working
as a food storer, and investigate.
When a scout locates a promising source, she investigates its value. She lands on a
flower, if it is large enough, or on a nearby stem or leaf so that she can reach the flower.
She extends her tongue, called a proboscis, folding its three sections together to form
a tube, and sucks in the nectar. She may scrabble in the center of the flower or brush
against anthers in her pursuit of nectar, gathering pollen on her body hairs.
The Dance
Upon a forager's return from gathering nectar, she will be followed around the
hive and touched and smelled by other bees. If the patch was only so-so in its re-
