Bee Pollination – A Beautiful Natural Act

POLLINATION — Pollination is the first step in the process of sexual reproduction in plants. Its the act of transferring ‘pollen grains’ from the male ‘anther’ of a flower to the female ‘stigma’ which enables fertilization (germinates and fertilizes the ovule) and in turn development of seeds and fruit.All of these steps must occur for a seed to develop

Bees are attracted flowers for its sugar rich liquid nectar and protein, vitamins and lipid rich item pollen, while gathering these things from flower to flowers they transfer pollen grains from male part of the flower ‘anther’ to female part of the flower ‘stigma’ (either in the same flower or to a different flower) thereby enabling fertilization and reproduction, Fertilization allows the flower to develop seeds and fruits.
Bees pack pollen in between their legs (pollen basket), Pollen that is packed on the bees legs are not available for pollination. The pollen grains that gaters around its hair and body part gets transfered to other flowers during visits to female flower. Collection of pollen by bees usually ends by afternoon, nectar collection usually continues for longer period.

NECTAR – Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries, Common nectar-consuming pollinators include bees, butterflies and moths, hummingbirds, and bats. Nectar is an ecologically important item, the sugar source for honey. Nectar secretion increases as the flower is visited by pollinators. Nectar is produced in both male and female flowers.

POLLEN – Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes (sperm cells). If pollen lands on a compatible pistil or female cone, it germinates, producing a pollen tube that transfers the sperm to the ovule containing the female gametophyte.

WINTER MELON — Winter Melon flowers bloom for a single day (like all like other melons). And a single plant will bears both male and female flower with female flower producing the fruit. There is often 3-4 male flowers for a single female flower. Succesful fruit prodcution required multiple visits by pollen-coated bees to that transfer about 500 to 1000 large pollen grains from the male flower’s anther to the stigma of the female flower. Unpollinated female flower dires and drops of as with male flower which drop of in a single day

I have a Terrace Garden and I have also grown Papaya, Sugar Apple, Coriander, Mint (Pudina), Ladies Finger (okra), Bitter gourd, Musk Melon, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Spinach (Palak), Egg Plant (Brinjal), Amaranthus, Hyacinth (Lablab), Spring onions, Ash Gourd (Winter Melon) and different type of flowers in our Terrace Garden.

Our Winter Melon Video —

— TABLE OF CONTENTS —
[00:12] – Squash Bees at Male Flower
[01:08] – Getting Drunk and Falling off
[01:44] – Squash Bees at Female Flower