Without a hive to defend, they very rarely sting. A bee sees a brilliant ultraviolet bull's-eye on the lower part of the rays near the center of the flower.Įxcept for bumblebees, Northern Arizona's native bees are solitary. To us, a common sunflower is a simple arrangement of yellow rays encircling a dark disk. Ultraviolet patterns that attract bees to flowers are invisible to humans.

They have a much wider view than human eyes, as wide as 280 degrees.īees can't see the color red, but they can see ultraviolet. Compound eyes focus poorly from a distance but very well up close. The two large eyes on either side of their heads, called compound eyes, are made up of thousands of tiny eyes with lenses called facets, which together perceive blue, green, ultraviolet, and the shape of objects. This study launched a new field of research called phytoacoustics: the study of sound perception in plants.īees have five eyes! Three simple eyes (ocelli) on the tops of their heads detect polarized light, which allows them to navigate by the sun even on cloudy days, and to sense the approach of predators from above. Bowl-shaped evening primroses also increased their own vibrations in response to the bees. The researchers found that pollinators were nine times more common around plants that another pollinator had visited within the previous six minutes. Israeli scientists found that within minutes of sensing vibrations from bee wings, a species of evening primrose temporarily increased the concentration of sugar in its nectar, attracting even more insects. Bee buzzing shakes pollen loose from certain flowers that can't release it without that buzzing. As they fly, their fur becomes charged with static electricity that attracts pollen from flowers, which sticks to the bees even before they reach the flower. Honeybees were imported from Europe and are not native to the Americas.īees are the ultimate pollinators. Individual native bees are two to three times more effective as pollinators than a honeybee. In the process of collecting pollen, bees transfer some of it from one flower to another, enabling flowers to produce the seeds from which future generations will bloom.

Bees feed on flower nectar for energy and collect pollen to provide their larvae with protein and other nutrients. Bees co-evolved with the first flowering plants, which appeared at that time.

They descended about 125 million years ago from wasps, which are a carnivorous species. As very active pollinators, they make it possible for a great many different native plants to thrive here.īees primarily consume pollen and honey. There are at least 369 species of native bees in the greater San Francisco Peaks area.

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