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Bees, plants & pollination

 

Bees and flowering plants have a mutually dependent relationship which has developed over the millennia in a way that benefits both the the plants and the insects; they both need each other.

 

The bees' food is provided entirely by the plants they visit. To attract the bees to the plant (and consequently as a reward for their pollination services) plants provide bees with nectar and pollen.  Nectar is a food source rich in energy, and pollen is a source of protein, used by young bees. Honey bees turn the nectar into honey and store the pollen in the cells of the honeycomb.  Storing food allows honey bees to survive in times of scarcity and across a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions, making the honey bee one of the earth's most adaptable species.

 

While honey bees and other insects are visiting flowers to feed, they spread pollen from one plant to another.  This enables flowers to be fertilised and for seeds and fruit to form.  People benefit greatly from the natural relationship between bees and plants. Insect pollination is the mechanism that allows us to harvest crops and seeds throughout the world and people frequently harvest surplus honey stored by bees. Other wildlife is sustained also so people are enriched in other ways too.

 

In most developing countries the main honey sources come from trees so the forest resources available to beekeepers are central to the amount of honey they are able to collect.  Beekeepers can protect their honey harvest by protecting the trees and plants that give the bees both food and shelter.  Many honey bearing trees have other useful purposes as well, so protecting trees not only helps the bees, but also improves and preserves the local environment and enhances other strands of the bee farmers' livelihood.

 

 

 

 

 

List of Articles available on this topic (129):


Title

Author

A colour guide to pollen loads of the honey bee

Kirk, W

A Dictionary of Useful and Everyday Plants and their Common Names

Howes, F.N.

A guide to fruits and seeds

Nathan, A. & Yit Chee, W.

A Pocket Directory of Trees and Seeds in Kenya

Teel, W.

Abstract Proceedings: 11th Asian Apicultural Association Conference, ApiExpo & Workshop

Asian Apicultural Assocaition

Acacia ataxacantha: a nectar plant for honey bees between two dearth periods in the sudan savanna of Northern Nigeria

Dukku, U.H.

Alarm report - pollination

Bees for Development

Backyard Beekeeping and Honey Production

Rant, P.

Bangladesh Major Cropping Patterns Map

IBRD

Beekeeping in South Africa

Johannsmeier, M.F.

Beekeeping Technology Adoption and its Effect on Resource Productivity in Southern Kenya Rangelands

Muriuki, J. M.

Bees and CropPollenation - Crisis, Crosssroads, Conservation.

Stubbs, C & Drummond, F.

Bees and their role in forest livelihoods: a guide to the services provided by bees and the sustainable harvesting, processing and marketing of their products

Bradbear, N.

Bees and Trees

Svensson, B.

Bees in the City

Benjamin A. & McCallum B.

Behaviour of insects foraging on pigeon pea in India

Williams, I.H.

Biodiversity of Honey Bees in Thailand Vol.3

Wongsiri, S. et al

Common Names of plants in Bangladesh and West Bengal

Common Plants of Bangladesh their use to Bees

Day, R.

Conservation and Management of Tropical Rainforests: An Integrated Approach to Sustainability

Bruenig, E.F.

Constraints and prospects for apiculture research and development in Amhara region, Ethiopa

Ejigu, K. Gebey, T. and Preston, T.R.

Coppice

Mottershead,C

Crop Pollination by Bees

Delaplane, K.S., & Mayer, D.F.

Das Pollenbild Chinesischer Honige (The Pollen Spectrum of Chinese Honeys.)

Focke E

Decoding the language of the bee

Frish, K.V.

Discovering Herbs

Sanecki, K N

Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with pollinator decline

Gallai, N., Salles, J., Settele, J. and Vaissiere, B.E.

Flora Apicola: Lavalle - La Asuncion, Mendoza - Argentina

Wingenroth, M.

Flora Polinica de Mendoza

Wingenroth, M.

Flowering Plants of Islamabad: a Monthly Guide

Malik, S.

Food and Fruit-bearing Forest Species 1: Examples from Eastern Africa

FAO

Food Legumes: Distribution, Adaptability and Biology of Yield

Sinha, S.K.

Forestry for Sustainable Rural Development: A Review of Ford Foundation-Supported Community Forestry Programs in Asia

Ford-Foundation

Forestry Research in the Asia-Pacific

Nor, S.M.

Forestry Research Management: Proceedings of the International Seminar held at Dehra Dun, India

FORSPA/FAO

Forestry, forest users and research: new way of learning

Lawrence,A (ed)

Fruit Crops Pollination

Jindal, K.K., & Verma, L.R.

Fruits of the Forest: A Manual for Participatory Research into Non-Timber Forest Product Use

Dorren, G. & van de Veen, H.

Garden Plants Valuable to Bees

International Bee Research Association

Globa honey bee disorders and other threats to insect pollinators

Kluser, S.; Neumann, P.; Chauzat, M; Pettis, J.

Global honey bee decline and its effects on agricultural production

Hayes, J.

Guide to Plants Tolerant of Arid and Semi-Arid Conditions: Nomenclature and Potential Uses

Weiss, E.

Guide to some of East Africa\'s Flowering Trees and Shrubs

SHELL

Guide to some of East Africa\'s Upland Flowers

SHELL

Gum trees in South Africa

Flottum, K.

Haynes Bee Manual

Waring, C. & Waring, A.

Himalayan Flowers and Trees

Mierow, D. & Shrestha, T.B.

Honey bee biology - back to India (part 2): Giant bees in a giant tree

Mangum, W.A.

Honey Sources Satellite 2 : Plants Listed Alphabetically and By Family; Common Name Index; Pollen Grain Information

Crane, E., Day, R. & Walker, P.

Honey: A Source of Nutrition, Medicine and Cash Income for Himalayan Farmers

Ahmad, F, Joshi SR and Gurung MB

Honeybee Democracy

Seeley, T.D.

Honeybees in Mountain Agriculture

Partap, U.

How to find wild bees/Como encontrar abelhas silvestres

Hertz, O.

How to manage the blue orchard bee as an orchard pollinator

Bosch, J. & Kemp, W.

IBRA Appendix Pollens Identified in Honey Samples from Bangladesh

IBRA

Impact of Honeybee Pollination in Enhancing the Apple Production in Nainital District of Uttarakhand

Sharma, HK; Partap, U;Bisht, K; Tewari, P & Phartiyal, P.

Improved pollination of insect pollinated crops in Bhutan

Insect Pollination In Greenhouses

de Ruijter, A & Sommeijer, M (eds)

Insect Pollination of Crops

Free, J.B.

Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants: Agriculture Handbook No. 496

McGregor, S.E.

Insect Pollinators of Crops

Atwal. A.S.

Integrated Value Chain Development as a Tool for Poverty Alleviation in Rural Mountain Areas

Hoermann, B; Choudhary, D & D, Kollmair, M.

Interaction between melon (Cucumis melo) flowers and honeybees under extreme desert conditions in Israel

Orr, N.; Eisikowitch, D.

International pollinator initiative

Bees for Development

Intimate relationships between plants and pollinators

Peebles, S.

keep Bees without Fuss or Chemicals

Bleasdale, J.

Keeping Bees in Towns and Cities

Dixon, L.

Low-cost homes for wild pollinators

Bogatyrev, N

Lower chinese honey production blamed on flowering delay

Liu, F.L., He, J.Z., Zhang, X.W. and Aiping, W.

Managed Crop Pollination: The Missing Dimension of Mountain Agricultural Productivity

Partap, U. & Partap, T.

Management of Philippine Bees

Cervancia C.R: Fajardo A.C; Manila-Fajardo A.C; Lucero R.M.

Manual de Apicultura para Ambientes Subtropicales: Una Propuesta de: \'La Red de Escuelas del Noroeste Argentina (NOA)\'

Dini, C. & Bedascarrasbure, E.

Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture

Conrad, R.

Nectar and Pollen Plants of China

Wanlin, X.

Of Plants, Hives, Conservation and Computers

Harman, A.

People\'s Plants. A Guide to Useful Plants of S.Africa

Wyk, B.E.van & Gericke, N.

Plant with toxic nectar kills native honey bees in SW China

Liu, F.L. and Fu, W.J.

Planting for Bees in Developing Countries

IBRA

Plants and Beekeeping

Howes, F N

Plants and Beekeeping: an account of those plants, wild and cultivated, of value to the hive bee, and for honey production in the British Isles

Howes, F.N.

Plants and Honey Bees: their relationships

Aston, D. & Bucknall, S.

Plants and honeybees: An introduction to their relationships

Aston, D. and Bucknall, S.

Plants For Bees: A Guide to the Plants that Benefit Bees of the British Isles

Kirk, W.D.J. and Howes, F.N.

Plants from the Markets of Thailand

Jacquat, C.

Plants of Dhofar: the Southern Region of Oman Traditional, Economic and Medicinal Uses

Miller, A. & Morris, M.

Plants of the Galapagos Islands: Field Guide and Travel Journal

Schofield, E.K.

Pocket Pollen Colour Guide: A Handy Guide to Aid in the Identification of Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee

Bees for Development

Pollen Morphology of Nectar-producing Plants in China

Chang, G T, Wang C L

Pollination in the tropics

Free, J.B.

Pollination Management Of Mountain Crops through Beekeeping

Partap, U

Pollination Management of Mountain Crops through Beekeeping

Partap, U

Pollination of apples in China

Partap, U. and Partap, T.

Pollination of Cultivated Plants in the Tropics

Roubik, D.W.

Pollinators in a Changing Landscape

Alton, S.

Practical Pollination Biology

Dafni, A., Kevan, P. G. & Husband, B. C.

Pro-Poor Chain Development for High Value Products in Mountain Regions: Indian Bay Leaf

Choudhary, D; Pandit, B; Kinhal, G; Kollmair, M.

Prominent Findings of Forestry Research in India

Rai, S.N.

Public lands task force

Horn,T.

Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?

Siegel, T. & Betz, J.

Rainforests: A Guide to Research and Tourist Facilities at Selected Tropical Forest Sites in Central and South America

Castner, J.L.

Selected Indicators of Food and Agriculture Development in Asia-Pacific Region, 1976-86

FAO

Shofflera octophylla Harms, the Most Important Winter Nectar Flower in the Province of Hwandun

Lian Bai-Tzi

Some Trees, Shrubs and Climbers of Bijilo Forest Park

Bijilo Forest Park

State of the World\'s Forests

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

Study on Traditional method of keeping Indian honey bees in Burma and keeping with modern method

Maung Maung Nyein

Successful pollination of apples

Partap, U.

Tanzania, Top-bar hives, Miombo Forestry Information Box

Anonymous

The Asian Hive Bee, Apis cerana, as a Pollinator in Vegetable Seed Production

Verma, L.R. & Partap, U.

The BBKA Guide to Beekeeping

Davis, I. & Cullum-Kenyon, R.

The co-evolution of insects and plants

Hunter,P.A.

The importance of bee-pollination in four genotypes of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.)

Musallam, I. W., Haddad, N.J., Tawaha, R.M. and Migdadi, O.S.

The Investigation and Study of China\'s Bee Plants

Xu W-L

The study of pollen

Sawyer, R.

The \'domestic\' honey bee versus the wild pollinators

Hemmerie,J (translated by Pam Todd)

Threats to honey bee biodiversity

Cuthbertson,A.G.S.; Marris,G.; Powell,M.E.

Top-Bar Hive Beekeeping: Wisdom and Pleasure Combined

Mangum, W.A.

Trees Bees Use - Antigonon leptopus - Coral Creeper

Sadakathulla, S.; Rajendran, R.; Mohan, R. & Jalaluddin, S.M.

Trees Bees Use - Caylusea abyssinica (Resedaceae)

Latham, P.

Trees Bees Use - Chromolaena odorata

Adesina, G.O. & Babarinde, S.A.

Trees Bees Use - Datura stramonium - Jimson Weed

Abila, N.

Trees Bees Use - Fuchsia - A bee forage plant

Duggan, M.

TREES BEES USE - Polyscias fulva (Araliaceae)

Latham,P

Value of Insect Pollinators to Himalayan Agricultural Economies

Partap U., Partap T., Sharma H. K., Phartiyal, P., Marma P., Tamang N., Ken T., Munawar M

Valuing insect pollination services with cost of replacement

Allsop, M.H. de Lange, W.J. and Veldtman, R.

Waggle dance controversy resolved

Bees for Development

Warning signals - from the Apple Valleys of the Hindu Kush-himalayas - productivity concerns and pollination problems - abridged edition

Partap, U. & Partap, T.

Warning signals from the Apple Valleys of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas: Productivity Concerns and Pollination Problems

Partap,U & Partap T

What commercial pollination means for the environment

Bees for Development

Wild flowers as competitors for pollinators in almond orchards

Eisikowitch, D.; Lupo, A.