File:Bee and Magnolia All bee collage.jpg

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I’m not sure how rare this scene may be, but it was quite a site to see, watching those wallowing pollinating honey bees.

For less than a second the bees hovered above the Magnolia Flower. I saw a bee use its mouth to collect the nectar from the pedal. It seemed like any ordinary pollinating and nectar collecting action; so, I didn’t bother getting my camera, until I saw one bee begin to wallow. It was wallowing in the stamen that had fallen into the cup of the Magnolia petals. This I have never witnessed nor heard of. So, I did some research and apparently, species of Leavenworthia share the same basic floral structure of R. raphanistrum and have similar pollinators (Lloyd, 1965). Pollinator observations of L. stylosa and L. crassa suggest that native bees "wallow" around the long stamen and stigma of the pistil, while introduced honey bees place their heads in direct contact with the long stamen and the stigma. Honey bees also interact with the short stamen, as the force of their landing on the petal pulls the petal and short stamen down and away from the nectaries, where they then forage (Lloyd, 1965 )..

Nectar is the sugar source for honey. It is important for the plant as well as for the nectar feeders. Nectar is useful in agriculture and horticulture.

The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. Each stamen usually has a stalk called a filament. At the top of the filament is the anther. This part bears pollen in sacs. Most flowering plants have male and female parts. They are Bisexual plants and are named “hermaphrodites” or “perfect flowers” (Wikipedia). The male (stamen) and the female (pistil) parts of the Magnolia grow in a spiral.

I raced into the house and got my camera and captured the bee’s behavior. It seemed to thoroughly enjoy wallowing. The bee and other bees were literally rolling in the pollen.

I’ve heard that bees unknowingly or unintentionally collect pollen while intentionally collecting nectar from flowers. While performing this action, the female part of the flower is fertilized with the pollen that has stuck on the bee.

I witnessed the intentional act of nectar collecting, and what seems to be most likely, a knowingly and intentional act of wallowing in pollen by honey bees.