The foraging behaviour of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) on Brussels sprout (Brassica oleracea L.).
Abstract
Bees foraging for nectar on flowers of cultivars with deep corolla tubes and large floral parts found it difficult to reach the inner nectaries. They quickly learnt to rob flowers by inserting the tongue between the perianth segments to reach the outer nectaries. Robber bees were not very likely to pollinate these flowers. However, bees collecting nectar on cultivars with small flowers preferred to visit the inner nectaries via the mouth of the flower, and pollination was effected in the process.In an open plot of ten cultivars, different individual bees preferred different cultivars, and some showed considerable constancy to their preferred cultivar.P. Walker