Pollination
Recently on Facebook, there was a discussion on European honey bees being responsible for the many spider orchid hybrids found this year. There was a comment that these orchids did not produce nectar and so would not attract bees. I commented that I had never seen a honey bee on an orchid before. To prove me wrong, the following day on our ramble through the local Wandoo woodland we spotted a bee on a White Spider Orchid. What attracted our attention was the bee struggling to free itself from the orchid column (the upright structure that holds the anthers). When it finally freed itself, the pollen sac was attached to its back. This prompted me to see what research had been done on spider orchid pollination. A European honey bee on a White Spider Orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. eminens). Note the yellow pollen sack on the bee’s back. |