Some people fixate on honey bees as essential for pollination. Reality is more complicated. For one species, honey bee visits actively harm its chances of pollinating a partner.
Tag - Pollen theft
Alun Salt
Flies can be pollen thieves but plants deal with them
Some plants tackle thieves and pollinators eating pollen by producing enough both to feed visitors and fertilise available ovules.
Juniper Kiss
Floral traits mediate the pollination role of bees
Pollen-collecting bees are the most important pollinators globally, but are also the most common pollen thieves and can significantly reduce plant reproduction. Hargreaves et al. investigate whether floral...
botanyone