Flower Constancy
Verhalten der Bienen
A forager sticks to one plant species during a foraging trip, and usually also to the same location.
A forager sticks to one plant species during a foraging trip, and usually also to the same location. This pays off for the bee, because with a flower shape she has already learned she reaches nectar and pollen much faster. For the plant it is the precondition for pollination, since only pollen of the same species fertilizes it.
Flower constancy is not absolute. In spring it is strongly pronounced; in summer, with a scarcer supply, bees switch more often, and then several kinds of pollen are found in a single load. New sources are opened up by scout bees, which do not follow known routes but explore on their own and advertise for it in the hive after returning.
Varietal honeys rely on flower constancy. A honey may only carry a varietal designation if it comes wholly or predominantly from the named plant; this is checked, among other things, via pollen analysis. This can be read at the entrance: as long as one pollen load color clearly dominates, a major nectar flow is underway.