XVII 



BEES AND FLOWERS 



Useful though the honey-bee is to man by its 

 direct production of honey and wax, its beneficial 

 influence by no means stops short there. Indeed, 

 it is pretty safe to say that its indirect usefulness 

 is inestimably greater than its more obvious 

 economic value. For, while numerous insects 

 play to some extent a part in the fertilisa- 

 tion of flowers, not one performs anything like 

 the amount of work of this kind which is done by 

 the honey-bee. Several notable naturalists have 

 published exhaustive treatises on the adaptation of 

 various insects to the flowers they visit, and there- 

 fore it is unnecessary for me to enter into details. 

 Those who have not read Lord Avebury's book 

 on the subject should do so. 



The reason why bees are so extremely useful in 

 this fertilisation process, is, of course, that they 

 require the fertilising matter, which we call pollen, 

 for their own consumption, and, therefore, they 

 make regular and systematic journeys after it, 

 even when there is no honey obtainable. Pollen 



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