Bees are widely recognized for their role in pollinating flowers, a process vital for the reproduction of many plants and the production of fruits. While their primary foraging activities revolve around floral nectar and pollen, bees can also be observed interacting with fruit. This interaction often leads many to wonder why these insects might be drawn to something seemingly outside their usual diet. The relationship between bees and fruit is more nuanced than a simple preference, involving specific conditions.
The Sweet Truth: Why Bees Are Drawn to Fruit
Bees are driven by a constant need for energy to fuel activities like flight, foraging, and hive maintenance. Their primary energy source comes from carbohydrates, mainly sugars found in nectar. Ripe fruit contains a significant amount of sugars like fructose and glucose, readily digestible by bees. This sweet content makes fruit an appealing secondary energy source.
Bees are not interested in the fibrous pulp of fruit, but rather the exposed sugary liquids. These liquids provide quick, accessible energy, similar to nectar from flowers. While fruit juice sugar concentration can be lower than floral nectar, it still offers substantial caloric benefits to foraging bees. When other nectar sources are scarce, fruit sugars become a significant part of their opportunistic foraging.
Distinguishing Attraction: Ripe vs. Damaged Fruit
Bees do not possess mouthparts strong enough to pierce the intact skin of healthy fruit. Their attraction to fruit is limited to instances where the fruit has already been compromised. Damage can result from factors like falling from a tree, bruising, or punctures by other insects, birds, or animals. These breaks expose the sugary juices, making them accessible to bees.
Overripe or fermenting fruit is attractive. As fruit ripens and breaks down, its skin softens, and its sugars become more concentrated and available. Fermentation, initiated by yeasts and bacteria, converts some sugars into alcohol and aromatic compounds, enhancing the fruit’s allure. This combination of accessible sugars and strong olfactory cues makes damaged, overripe fruit a desirable target for foraging bees, especially when floral nectar is less abundant.
Common Fruits Bees Visit
Bees visit a variety of fruits, nearly always when damaged or overripe, allowing access to sweet internal juices. Common examples include berries like strawberries and raspberries, rich in natural sugars with soft skins easily breached once ripe or bruised. Grapes are another frequent target, particularly when skins are cracked or broken.
Stone fruits such as peaches, plums, and apricots also attract bees once soft and their sugary contents are exposed. Apples and pears, especially those fallen to the ground and decomposing, often attract bees seeking fermenting sugars. Figs also attract bees, particularly when external damage exposes their sweet, pulpy interior.