Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are industrious pollinators, with the survival of their entire colony depending on the efficiency of their foraging trips. Locating and assessing sources of nectar, pollen, and water requires a complex system of sensory perception and communication. The process of attraction is a sophisticated interaction between the bee’s evolved senses and the signals plants produce. This search for resources relies on a combination of visual cues, olfactory signals, and the final nutritional reward.
Visual Signals and Color Perception
Honey bees view the world through a visual spectrum that is a major factor in what attracts them to flowers. Unlike humans, bees possess photoreceptors that allow them to perceive ultraviolet (UV) light, a wavelength invisible to the human eye. This ability is fundamental to their foraging success, as many flowers display intricate patterns known as “nectar guides” which only become visible in the UV spectrum. These patterns act like bullseyes or landing strips, directing the bee to the pollen and nectar sources.
Bee color vision is trichromatic, based on UV, blue, and green light. They cannot see the color red; instead, true red appears black or gray to them. Their most attractive colors are those in the shorter wavelength range, specifically blue, purple, and yellow. Flower shape and size also serve as important visual cues when a bee is approaching a target from a distance. The combination of a preferred color and a distinct pattern allows the bee to quickly identify a profitable food source in a complex landscape.
The Role of Scent and Nectar Chemistry
While color acts as a long-distance beacon, scent is a crucial signal for close-range resource confirmation. Flowers emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are airborne chemical signals that honey bees use to pinpoint a flower’s location. These unique blends of compounds create a distinct “perfume” that helps the bee differentiate between plant species. Honey bees can also learn and remember the specific scent profiles of rewarding flowers.
The quality of the reward itself, primarily the nectar’s sugar concentration, is the primary attractant. Nectar sugar levels can vary widely, but bees prefer concentrations between 25% and 40%. They are known to modify their foraging dance to recruit more bees for sources with high sugar content, sometimes up to 50% or more. Pollen, the hive’s protein source, is also highly attractive and contains essential amino acids, lipids, and minerals necessary for the colony’s health. Foragers are highly sensitive to these chemical rewards.
Essential Non-Floral Attractants
Honey bees actively seek out other resources. Water is a requirement, used by the colony for diluting stored honey and for cooling the hive through evaporative cooling. Bees prefer shallow water sources like damp soil, moss, or the edges of muddy puddles, as this provides a safe place to land and sip without the risk of drowning.
Bees are attracted to water that is not clean, often seeking out sources with mineral and salt content. They actively forage for minerals such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, especially during times when these are lacking in their floral diet. This drive for essential nutrients can lead them to collect water from unexpected sources like brackish water, wet compost, or even animal manure, which are richer in these compounds than plain water.
Designing a Honey Bee Habitat
Integrating the bee’s sensory preferences into garden design creates a successful habitat. Planting flowers in large groups, or “drifts,” maximizes the visual impact of the preferred colors like blue, purple, and yellow, making the resource easier to spot from a distance. Choosing native plants ensures that the bloom’s morphology and VOC profile are adapted to attract local bee populations.
A continuous bloom cycle, from early spring to late fall, provides a steady supply of high-quality nectar and pollen. For water, a “bee bath” can be created by placing pebbles or small stones in a shallow dish of water, providing safe landing spots and access to the water’s edge. Avoiding the use of systemic pesticides is necessary, as these chemicals can contaminate the nectar and pollen, compromising the resources the bees are attracted to.