Passion Flowers Attract Honey Bees

Passion Flowers Attract Honey Bees as they do have an aroma and produce large amounts of pollen and they also forage for nectar.

The Passion fruit flowers.

Passion Flowers Attract Honey Bees but they do not do proper pollination. We found that they were only collecting the pollen on the flower.

We decided to hand pollinate the passion fruit flowers because this is only the start of the producing vines.

On the photo below notice the pollen on the stigma (top green stigma) which has been wiped there by hand pollination using the pollen stamens ( the stalks have no pollen stamens on, they were plucked off to pollinate)

Also notice the bee collecting the pollen from the stalks of the stigma.

On our daily walks we saw that the pollen on the 5 stamens were all gone.

See below, the yellow stamens. pollen all gone and the green stigma does not have any pollen on. The purple corona has some pollen bits on, and that would tell you that the bees were there.

Pollen collecting.

Then on photographing some honey bees on the flowers. I noticed that they were only obtaining the pollen from these stamens and being small bees not being able to pollinate the stigmas with pollen. The stigmas are on top of the flower components.

The photo below and above shows you a honey bee collecting the pollen that is on the stems of the stigma and on the green part of the stigma to. Some of the pollen stamens were picked to use to pollinate this flower. (plenty of pollen on the stigma)

The pollen on the 5 stamens is really quit full and when a large bee such as a carpenter bee obtains some nectar then it does brush a lot of pollen on itself. With this action it then wipes the pollen on the stigmas. Thereby pollinating the passion flower. Then it will bare fruit.

See the photo below of the green growing passion fruit on the vine.

Pollinating

See the photo below with a carpenter bee full of pollen while collecting nectar.

View more on Carpenter Bee pollinates passion fruit flower

Foraging for nectar

The hand pollination is more efficient and a larger percentage of fruit will be available than leaving it to the bees to pollinate. Although the carpenter bee is a great pollinator but to few flowers to attract them as of yet.

Honey bees do obtain some nectar from the base of the flower called the Corona. Purple inside of the white filling coronas of the flower. Being quit deep for a small bee to obtain the nectar, but she does dip down into it.

Above and below photos of the honey bee obtain some nectar, diving upright to forage.

Honey bee doing a hand stand to obtain the nectar down deep at the stem of the flower.

She is on top of the corona still foraging for nectar.

A honey bee and her tongue (proboscis) sticking out after foraging for nectar.

View The Anatomy of a honey bee here, to read all about how all her body components work.

Off she goes to seek more food or got irritated. ( because I was there taking photos.) Notice the pollen on the stigmas, the stamens still have some pollen on.

After hand pollinating the passion flower (notice all the pollen on the stigmas) This honey bee was still collecting pollen.

View this link that tells you how the honey bee uses and stores the pollen. Life on the wax comb.

The passion fruit flower is so beautiful and also has religious symbols for all its components. Very enlightening.

View here, Passion Fruit Flower Components symbolize.

Please peruse the site for many photos of all species of bees and information about the life cycle and habits.

Make this amazing homemade passion fruit juice. Homemade 3 ingredient Passion Fruit Juice.

Or if you love to bake using passion fruit then click this link for recipes.

12 Passion Fruit Baking Recipes

Enjoy