Honeybee Series: Honeybee Pollination in Arizona

Abstract

Pollination is the process of sexual propagation by angiosperms which involves combining the male pollen with the female ovule and intermixing the genes to create offspring. Flowers can have male parts, female parts or most common, both. The male part of the flower is called the anther, and on the tip of the stamen is where the pollen grains are produced. The female part of the flower is called the pistil and has the stigma and ovule (where the seeds are formed). Each species of plants has a unique form and shape of pollen, and only compatible pollen can successfully pollinate the flower. The transfer of pollen grain from the stamen to the pistil and eventually the ovule is pollination. Flowers are what develop into fruits and vegetables for our food supply and give us seed to grow more plants. This important work is carried on by many insects, but the honeybee is exceptional because of their willingness to pollinate so many types of flowers, and our ability to manage their colonies and move them to the location of where we need pollination to occur.